Madame Web First Reviews: “Not the Worst Spider-Man Spinoff”

The first reviews of Madame Web were overwhelmingly negative—not genuinely divided. Critics generally saw a promising idea in the female-led, prophecy-driven Spider-Man spinoff, but found that idea buried beneath stilted dialogue, a thin and tangled plot, sluggish pacing, underpowered action, and an awkward relationship to the Spider-Man mythos.

That is why Rotten Tomatoes’ first-review roundup used the phrase “not the worst Spider-Man spinoff” as its organizing hook. The line is faint praise, not a recommendation. It sets an unusually low bar and reflects the film’s place among divisive Sony projects connected to Spider-Man rather than signaling that critics broadly liked the movie.

#1 Best Overall

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• 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.

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What is Madame Web about?

Released theatrically in February 2024, Madame Web is a Sony/Marvel superhero action-thriller centered on Cassandra “Cassie” Webb, a Manhattan paramedic who begins experiencing visions of the future. She discovers that those visions are connected to three young women who are being targeted by a dangerous adversary.

Sony presents the film as a standalone origin story. It is therefore important not to describe it as a conventional Peter Parker adventure or as a missing chapter in a Spider-Man storyline. The film uses characters and concepts associated with the wider Spider-Man world, but Peter Parker is not the protagonist, and the story is built around Cassandra, her visions, the three younger characters, and the mystery surrounding her mother’s connection to spiders.

That setup gives the movie a potentially distinctive identity: part supernatural thriller, part ensemble origin story, and part Spider-Man-adjacent franchise entry. The central critical question was whether the finished film made those ingredients work together.

The consensus from the first reviews

The early critical response was mostly dismissive. Reviewers did not generally argue that Madame Web was an ambitious masterpiece that had been misunderstood. Instead, they repeatedly identified basic execution problems that weakened the premise.

1. The dialogue often sounds forced

The most consistent complaint concerned the screenplay’s dialogue. Critics frequently described conversations as stilted, awkward, or unnatural—particularly when characters explain the mythology, react to Cassandra’s visions, or establish relationships that the story needs the audience to accept quickly.

Superhero films have to communicate a large amount of information, but exposition works best when it emerges from believable conflict and character decisions. In Madame Web, reviewers often felt that characters were delivering information because the plot required it rather than because real people in those circumstances would speak that way. That makes the film’s emotional beats harder to take seriously and contributes to its dated tone.

2. The plot feels assembled rather than developed

The premise depends on visions of possible futures, a threat against three young women, and unanswered questions about Cassandra’s family history. Those elements could have supported a tense mystery. Instead, several reviews found the narrative thin, tangled, or overly mechanical.

Rank #2

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Madame Web - 4K + Blu-ray + Digital

• 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.

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The problem is not simply that the story is complicated. A complicated plot can be satisfying when its revelations deepen the characters and clarify the stakes. The criticism of Madame Web was that its visions and franchise references often function as pieces of setup. They point toward future significance without always producing a compelling dramatic arc in the present.

This also explains why some reviewers found the film to be more interested in arranging recognizable Spider-Man-related pieces than in building a fully persuasive standalone story.

3. The pacing is uneven and the action lacks superhero energy

Contemporary reviews, including coverage from Screen Daily, criticized the film’s sluggish or inert stretches. The action sequences did not consistently deliver the speed, spectacle, or physical excitement audiences may expect from a major superhero release.

Cassandra’s power is primarily predictive: she can see possible futures and attempt to act on that knowledge. That gives the film an opportunity to create suspense through anticipation, misdirection, and changing possibilities. But the reviews suggest that the movie does not always turn that ability into dynamic cinematic action. The result can feel less like a thrilling battle against fate and more like a series of plot instructions being carried out.

4. The tone feels strangely dated

Another recurring objection was the mismatch between the film’s 2024 release and its presentation. Reviewers described elements of Madame Web as resembling an older, less polished superhero adventure or television movie.

That impression comes from the combination of broad exposition, awkwardly delivered lines, restrained action, and a story that sometimes seems to be waiting for a larger franchise payoff. The Guardian’s review was among the coverage that highlighted this tonal problem. The movie is not merely old-fashioned in a deliberate, retro sense; critics generally saw the dated quality as evidence of weak execution.

5. The Spider-Man connection feels more commercial than dramatic

Madame Web is unmistakably marketed within Sony’s Spider-Man-related universe, but its connection to that mythology was one of the film’s biggest sources of criticism. The recognizable names and concepts do not automatically create a meaningful Spider-Man story.

Rank #3

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Madame Web - 4K + Blu-ray + Digital

• 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.

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Because the film does not follow Peter Parker, it cannot rely on the familiar structure of a young hero learning to use spider-powers while balancing ordinary life. Its story instead has to justify why these characters and this mythology belong together. Critics often concluded that the franchise connection felt thin or awkwardly integrated.

