Courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

“Madame Web” has officially spun her web and made her debut on the cinematic screen on Feb. 14. With an immersive storyline, characters and easter eggs, audiences are able to be captivated by Sony’s first blockbuster of the year. 

The film begins with Cassandra Webb, a 30-year-old paramedic in New York City, portrayed by Dakota Johnson, who develops psychic abilities after a near fatal accident on the job. With this newfound ability, her main goal is to save the lives of three innocent young women, Julia Carpenter (Sydney Sweeney), Anya Corazon (Isabella Merced) and Mattie Franklin (Celeste O’Connor), from spider villain Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim). 

As the story progresses, Webb is able to garner more of her abilities to save the three young women and herself from the vigilante. 

The film’s protagonist, Webb, is able to captivate viewers with her relatability, intelligence and bravery, given her paramedic career. Every hero needs a backstory, and Webb’s has no missing pieces. Her backstory with her mother researching in Peru with Sims is what develops the plot. Not to mention, her intentions to give her life for three strangers leads to the audience falling in love with her character more and more throughout the film. 

As for the antagonist, Sims’ character will have the audience in awe as Rahim’s portrayal gives this spider villain a creepy, yet mysterious persona that could only be fulfilled by his expertise. Even his voice still leaves some in chills as they fear being chased by the man in the black suit, camouflaged by darkness. However, one thing that makes Sony the perfect developer for spider-series is their knack for twists and turns, which is perfect for Sims as he leaves the audience with a question. 

For Carpenter, Franklin and Corazon, their portrayal by their actresses is a near-close depiction to the actual comics, especially Carpenter. Their storyline and character development is hinted to be the future of Sony’s upcoming expansion of the spider verse. One thing stuck in the minds of viewers is their origin story. The answer will be uncovered if the movie is successful in the box office.

The film has received some negative criticism, especially for its “lack of story,” but it did a successful job at keeping audiences engaged with suspense. Simply watching the action and creative effects kept everyone entertained. Not to mention, the characters, cast, setting and plot made the perfect combination. 

For die-hard spider fans, there are a few easter eggs in the film that make it more of a must-see to believe. There is a hint of a new Spider-Man and Madame Web featuring the legendary Ben and Mary Parker during their young years. This is one of the reasons why people should go watch this movie, because it shows a side to the story that’s never been seen before, and now audiences get the chance. 

Another reason to go watch the film is because of its nostalgia. The movie takes place in 2003 and features Blockbuster, a PSP and “Toxic“ to get across the movie’s timeline. With the setting being in the early 2000s, people are able to reminisce about the good times in life, which is what made the movie better because of its lack of modern technology now seen in every film made. This was a nice touch done by Sony as it brings more life into the movie. 

Last but not least, the movie was interesting, creative and so immersive to the point that it’s worth watching again. This is the main reasoning as to why Madame Web deserves a 9.5 out of 10 star rating because of how exceptional it was. Even though it did receive some criticism from others, it’s because people nowadays don’t form their own opinions and aren’t too thrilled with Sony’s newest direction, but that still shouldn’t stop everyone from watching this incredible project. This project shines a beacon of endless possibilities for what is to come or become of Spider-Man.