Madame Web reviews: Critics call Dakota Johnson-starrer 'worst of the genre'

The first reviewfor the Spider-Man spinoff Madame Webis here. Dakota Johnson-starreristhe first female superhero standalone film in the Sony-Marvel universe and the first big release from the studio of the year. However, the movie has got a very disappointing start.

Directed by SJ Clarkson, the movie starring Dakota as a paramedic in New York, has received negative reviews.

The movie is based on the character Madame Web, whofirst appeared in the 1980 comic book 'The Amazin Spider-Man'. In the comic, she's an elderly woman, who is paralysed and blind and is suffering from a rare autoimmune disorder due to which she's always on a life support system which is in the form of spiderweb. However, her psychic abilities allow her to see the future. In the recently released film, Cassandra Webb played by Johnson is a New York paramedic, who is curious about psychic visions.

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The film which has been called one of the worst superhero movies of recent times has scored a 15 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 125 reviews.

Apart from Dakota, the supporting cast of the film boasts an impressive lineup. The cast of the movie includes Sydney Sweeney as Julia Carpenter, Emma Roberts as Mary Parker, Celeste O’Connor as Mattie Franklin, Isabela Merced as Anya Corazon and Tahar Rahim as Ezekiel Sims.

Here are all the reviews

Variety's Peter Debrugecalled Johnson's movie 'superfluous.'' He writes, “Madame Web was never going to touch the relatively high-concept, Disney-made “Avengers” movies. The script is confusing, the action stale and the visual effects cheap. A recurring device that places Cassie at the center of what looks like a giant plasma ball, surrounded by static tendrils, is downright embarrassing. But guess what? Tickets still cost just as much as they would for a more canonical Marvel movie. So why settle for the knockoff?''

The Guardian's Benjamin Lee said that ''the film is as dumb and schlocky as the worst of the genre, with lousy network TV effects, uninvolving action and unfunny and inelegant dialogue.''

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The New York Times'Manohla Dargis said that, ''the story is absurd, the dialogue snort-out-loud risible, the fights uninspired. Even so, there are glimmers of wit and competency. And then there And then there’s its star, Dakota Johnson, who has a fascinating, seemingly natural ability to appear wholly detached from the nonsense swirling around her. Most actors at least try to sell the shoddy."

Joel Harley from Gamesradar said that the story is bogged down by exposition and egregious product placement. Harley wrote, ''Its genre aspirations are admirable – slasher callbacks and a cute Final Destination 2 homage – but it’s hard to shake the sense that it’s more interested in shilling a well-known fizzy-drinks brand. What’s more, any character development feels unearned, not to mention ill-served by the generally poor performances.''

Indie Wire's David Ehrlich wrote, ''that the movie has a misfortune of arriving at a time when the superhero genre has almost returned to pre-MCU levels of popularity, this “Daredevil”-ass disaster is hilariously retrograde for a story about someone who discovers that she can see a few seconds into the future.''