The BFI’s review captured the tension well: the film could be lightly likeable in places, but its addition to the Spider-Man-related universe felt unnecessary. In other words, the branding is clear, while the story value of the connection is less convincing.

What does “not the worst Spider-Man spinoff” actually mean?

It means the bar was already low. The phrase acknowledges the film’s position in a run of Sony Spider-Man-adjacent releases that have generated sharply divided or negative reactions. It is a conversational headline designed to make the review roundup memorable, not a serious claim that Madame Web is a success.

Reading the phrase as “critics liked it” would be misleading. So would describing the response simply as “mixed” without explaining the balance of opinion. The more accurate summary is:

• The first-review wave was overwhelmingly negative.
• A number of critics saw potential in the premise and ensemble.
• Some found the film earnest or lightly enjoyable despite its flaws.
• Others viewed it as an entertainingly strange “bad movie” experience.
• Those qualified positives did not outweigh the complaints about writing, pacing, action, and franchise integration.

The Ringer’s discussion is useful for understanding the film’s possible cult appeal. Some viewers may enjoy its oddness, earnestness, or unintentional camp. That is a different proposition from recommending it as a polished superhero thriller.

What critics liked—or were willing to defend

The consensus was not that every element failed. The most charitable reviews recognized a few qualities:

• An unusual female-led premise: Cassandra and the three younger women give the film an ensemble structure that differs from the standard Peter Parker origin story.
• Earnestness: The movie generally appears to be trying to tell a sincere supernatural-superhero story rather than openly parodying the genre.
• Strange entertainment value: Its awkwardness, tonal uncertainty, and conspicuous franchise setup may appeal to viewers who enjoy offbeat or “so bad it’s good” cinema.
• A potentially useful power concept: Future visions could have created an inventive thriller if the screenplay had made the changing possibilities more suspenseful and character-driven.

These are qualified defenses, not evidence of a hidden critical reappraisal. The film’s concept was generally considered more promising than its execution.

Rank #4

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How bad was the initial reception?

The commercial and critical response reinforced each other. Contemporary reporting described the film as a flop or major disappointment after its February 2024 theatrical opening. The Washington Post reported a 13 percent critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes shortly after release, while the Associated Press described the opening as one of the weakest debuts for a film centered on a Marvel character.

That percentage was a historical snapshot from the opening period, not a permanent score. Rotten Tomatoes scores, review totals, and audience scores can change as additional reviews are added, so the figure should not be treated as the film’s immutable current rating.

Box-office performance also needs to be interpreted carefully. A weak opening does not prove that every viewer will dislike a movie, and commercial results do not replace film criticism. It does, however, confirm that the initial marketplace response fell well below what would normally be expected from a high-profile superhero release.

Who might still enjoy Madame Web?

Viewers who expect a sleek, high-energy Spider-Man adventure are the least likely to get what they want. The film does not offer the familiar Peter Parker-centered formula, and the first reviews found its action and dialogue notably weak.

It may work better for a narrower audience:

• Viewers interested in a female-led superhero ensemble, even if the execution is uneven.
• Fans of supernatural thrillers built around prophecy, visions, and changing futures.
• Audiences who enjoy camp, unusual franchise spin-offs, or films that become entertaining because of their awkwardness.
• Completionists exploring Sony’s Spider-Man-adjacent films rather than looking for a standalone modern classic.

That is a conditional recommendation. The fairest expectation is not “a misunderstood gem,” but “an earnest and unusual film whose premise may interest you more than its execution satisfies you.”

Where to watch or revisit the film

Sony lists Madame Web as available in Digital, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD formats. Availability, retailer listings, regional rights, and prices can change, so check the exact edition and territory before buying or renting.

For readers who want to judge the film against the first-review consensus—or collect Sony/Marvel physical releases—the Madame Web Blu-ray is the most straightforward home-media search. Verify the listing’s edition, seller, price, stock status, and whether digital redemption is included before ordering. A 4K version may also be available, but it should not be assumed to contain a particular bonus package or to be stocked by a particular retailer.

Final verdict on the first reviews

Madame Web was not received as a genuine critical split. The first reviews were predominantly negative, with a small amount of qualified praise for its earnestness, female-led setup, and potential as an unusual camp experience.

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The central idea—a Cassandra Webb story driven by visions, a threat against three young women, and a Spider-Man-related destiny—was more interesting than the finished film’s writing and construction. Critics generally found the dialogue stilted, the plot thin or tangled, the pacing uneven, the action underpowered, and the franchise connection insufficiently meaningful.

So “not the worst Spider-Man spinoff” should be read exactly as faint praise. It does not mean the reviews were favorable. It means that, for some viewers, the film’s odd sincerity and camp value may make it watchable even though the consensus judged it unsuccessful as a polished superhero movie.