By Maria Bregman
The makers of “Madame Web”, the most notorious flop of the year, had a similar goal to the makers of “Barbie” – to create a modern, not too expensive, sci-fi blockbuster about a strong heroine. However, “Barbie” exceeded expectations, becoming a box office champion and a favourite of millions, while “Madame Web” crashed and burned and received the harshest criticism in a long time. Where did it all go wrong for “Madame Web”?
“This film is not as bad as they say. It’s much worse” – this is the kind of headlines that have been coming out for the last month about “Madame Web” – the latest opus from the beta-universe of Marvel. Not the one that gathered the “Avengers” under the wing of “Disney”, but the one that Sony is trying to build on the wave of their success, and which currently includes “Venom” and “Morbius”.
“Madame Web” introduced the first superheroine of the beta-universe (played by Dakota Johnson) – and the introduction was, to put it mildly, unsuccessful. The film got a deadly 13% on Rotten Tomatoes and meagre pennies at the box office, even for its not very lavish budget. Moreover, this seems to be the first case when after a promo campaign with the participation of stars, there followed an almost longer series of their repentant interviews in the spirit of “In everyone’s life there is a case when you enter the wrong door”.
In short, this is a failure that will be studied in universities. I will put in my five cents (as I did yesterday when I bought tickets for “Madame Web”)).
There is really little good in it. The film is extremely incoherent. In the film “Poor Things” (a very good one) a scientist-experimenter revived the corpse of a woman, putting the brains of an unborn baby in her head. The producers of “Madame Web” tried to do something similar – they took an existing character from the comics of “Marvel” – the same Madame Web, erased essentially everything that was said about her in the comics, leaving only a red jacket. The producers had neither vision nor workers with vision. But they had a lot of opinions. “Barbie” was much luckier in this sense.
“Barbie” was produced by Margot Robbie, who seems to have been going to this project all her career. “Feminism in a beautiful wrapper” by this point became her unconditional forte. She also hired Greta Gerwig to direct and write the script – and this was also a 100% accurate hit in the target. Greta has already shown her ability to shoot subtle and witty, mass, but not stupid cinema with a charming freedom-loving heroine in the centre. Both of her previous projects – “Little Women” and “Lady Bird” – paid off handsomely at the box office and received nominations for the “Oscar”. Who did they hire to come up with the story of “Madame Web”? The most talentless guys in Hollywood, responsible for such box office failures as “Gods of Egypt” and the reboot of Power Rangers. Were they someone’s friends, cheaper or had materials on their hands, blackmailing the bosses of Sony? Or maybe the producers decided to sabotage their own project? Whatever the case, they were hired again, they were given money again, and they again produced a piece of shit.
The trailer for “Madame Web” was very bad: nothing was clear from it either about the heroine or about the villain (it was only clear that it was filmed cheaply and that there were jungles and a fight in a diner in the film). It turned out that this was not accidental – in the film everything is really like that. About the heroine it is only known that she is an orphan, a woman and a paramedic (very unconvincing). The villain constantly mutters as his motivation that he “will not allow to destroy everything that
he loves”, without explaining what exactly he loves and why it is threatened. The plot is full of holes, clichés and nonsense. The action scenes are boring and poorly staged. The special effects are laughable. The dialogue is wooden and cringeworthy. The humour is flat and forced. The characters are one-dimensional and uninteresting. The film does not even have the courage to be bad in an original or memorable way. It is just a bland and mediocre waste of time and money.
“Barbie”, on the other hand, is a delight from start to finish. It is a smart and funny satire on the stereotypes and expectations that society imposes on women, especially those who are beautiful and successful. It is also a heartfelt and inspiring story of self-discovery and empowerment, as Barbie (played by Robbie) learns to embrace her uniqueness and pursue her dreams. The film is full of colourful and quirky characters, witty and clever dialogue, hilarious and inventive situations, and stunning and stylish visuals. The film does not take itself too seriously, but also does not shy away from addressing important and relevant issues, such as body image, gender roles, diversity, and social media. The film is a celebration of femininity, creativity, and individuality, and a tribute to the iconic doll that has inspired generations of girls and women.
The contrast between the two films could not be more stark. While “Madame Web” tried to cash in on the popularity of superhero movies and female empowerment, without understanding or respecting either, “Barbie” took a risk and reinvented a familiar and beloved brand, with passion and vision. While “Madame Web” failed to create a compelling and relatable heroine, “Barbie” succeeded in making a complex and charismatic character, who is both a role model and a friend. While “Madame Web” disappointed and angered the fans and critics, “Barbie” delighted and surprised them.
The lesson is clear: if you want to make a good movie about a strong heroine, you need to have a strong vision, a strong script, a strong director, and a strong star. And you need to have fun with it. That’s what “Barbie” did, and that’s why it outshone “Madame Web”.
