Madame Web

Sony's 4K UltraHD Blu-ray release of "Madame Web" offers an admirably encoded 2160p presentation that demonstrates technical prowess despite the film's inherent visual shortcomings. The image exhibits rich, vivid colors, with reds and blacks particularly standing out, providing deep, inky shadows and a balanced contrast as per the filmmakers' intent. Textures and edge definitions are razor-sharp, showcasing refined details throughout. The film maintains a fine, consistent filmic grain without any noticeable macroblocking, banding, or noise issues. This creates a visually striking experience that sets a high standard for its 4K classification.

However, some viewers may find the image retains an edginess that occasionally detracts from the viewing experience. It appears subtly over-sharpened, giving off a digital sheen that can seem less natural. The film’s color grading leans towards an amber haze, resulting in slightly pallid flesh tones and a warm hue that permeates the visuals. This intent leaves the black levels appearing drained and flat, contributing to a somewhat murky and dry aesthetic. While detail reproduction is commendable, it lacks the genuine texture fidelity seen in other contemporary releases, with some scenes appearing just off their peak performance.

In conclusion, while "Madame Web" may not be a visually stellar film, Sony's 4K rendition ensures that there is not a pixel out of place. The 4K HDR presentation is technically proficient with noteworthy improvements over the standard Blu-ray version, featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 enhancements that emphasize the film's visual strengths while mitigating its weaknesses effectively.

The Dolby Atmos audio track for "Madame Web" offers an impressive auditory experience that far surpasses the content of the film itself. The Jungle scenes in Peru particularly demonstrate the prowess of the audio engineering, enveloping listeners with the rustling of leaves, the hum of an unseen insect kingdom, and the visceral thrum of spider venom as it imbues superpowers. Cassie's visions are rendered spatially, with precision-directional effects that convincingly recreate a state of heightened perception. Dialogue remains clean and well-prioritized throughout, ensuring intelligibility even amid the cacophony of action sequences. Despite some moments of lacking Low Frequency Effects (LFE), particularly during early action scenes, the sound mix compensates during the climactic third act and various intense sequences throughout the movie.

Moreover, the action scenes leverage the Atmos format to its fullest, creating an enveloping soundstage. The industrial fire scene, for instance, brilliantly captures the hustle and bustle around Cassie with precise directional audio that conveys activities such as opening and closing doors. The subway sequences are similarly captivating, using loudspeakers and train noises to create a bustling ambient environment. A standout moment is when Cassie smashes through a taxi window, with glass shards audibly flying in all directions—a testament to meticulous sound direction. The finale in a fireworks factory is particularly sensational, although sporadic LFE strength could occasionally detract from the overall impact.

In summary, "Madame Web’s" Dolby Atmos track is dynamically engaging, with immersive environmental sounds and precise audio placement. Despite some minor issues with LFE consistency, the auditory experience is one of the film's strongest aspects, offering rich, detailed soundscapes that heighten the cinematic experience significantly.

The 4K UHD Blu-ray release of "Madame Web" offers an array of extra features that, while not groundbreaking, provide an enjoyable glimpse behind the scenes of the film. The collection includes standard components such as a gag reel and deleted scene, along with several featurettes that delve into different aspects of the movie. These include "Future Vision," which explores the depiction of Madame's visions through cast and filmmaker interviews, and "Oracle of the Page," a brief but insightful look at the comic book origins. "Fight Like A Spider" provides a closer look at the action sequences, while "Casting the Web" offers insights into the casting process. Additionally, there is a segment dedicated to uncovering Easter eggs within the film.

Extras included in this disc:

• Gag Reel: A compilation of humorous outtakes.
• Easter Eggs: Highlights hidden details in the film.
• Oracle Of The Page: Looks at the comics inspiring the film.
• Fight Like A Spider: Focuses on action sequences.
• Future Vision: Discusses depicting Madame's visions.
• Casting The Web: Insights into the casting process.
• Deleted Scene: One removed scene from the film.

"Madame Web" swings into the Spider-Verse with a script that lacks coherence and originality. The film opens with Cassandra Webb (Dakota Johnson), an EMT in early 2003 NYC, who inherits supernatural powers from her mother (Kerry Bishe) via a mystical Peruvian spider venom. This convoluted origin story attempts to inject novelty but falters with inconsistent character development and haphazard plot twists. Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim) serves as the film's poorly conceived antagonist, armed with super-vision and a mind-reading machine, in a half-hearted nod to Batman's tech in "The Dark Knight Rises."

The narrative structure is disjointed, struggling to balance Cassandra's mundane life and the larger superhero context. The dialogue is painfully amateurish, laden with cringe-worthy lines like, "How would you know if you could climb a wall if you've never tried?" Such attempts at profundity only underscore the film's shallow writing. The action sequences are nearly non-existent or so poorly executed that they offer little to no thrill. Moreover, the "Spider-Women," played by Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, and Celeste O'Connor, are barely present in their superhero garb, relegated to brief visions glimpsed by Ezekiel.

Visually, the film does nothing to redeem itself. The special effects are lackluster, and the costume design is unremarkable with superhero suits resembling cheap cosplay rather than high-budget designs. The retro setting and camerawork seem derivative of early 2000s techniques, but without Sam Raimi’s finesse. The performances are uninspired; Dakota Johnson appears disengaged, and even traditionally strong talents like Sydney Sweeney can't elevate the material above its mediocrity.

In sum, "Madame Web" is a lackluster addition to Sony's Spider-Verse. Its dismal script, poor pacing, weak special effects, and insipid performances fail to deliver on the promise of an engaging superhero tale, making it a regrettable watch for even the most devoted Spider-Man fans.

Madame Web may not be the worst superhero film ever made, but it certainly stands as one of the biggest disappointments in recent memory. While the story is marred by a lack of coherence and subpar character development, the 4K UHD Blu-Ray release by Sony does manage to bring some redemption through its technical excellence. Shot in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and encoded in HEVC, the video presentation is visually striking. Paired with the English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core) audio track, the experience is immersive, delivering both stunning visuals and engaging soundscapes.

The cast, featuring Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, and others, deliver performances that are overshadowed by a disjointed script written by Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, and Claire Parker. Directed by S.J. Clarkson, the film struggles to find its footing, falling into the depths of other notorious superhero flops like Batman and Robin or Catwoman. Even though the movie itself is a misfire, the UHD Blu-Ray release includes medium-tier extras and subtitles in English, English SDH, French, and Spanish. This provides some added value for those curious to look deeper into what went wrong behind the scenes.

So for all of you who have not seen this film, take warning. And for all of those who HAVE seen this movie, I’m so so so sorry. There is a support group for us, and it meets at 3:00 PM every Wednesday. We have cookies, and we’ll try to help you through this time. I’m pretty sure at this point that Sony’s attempt to start a non Spider-Man Spider-verse is pretty much dead, but I have this terrifying nightmare that Sony hasn’t got that memo yet, and we might be in for a sequel or re-attempt (despite the incredible box office bomb of making $80 million worldwide on a $100 million budget). The Sony 4K UHD looks and sounds great though, with medium tier extras. My recommendation? Do I really have to say it out loud? I think you get the hint.

Technical Specifications:

Starring: Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Celeste O'Connor, Adam Scott, Emma Roberts, Tahar Rahim
Directed by: S.J. Clarkson
Written by: Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Claire Parker
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core)
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Studio: Sony
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 116 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: April 30th, 2024