Sony’s Spider-Man Universe movies are hit or miss with most people. In actuality, they tend to have cult followings over true fandoms. After 2 Venom films and Morbius, the SSU couldn’t possibly go anywhere but up. Unfortunately, that couldn’t be further from the truth. And the latest victim in this else-world universe is Madame Web.

In this standalone story, Dakota Johnson stars as Cassandra Webb, a Manhattan paramedic with a reluctance to heroism despite it being her job. Even accepting a drawing from a child after saving his mother is out of reach for Cassie, as she “hates family stuff.” Perhaps it’s because her mother died in childbirth, forcing Cassie to question her mother’s love throughout both her childhood and adulthood. Either way, her questions are later answered when a freak accident grants Cassie the ability to see the future and forces her to confront her past.

Madame Web lacks the spark we need from a CBM.

Madame Web, directed by S.J. Clarkson, is like an organized trainwreck that I never saw coming. Even from the opening sequence, where we learn about Cassie’s mother, something struck me as odd with the storytelling. The wonky dialogue and the line deliveries are mostly to blame for that. Truth be told, it felt as if everyone seemed like they were reading from a piece of paper. Either way, this film lacked the spark we typically crave in comic book movies right from the beginning.

Unfortunately, there are other contributing factors to the film’s mundanity. For one, the screenwriting is chaotic yet so bland. It’s not at all shocking considering the screenplay credits four contributors (Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Claire Parker, S.J. Clarkson). On screen, it becomes obvious once Cassie experiences her new powers and attempts to save 3 teenage girls, Julia (Sydney Sweeney), Mattie (Celeste O’Connor), and Anya (Isabela Merced) from danger. The script pretends to consist of several good ideas manifested into one conjunctive story, when in reality it’s just a half-baked, sloppily edited, joyless comic book movie.

Poor performances led to a disappointing final film.

Even as I sat through Madame Web, I counted on the incredible cast to bring even a modicum of fun. However, the performances were uninspired and mediocre at best. Additionally, the corny one-liners would usually work for me, but the deliveries here were awkward at best, which makes it all the more disappointing. I’m hesitant to say that this was a total miscast, but when the leads are unconvincing and look bored on screen, it’s exactly where my mind is heading towards.

That would then leave the action sequences to be the saving grace of Clarkson’s feature. But as much as I want to compliment them, they’re not particularly memorable. They kind of just exist to serve as the cat-and-mouse chase story for the film’s villain, Ezekiel (Tahar Rahim). Even when the sequences come up (and there are plenty of them), the lighting issues won’t do eager viewers any favors.

With so many elements to Madame Web that did not go well, it’s almost laughable how the film was green-lit. Even the emotional moments among the characters seem out of place, leading to a watching experience that feels like a chore to get through. If not for the good steady pacing between the action sequences and quieter storytelling moments, the film’s 117-minute runtime could have felt like an eternity. But the reality of Madame Web is that its poor execution of storytelling, editing, and acting make it incredibly hard to get through.

Madame Web releases in theaters on Wednesday, February 14. Check out the movie trailer below: