Movie Review

Latest Spider-Man offshoot Madame Web spins its wheels

Since the Marvel Cinematic Universe started going downhill in the wake of Avengers: Endgame, the most popular Marvel character appearing in movies has reverted back to Spider-Man. With Sony in control of all of the surrounding characters in the Spider-Verse, they have attempted to capitalize on Spider-Man’s appeal by giving stand-alone movies to those lesser-known heroes and villains.

The two Venom movies and Morbius were less than successful, so they’re back for another bite at the apple with Madame Web, which centers on Cassandra Webb (Dakota Johnson), a New York City paramedic whose mother died giving birth to her while in Peru studying – you guessed it – spiders. Following an accident in which she is saved by fellow paramedic Ben Parker (Adam Scott), Webb starts noticing the strange ability to have visions of the near future.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Dakota Johnson in Madame Web.

At the same time, evil guy Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim), who has spider powers because of (spoiler), is seeing visions of three women who are currently teenagers – Anya Corazon (Isabela Merced), Julia Cornwall (Sydney Sweeney), and Mattie Franklin (Celeste O’Connor) – in their own Spider outfits killing him at some point in the future. Ezekiel goes on the hunt to kill them before that ever happens, with Cassandra trying to block at him at every turn with her growing powers.

Written and directed by S.J. Clarkson, and co-written by Matt Sazama, Buck Sharpless, and Claire Parker, the film initially shows some promise before being taken over by many of the same problems that have plagued other Spider spin-offs. The film’s set-up, in which Cassandra’s mom meets her demise, is relatively solid, as is the introduction to the work friendship between Cassandra and Ben, which has a fun vibe to it.

However, once the action starts in earnest, Clarkson and her team seem to have no idea how to make the film dramatic or even interesting. The way they chose to show Cassandra’s visions is not that confusing, but the back-and-forth between what might happen and what actually does keep the film from having any kind of momentum. There’s also a sameness to the sequences that take any surprise out of the equation, lessening the excitement in the process.

Even though the film has four credited writers, none of them come close to having anything clever to say with their dialogue. Much of what the actors are required to say is overly expository and/or repetitive. The film is an origin story for Cassandra, Anya, Julia, and Mattie at the same time, which is a lot for any movie to support, much less one as poorly written as this one.

Johnson has done well in other films, most notably The Lost Daughter, but she is not a good fit at all for this role. She shows almost no emotion, part of which is called for by the character, but when the film’s bigger moments need her to show some star power, she has none to give. Merced, Sweeney, and O’Connor are entertaining as a trio, but the film overpromises and under-delivers on what they’re allowed to do as budding superheroes.

Like so many other comic book films in recent years, Madame Web can’t live up to its potential thanks to decisions of the filmmakers. It does have one positive to offer, though: An abundance of CPR scenes gives anybody who sees the film enough of an education to probably get certified themselves.

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Madame Web opens in theaters on February 14.

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Movie Review

Safe cracking is a snap for White Lotus alum Leo Woodall in Tuner

Photo courtesy of Black Bear

Leo Woodall in Tuner.

Of all the ways that movies depict people trying to steal money and other valuables, safe cracking is among the least exciting. By design, it’s a laborious process that only those with a very certain set of skills can do. While clever editing and the right music can enhance scenes of safes being cracked, there’s a reason that the method is among the least used in heist films.

In the new film Tuner, Niki (Leo Woodall) has a job and a condition that just happens to lend itself well to committing that specific crime. He works as an apprentice piano tuner for Harry (Dustin Hoffman), usually doing the hard work while Harry schmoozes the client. Niki is well-suited for the job because he has a rare condition called hyperacusis, which makes him both sensitive to loud noises and able to hear subtle things that others cannot.

When he runs across a trio of criminals trying to break open a safe at a house where he’s tuning a piano, he helps them more out of frustration than avarice. But when Harry goes into the hospital and racks up huge bills, Niki decides to join the group to make some quick money. They soon want more than he’s willing to give, and he must find a way to extricate himself from them without losing himself completely.

Written and directed by documentary filmmaker Daniel Roher (making his narrative feature debut) and co-written by Robert Ramsey, the film has a nice pace to it despite there being relatively little action. Roher and Ramsey spend the first third or so establishing Niki, Harry, and Harry’s wife Marla (Tovah Feldshuh) as characters, letting the audience understand their relationships and how they interact with each other.

The time they devote to the personal storytelling pays dividends when Niki starts to descend into crime, as his divided loyalties - not to mention the danger of the thefts - insert tension into the plot. That stress is heightened even more when Niki starts a relationship with piano student Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu), as getting closer to her necessitates a series of lies.

There comes a point, though, where the plot stagnates to a degree. Niki’s end goal, if he has one, is never clear, and it’s obvious that it’s only a matter of time before things start to fall apart. After starting strong in their character development, Roher and Ramsey take shortcuts as the film rushes toward its conclusion. This is most notable in a weird argument scene between Niki and Ruthie that comes out of nowhere and seems to serve no purpose in the story.

Woodall, who had a memorable turn in season 2 of The White Lotus, is on the cusp of breaking out, and this understated-but-compelling lead role should help him become an even bigger name in Hollywood. Hoffman has a small role, but he remains as interesting as ever despite the lack of screentime. Liu (Bottoms) is also an up-and-coming actor who should become a star with more roles like this one.

Tuner is a low-key thriller that succeeds because of the way the filmmakers approach the under-used method of robbery. Even if it doesn’t quite reach its potential, the film maintains a high quality throughout thanks to its storytelling and acting.

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Tuner is now playing in theaters.

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