Dakota Johnson Sliding an Ambulance Wasn’t Enough To Save ‘Madame Web’
It’s one of those things you imagine demanding for yourself on the set of a big-budget film. “What? Stunt driving? I’ll do my own.” Well, Dakota Johnson, star of the steamy “Fifty Shades of Grey” film franchise, was understandably excited to do some stunt driving in “Madame Web.” However, the celebrity’s spirited ambulance driving couldn’t save the movie’s onslaught of negative reviews.
Dakota Johnson took personal pride in learning some stunt driving in ‘Madame Web’
Sure, “Madame Web” is a superhero movie, but that didn’t stop director S.J. Clarkson from including some stunt driving in the film. However, this isn’t your typical stunt driving with a purpose-built Ford Mustang or BMW 5 Series. No, Dakota Johnson’s character, Cassandra Webb (a bit on the nose, I know), would be driving an ambulance for some of her kinetic driving scenes.
See, before Webb becomes a superhero, she’s a paramedic with the Fire Department of New York (FDNY). No easy feat. That meant Dakota Johnson would get a chance to slide an EMS truck around in high-stakes driving scenes. In fact, S.J. Clarkson says that Johnson did a J-turn with ease.
I can attest to the fact that driving an ambulance under typical conditions has its own challenges. Code 3 driving is fun, so much as every other driver sees you, hears you, and respects the fact that there could be a life on the line. Still, more than a few drivers will ignore your Type 1, 14,000-lb Ford ambulance driving with lights and sirens. I guess taking selfies with a dog filter is more important.
Still, despite Dakota Johnson’s best efforts to put butts-in-seats with Ambo-antics, critics eviscerated the film. Specifically, Rotten Tomatoes gave the superhero film a paltry 14% critic score. Ouch. Some critiques seem impossibly negative. For instance, Rotten Tomatoes cited one British critic who called the film “the death of the Superhero genre.” Low praise, indeed.
Maybe it’s time to look at Johnson for a spiritual successor to “Drive” or “Baby Driver.” Of course, I’m sure “Fast 53” will have a spot for the “Madame Web” star. Either way, she can’t be faulted for bringing her driving enthusiasm to the movie. Check out a little of her driving below!
