Spider-Man Fans Aren’t Impressed With Dakota Johnson’s ‘Madame Web’ Trailer

The trailer for Dakota Johnson’s upcoming movie, Madame Web, was unveiled on social media on Wednesday, and the reaction thus far has been lackluster, to say the least.

Tied to Sony’s Spider-Man universe movies Venom and Morbius, Madame Web stars Johnson as a paramedic called Cassandra Webb who, following a near-death experience, develops superpowers, including predicting the future.

Also starring Sydney Sweeney, Adam Scott, Zosia Mamet, and Emma Roberts, a trailer for the film was posted by Sony Pictures on X, formerly Twitter, this week.

In the almost three-minute trailer, Johnson’s Webb is heard explaining: “A week ago, I spent my life racing against time, trying to save people who were running out of it, until one moment changed everything.”

After recovering from an accident that sees her seriously injured, Webb is shown saying: “I think I’m seeing the future.”

This speculation is proven seconds later, when Webb sees a man onboard a train violently attack people ahead of it actually happening.

Webb is also shown explaining to a group of friends that she can see the future, prompting one of them to respond by throwing a stone at her. “She didn’t see that coming,” the friend quipped.

Later in the trailer, Webb discusses villain Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim), explaining that she had seen him before, when he was with her mother researching spiders in the Amazon jungle “right before she died.”

“If you want to live, you have to trust me,” Webb is seen telling others amid shots of high-octane action taking place in a metropolis.

“Her web connects them all,” read a caption of Sony Pictures’ X account. “#MadameWeb is coming soon exclusively to movie theaters.”

Unfortunately for Sony, the reaction wasn’t exactly overwhelmingly positive, with one detractor stating that “there’s no universe where Dakota Johnson can convey a sense of urgency or danger. This is so weird to watch.”

Also questioning Johnson’s suitability for a superhero film, another said: “I love Dakota Johnson and her acting (the subtlety that lends itself to rawness), but I think it’s the time to admit that it is suited to only handful of movies and genres.”

“It kind of feels like one of those streaming shows about a group of teens who get powers, only one of them is Dakota Johnson and also Adam Scott is there because of reasons,” wrote another viewer.

“I’m happy for Dakota Johnson that she’s finally in a Marvel movie with Madame Web however this looks just as bad as Morbius & Kraven The Hunter because it even looks like a low budget Spider-Man fan film!” commented another. “The Spider suits look cool however this plot looks like a convoluted mess!”

Describing the film as looking “bad,” another demanded that “Sony just give the live action Spider Man rights back to Marvel [Studios].”

While a number of viewers criticized and derided the teaser, many others expressed their enthusiasm about Madame Webb.

“Just watched the #MadameWeb Trailer I didn’t know they were all Superheroes what on Earth that’s so cool!!!!!” wrote one fan. “Dakota Johnson: Madame Web Sydney Sweeney: Spider-Woman Isabela Merced: Spider-Girl Celeste O’Connor: another Spider-Woman. Pretty bad a**!!!!!”

Another said that the teaser left them “highly intrigued because it’s All Spider Girls. I love [the characters] Martie, Julia, and especially Anya, so I’m interested to see how this goes, even if Anya’s costume looks horrific in the trailer.”

“I think it looks good, but it’s just the teaser, we probably haven’t seen the good stuff yet,” another reacted. “Dakota Johnson looks great as Madame Web and Sydney Sweeney looks stunning as Spider Woman.”

One fan noted that the trailer “was worth the wait but it felt more like a TV series instead of a movie,” while another commented that the film “actually looks interesting to me, I’ll give it a shot.”

Johnson’s casting in the titular role sees a major alteration for her character. In the Marvel comics, Madame Web is portrayed as an elderly woman who is living with a rare neurological condition called myasthenia gravis. After her condition allows her to develop psychic abilities, she becomes a medium.

Madame Web is set to be released in February 2024.