Well, what a year it has been for Sony’s nascent Spider-Man universe, as each twist and turn in their quest to craft something resembling a cinematic universe out of what little remains from the one property they have access to is often more entertaining than the movies themselves. It feels like each time they dodge a bullet — say, with Across the Spider-Verse being as good as it was — they get hit by something even wilder (that article about the production process being all sorts of fucked up, as well as Kraven the Hunter being punted into 2024 because of the strikes).
But Madame Web, it seems, is here to save the day, and based on the number of people we’ve seen sporting crew swag around Boston, either those involved think it’s gonna be pretty good, or they really need to do laundry. This trailer, which Sony dropped earlier on Wednesday, does look… kind of fun, so we’re gonna pray that they just weren’t out of Tide Pods.
Peep it:
Here’s a synopsis, which, understandably, doesn’t want to give away very many details:
“‘Meanwhile, in another universe…’ In a switch from the typical genre, ‘Madame Web’ tells the standalone origin story of one of Marvel publishing’s most enigmatic heroines. The suspense-driven thriller stars Dakota Johnson as Cassandra Webb, a paramedic in Manhattan who may have clairvoyant abilities. Forced to confront revelations about her past, she forges a relationship with three young women destined for powerful futures…if they can all survive a deadly present.”
Madame Web hits theaters on February 16. Should we just go ahead and call Dakota Johnson the queen of the Valentine’s Day weekend box office? For all of their genuinely odd qualities, the 50 Shades movies were a pretty big draw, and maybe this will come close to equaling that, provided that your average nerd can get a date. That’s a Herculean task, but we are dealing with Crockett’s daughter here: If anybody can do it, she can.