It’s 2003, and Cassandra Webb (Dakota Johnson) is a New York City paramedic, working alongside partner Ben Parker (Adam Scott). Cassie grew up in foster care and never knew her mother—she died in childbirth in the Peruvian Amazon 30 years earlier, while on an expedition to find Las Arañas, the mythical Spider-People who were said to be able to climb on walls and have other special spider-powers. After a near-death experience while on a call, Cassie starts to experience déjà vu, and shows signs of clairvoyance. She starts seeing events before they happen, but she can’t control these visions.
One evening, while riding the train and sees a man board the car and systematically kill three teen girls. Cassie doesn’t know these girls, and they don’t even know one another, but she decides to step in to save them, helping Julia Cornwall (Sydney Sweeney), Anya Corazón (Isabela Merced) and Mattie Franklin (Celeste O’Connor) escape from the platform before this man murders them. However, it turns out this is no ordinary man. As Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim) pursues the young women, he is dressed in a spider-suit and is able to walk on the ceiling. Cassie immediately thinks of the Spider-People her mother was looking for, and realizes this may all be connected. In fact, Ezekiel knew her mother (Kerry Bishé), and was the man responsible for her death.
Ezekiel is able to see the future like Cassie can, and has the same nightmare every night—he sees these three girls dressed like superheroes using their superpowers to kill him. So, with the help of his tech expert Amaria (Zosia Mamet), Ezekiel taps into the city’s surveillance cameras, determined to locate and eliminate these girls before they have a chance to kill him in the future. Cassie never asked to be the protector of these girls, but their destinies seem to be intertwined, and helping people is in her nature. In order to learn how to control her powers, change the future, and stop Ezekiel, Cassie is going to have to confront her past.
I had never even heard of the character of Madame Web before I sat down to watch this movie, but I was pleasantly surprised. While Madame Web is much older when she first appears in the comics, this film serves to give the character an origin story. It also ties nicely into the larger Spider-Man lore, such as with Las Arañas, as well as Cassie being partnered up with the Ben Parker. Though, he’s not Uncle Ben just yet—his sister-in-law Mary (Emma Roberts) is currently pregnant with her baby boy.
Madame Web is a thoroughly-entertaining film, finding that perfect blend of action, drama and humor we’ve come to expect from a Spider-Verse film. It is the humor that always makes these kinds of films most enjoyable to me, and Dakota Johnson and Adam Scott have great chemistry and comedic timing. Their seemingly-improvised banter feels so natural and fun. Dakota is especially charming, and constantly had me smiling throughout this film. Cassie claims to not like children or know what to do with them, but she becomes like an instant protective mother to these young women in peril. Julia, Anya, and Mattie find themselves in a position that feels all too familiar to Cassie. Their parents aren’t around, and they don’t have an adult to turn to for help. At the same time, they’re teenagers, and they’re going to make some bad decisions that ultimately put them in Ezekiel’s dangerous path.
Each of the girls has her own unique personality. Julia is the shy and awkward one, Anya is smart but beautiful one, and Mattie is the rebellious one. While these girls didn’t know one another before that train ride, they become fast friends. Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced and Celeste O’Connor are great in these roles. Not only do they get to play these teens suddenly thrust into a dangerous situation, but we also get to see glimpses of them some time in the future where they are a kick-ass team of costumed superheroes who work together like a well-oiled machine, and each has her own unique abilities.
I don’t understand all the negative comments about this film&mdhas;it seems like people just get hung up over the idea of a female-centric superhero movie and just write it off without even giving it a chance. Yes, the film is very female-focused, with themes of girl power and friendships. And it even has an amazing primarily female-led soundtrack, including songs by Meredith Brooks, Britney Spears, Tiffany and The Cranberries. However, the film never feels like it is pushing some feminist agenda or even remotely doing any kind of male-bashing. It’s just a fun superhero movie that happens to center around female characters. If there’s any weak part to the movie, it’s the villain, Ezekiel Sims, who feels a bit generic and moustache-twirlingly one-note.
While the film tells a complete story, it also sets up more to explore. I would certainly love to see more of these characters, but I guess only Cassie knows if that’s going to happen.
