Madame Web Early Reviews: Dakota Johnson’s Performance As 'Witchy Weirdo' Receives Thumbs-Up

Madame Web, the much-anticipated Marvel film observed a special screening on February 12 in Los Angeles. Starring Dakota Johnson in the lead, the action-adventure is a spin-off of the popular Spiderman film series. Directed by SJ Clarkson, Madame Web revolves around a woman named Cassandra Web who develops psychic abilities. Guided by her superhuman powers she embarks on a mission to protect three young women from a mysterious enemy, wanting them dead. The Voyeurs fame Sydney Sweeney, alongside Emma Roberts, Celeste O’Connor, and Isabela Merced also feature in important roles. Madame Web is scheduled to hit the silver screens on February 16.

Ahead of Madame Web’s theatrical premiere, the first reviews of the film from its special screening are already creating a buzz on X (formerly Twitter). Here are some of them.

For screenwriter and film journalist James Preston Poole, Madame Web was a “totally fine" film. “There’s really not a lot to say here. The leads are charming. Dakota Johnson is a witchy weirdo. The slasher/FINAL DESTINATION meets superheroes vibes are there. But there’s just not a whole lot to it. Not a disaster. Just kinda there," he said.

Calling Madame Web “the best superhero movie of the year" a user asserted, “It’s truly a masterpiece and deserves to be seen in IMAX! No problems with it at all and I plan to watch it 5 more times."

A person called the film an emotional rollercoaster. “This is seriously the most beautiful, well-put-together story ever. I can’t believe how magical it was. Truly made me shed a tear," they wrote.

Keeping a neutral tone, content producer Kevin Fenix reviewed, “Madame Web exceeds expectations! Some of the dialog is cheesy AF, some heavy-handed product placement, and probably could’ve been tidied up a bit more. But the cast really worked magic with what they had, their chemistry was a lot of fun, and the suits looked great."

Highlighting some of the shortcomings of the movie, another individual revealed that while Dakota Johnson delivered a “stand-out" performance, the same could not be applied to the other cast members.

Check out a few other reviews:

Madame Web is the fourth Spider-Man Universe feature film with the first being Venom, followed by Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Morbius. The upcoming films of the same franchise include Kraven the Hunter and Venom 3.