What is it about this verse that makes it so hilariously awful? At best, this kind of exposition is as carefully crafted as any other type of dialogue in a movie. Just think of the scene in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” where Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) quickly recalls the history of the Ark to a pair of military intelligence officers. The sequence is pure exposition and the dialogue is ear-pleasing and intriguing, thanks in part to Ford’s enthusiastic delivery. In comparison, the “Madame Web” line is functional to the point of pain, cramming as much information as possible without any sense of rhythm. It’s so harsh that it’s hard to blame Johnson for not somehow elevating it with the way she says it. Other than Johnson showing Nicolas Cage at his wildest, I don’t know how that sentence could sound anything other than clunky.
It does make for a great meme though, as you can see in some of the examples below:
– Forget it, Jake. He was in the Amazon with my mother when she was examining spiders just before she died. pic.twitter.com/abtNZ85S4K
— Tom Reagan’s Hat (@RufusTSuperfly) November 15, 2023
For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to be in the Amazon with my mother as she studied spiders before she died. pic.twitter.com/sNfwEqCFjG
— Interro 🏺🔧♨️🏔🔳 (@Interrobang_2) November 15, 2023
he was in the Amazon with my mother when she was examining spiders just before she died pic.twitter.com/xJ4HSc1iXx
— alex (@alex_abads) November 15, 2023
Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father. He was in the Amazon with my mother when she was examining spiders just before she died. pic.twitter.com/B4ik6IEiF0
— DisInsider (@TheDisInsider) November 16, 2023
“What is sadness but being in the Amazon with your mother while she was looking for spiders just before she died?” pic.twitter.com/njVLh9VuVu
— Shane Anderson 🏳️🌈 (@ShaneM_Anderson) November 16, 2023
he was in the Amazon with my mother when she was examining spiders just before she died pic.twitter.com/MnDYwX0a6N
— Ash Crossan (@AshCrossan) November 15, 2023
Perhaps it’s because after a stressful year of extremely necessary strikes, people are more willing than usual to be silly, or maybe it’s because Johnson herself has proven that she is a surprisingly reliable source of memes. Either way, it’s encouraging that the Internet is so quick to save this line from itself. Just don’t mistake this for unironic enthusiasm for Sony’s “Madame Web.” One can only hope that the studio learned this lesson the last time one of its Spider-Man spin-offs started a trend on social media.
On the other hand, who knows? Maybe Cassandra and her spiders will have their last laugh when the film hits theaters on February 14, 2024.
