Madame Web [4K Ultra HD]

Director: SJ Clarkson

Cast: Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced

Release Date: April 30, 2024

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 3/10
Disc Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:

Madame Web tells the standalone origin story of one of Marvel publishing’s most enigmatic heroines. The suspense-driven thriller stars Dakota Johnson as Cassandra Webb, a paramedic in Manhattan who may have clairvoyant abilities. Forced to confront revelations about her past, she forges a relationship with three young women destined for powerful futures…if they can all survive a deadly present.

Please Note: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.

‘Madame Web’ tells the origin story of Cassandra Webb who as the film picks up is working as a paramedic in Manhattan only to find her life thrown for an unexpected curve when she begins to discover that she may have clairvoyant abilities once she begins to re-experience events. She soon discovers that she has a connection with three young women who are being hunted by a man with spider-like abilities who is intent on killing them before they can kill him in the future. Now Cassandra will have to take the women under her wing and try to keep them all alive long enough to figure out what her destiny holds.

Directed by SJ Clarkson (TV’s The Defenders, Succession) from a screenplay written by Matt Sazama (Morbius) & Burk Sharpless (Dracula Untold) and Claire Parker & SJ Clarkson, from a story by Kerem Sanga and Matt Sazama & Burk Sharpless, Clarkson does a decent job at the helm of ‘Madame Web’ keeping the action and general appearance looking stylish and capable but is unable to overcome the jumbled script and questionable choices within. The film’s cast includes Dakota Johnson (Bad Times at the El Royale), Sydney Sweeney (Anyone But You), Isabela Merced (Instant Family), Celeste O’Connor (Ghostbusters: Afterlife), Tahar Rahim (Napoleon), Mike Epps (The Underdoggs), Emma Roberts (TV’s American Horror Story), Adam Scott (TV’s Severance) and more who each offer somewhat decent performances throughout but for the most part seem to just be going through the motions and not overly invested in what they’re doing.

‘Madame Web’ is an overly silly, illogical and for the most part just plain troublesome film that quickly seems to lose itself and then sort of stumbles along half-heartedly throughout its entirety only to end on a note that’s almost as ridiculous as the rest of it. It has a few positive elements including a handful of decent looking effects and various action sequences that are well crafted for the most part and occasionally feel almost out of a tame horror film as the story basically follows three women constantly running from one masked man who is trying to kill them. Unfortunately aside from these couple of notable elements that don’t overly disappoint, the rest of the film is a letdown altogether.

‘Madame Web’ doesn’t gain any points for the lackluster performances by most of the cast either, the majority of which seem to be just going through the motions and not real enthused about what they’re doing (even the interviews from Dakota Johnson in the extras often feel like she’s reading cue cards against her will) and even a runtime clocking in at under two hours and some intriguing action sequences are unable to help save this one from itself. It also dishes out constant nods to the Marvel universe (primarily to the Spider-Man focused ones though naturally) but the majority feel too forced in their own right and more often than not elicit an eye roll as opposed to appreciation when viewing. If you’re a diehard fan of the character or the lead stars then you may want to give this one a whirl and make up your own mind, but the rest of you may just want to strongly consider skipping it.

Overall, ‘Madame Web’ is a disappointing and lackluster superhero origin film that attempts to find clever ways to tie the tale into the Spider-Man related films but ends up delivering a jumbled and largely unengaging ride that’s at times far more of a slasher film without the notable kills than it is a superhero film but ends up falling short in both respects. The film benefits from some good looking action and chase sequences as well as a stylish appearance but is unable to find anything worthwhile to do with it all and instead just delivers one goofy and uneventful scenario after another. ‘Madame Web’ is only recommended for diehard Marvel fans and those who are huge fans of the character(s) or cast members within, while anyone else who isn’t already dead set on giving the film a chance would be better off just skipping this altogether disappointing Marvel origin movie.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Madame Web’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10, presented in its original 2.39:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks fantastic altogether and provides a sharp, clean and beautifully detailed presentation from start to finish that’s absent of any issues to be uncovered throughout. Detail is outstanding across the board and character faces look spectacular, as do the various city streets, subways and interiors along with everything else along the way. The Dolby Vision HDR makes a great complement to it all and contributes some clean, more accurate colors noticeable on clothing, vehicles and other elements, while black levels are rich, deep and problem free. Overall, this is a magnificent Ultra High Definition video presentation that impresses at every turn and should leave viewers more than satisfied.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channel compatible) soundtrack. Please note that this review pertains solely to the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio presentation. This multichannel soundtrack is quite marvelous in its own right and serves up a clean, crisp and hard hitting audio presentation throughout. It repeatedly utilizes all seven available channels in order to send action, vehicle and chase effects, along with crowd chatter, nature content and plenty more regularly whipping throughout the various speakers while never allowing any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously to become distorted or problematic along the way. Overall, this is an outstanding Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtrack that delivers an immersive and enjoyable audio presentation throughout that shouldn’t elicit any complaints.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Madame Web’ features a decent helping of bonus content that includes a collection of Behind the Scenes Featurettes that feature interviews/comments with the cast and crew, plus behind the scenes footage and more. They include ‘Future Vision’ (running approximately 7 minutes in length), ‘Casting the Web’ (running approximately 9 minutes), ‘Oracle of the Page’ (approximately 5 minutes) and ‘Fight Like A Spider’ (5 minutes). Also included on the release is the ‘Deleted Scene – You Died’ (40 seconds), along with a ‘Gag Reel’ (approximately 4 minutes) and a look at the various hidden nods within in ‘Easter Eggs: The Many Threads of Madame Web’ (4 minutes).

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray disc included in the 4K UHD Combo Pack and resized. They do not represent the quality of the 4K Ultra HD disc itself and will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on the 4K UHD & Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

–

Film Rating: 3/10
Disc Rating: 8/10

–

‘Madame Web’ Arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray & DVD April 30, 2024 & is Now Available on Digital from Marvel, Columbia Pictures & Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

–

You can purchase your copy of ‘Madame Web’ on 4K UHD on Amazon HERE!

*Screen-Connections.com is an Amazon Associate that earns from qualifying purchases