Sony’s 4K Ultra HD release of Mdame Web looks and sounds great. The picture is pristine, with an excellent level of detail throughout, even in the darker sequences. The 4K disc’s Dolby Atmos track is also, for lack of a better word, amazing, providing clear dialogue throughout, and constantly filling the room with an aural feast whenever Cassie starts to have one of her visions. The track also provides a nicely-immersive ambiance throughout, which is noticeable right from the start as Cassie’s mother makes her way through the jungle. The film also has a wonderful musical soundtrack, and the needle drops are chosen perfectly to tie into what’s happening in the movie.
This release includes both a 4K disc and a Blu-ray disc, which are placed on either side of a standard 4K keepcase with a glossy cardboard slipcover. An insert provides instructions on how to redeem a 4K Movies Anywhere-compatible digital copy of the film. All of the bonus material resides on the Blu-ray disc, and consists of over 30 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes, a gag reel, a deleted scene, and more. I did have one playback issue on my 4K disc with it freezing for a few seconds around the 12:18 mark. Though I haven’t had a chance to try the disc in another player to see if the issue persists.
What’s Included:
Film: (1:56:12)
- 2160p / Widescreen 2.39:1
- Dolby Vision / HDR10
- Audio: English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Compatible), English Audio Descriptive Service, French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French Audio Descriptive Service, Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
- Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
- Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Audio Descriptive Service, French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French Audio Descriptive Service, Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
- Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish
- 4K digital copy, redeemable via Movies Anywhere or Vudu
- Future Vision (6:51)
The cast and filmmakers discuss the story and characters, what drew them to the project, the themes of empowerment and family, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with executive producer Adam Merims, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, director/co-writer/ executive producer SJ Clarkson, and stars Dakota Johnson (“Cassandra Webb”), Adam Scott (“Ben”), Isabela Merced (“Anya Corazón”), Celeste O’Connor (“Mattie Franklin”), Tahar Rahim (“Ezekiel Sims”) & Sydney Sweeney (“Julia Cornwall”). - Casting The Web (9:09)
The cast and filmmakers discuss the actors and what it was like working with one another and the director. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co-writer/ executive producer SJ Clarkson, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, and stars Dakota Johnson, Adam Scott, Emma Roberts (“Mary”), Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor, Isabela Merced & Tahar Rahim. - Oracle Of The Page (4:54)
The cast and filmmakers discuss using the comic lore to create an origin story for this character before she appears in the comics, and the various powers each of the characters have. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co-writer/ executive producer SJ Clarkson, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, executive producer Adam Merims, and stars Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor & Isabela Merced. - Gag Reel (4:31)
Laugh along with the cast as they flub lines, improv, deal with misbehaving animals, and just have fun on set. - Fight Like a Spider (5:31)
The cast and crew discuss training for and filming the fight and action sequences. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with stunt coordinator Brycen Counts, VFX supervisor Michael Brazelton, production designer Ethan Tobman, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, director of photography Mauro Fiore, and stars Dakota Johnson, Tahar Rahim, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Celeste O’Connor & Adam Scott. - Easter Eggs — The Many Threads of Madame Web (3:55)
Director SJ Clarkson points out several of the hidden comic book references hidden in the film. - Deleted Scene — You Died (:41)
Cassandra tells Ben that she keeps seeing the same things happening twice. - Previews (7:46)
Trailers for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse (2:38), Gran Turismo (2:33), Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2:33) play back-to-back.
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4K UHD:
Blu-ray:
Digital (Limited time offer):
Extras:
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Only the previews are available on the 4k disc.
Final Thoughts:
Don’t listen to the nay-sayers, Madame Web makes a great addition to any Spider-Man collection. While most people have probably never heard of this character, Dakota Johnson is fun and charming throughout the film, and in joined by a talented supporting cast. The film has all of the action, drama and humor you could hope for in a superhero film. The four women at the heart of the movie have amazing chemistry, and I would welcome more adventures with this team. Sony’s 4K release features excellent picture and sound, and includes an entertaining assortment of bonus material. I highly recommend giving the movie a shot, especially if you are a general fan of the Spider-Man universe.
