Jakarta. The Marvel superhero movie “Madame Web” has recently hit the cinemas in Indonesia. 

Directed by S.J. Clarkson, “Madame Web” centers on the clairvoyant paramedic Cassandra Webb (Dakota Johnson). In this almost two-hour-long movie, the audience gets to watch how Cassandra --who goes by Cassie-- discovers her powers. And how Cassie tries to save three girls --Julia Cornwall (Sydney Sweeney), Mattie Franklin (Celeste O’Connor), and Anya Corazon (Isabella Merced)-- from antagonist Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim). 

Spoilers Ahead: Not So Action-Packed
This review is coming from someone who had not seen the trailer and the synopsis prior to watching “Madame Web”, nor had the writer read the Marvel comic books featuring the character. 

When I first read the title “Madame Web”, I was under the assumption that the heroine would be someone who is similar to Spider-Man. By similar, I meant someone who could shoot out actual spider webs and climb up the walls like the arachnid. But I was wrong.

Cassie has the ability to see into the future. A power that she earns after her pregnant mother gets bit by a mystical spider, although she only unlocks her potential by the time she is an adult. Cassie’s physical strength, however, is still that of an average human. The Julia-Mattie-Anya trio --who will eventually grow up into Spider-women-- have not developed their superpowers yet in the movie. 

The nature of the protagonist’s abilities, coupled with Cassie and the girls' lack of superhuman strength, make “Madame Web” a superhero movie with not much action. "Madame Web" does not have that many fighting scenes -- something that is quite unexpected out of your usual Marvel movie. However, there are moments when Cassie manages to use her prophetic visions to outsmart Sims who possesses arachnid-like abilities. And it is only at the very last minute that Cassie learns the ability to astral project to finally defeat Sims.

Is This Real Life?
Cassie finally unlocks her powers after drowning during her paramedic job. For a large part of the movie, the audience sees Cassie trying to wrap her head around what had just happened. Cassie initially struggles to tell the difference between reality and her visions. Just like Cassie, the audience gets lost in the sudden back-and-forth cuts of future visions and present time. These cuts were often accompanied by some jump-scare sound effects. The suspense elements could come off as a pleasant surprise for viewers who actually do enjoy watching suspenseful films, especially if they initially expect “Madame Web” to be an action-heavy movie. 

The Verdict
But is “Madame Web” memorable enough that you would be willing to rewatch it? Is “Madame Web” good enough for you to recommend it to your friends? The answer is that “Madame Web” is not that bad, but not that good or memorable enough. Movie-goers who expect to see some action might come home disappointed. Although the ending shows that the three girls will eventually end up as superheroes, there is a possibility that we will see more of these Spider-Women in the future. 

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