Chris Stuckmann has been reviewing movies on YouTube for several years, and is one of the most influential movie reviewers on the platform. However, his refusal to review Madame Web has ruffled some feathers amongst his fans and fellow creators.
There exist a few OG movie reviewers on YouTube, channels that have been around for several years and have been consistently reviewing the biggest film releases.
Chris Stuckmann is one such YouTuber, and he’s gained enough popularity to produce his own films alongside his standard YouTube content. He’s deeply invested in the industry and advocates for filmmakers, though he historically hasn’t shied away from criticizing films when he feels it’s deserved.
However, he refused to do a straightforward review of Madame Web, a Marvel movie that’s being critically panned across the board. This move has many of his fans scratching their heads as to why he’s decided to pull his punches this time around.
Chris Stuckmann called out for not reviewing Madame Web
Madame Web’s reviews have been… less than stellar, to say the least. Dexerto’s own review wasn’t kind to it, and critic reviews on Rotten Tomatoes have it sitting at a staggeringly low 13% at the time of writing.
When films like this come out that are so critically panned ahead of release, people look to YouTubers like Jeremy Jahns or Chris Stuckmann to get their opinions on why the film is bad or whether or not it’s got any redeeming qualities people may not have noticed.
However, Stuckmann opted not to review it entirely.
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He’ll go ten miles out of his way NOT to say a movie is bad.
— John A. Douglas (@BlkCrownAuthor) February 17, 2024
“Since I do try to keep it mostly about film celebration on this channel – Having seen the film, I’m going to tell you this is not a movie review of Madame Web. I’m not about bashing filmmakers or artists. I know how hard it is to make a movie, but I do not know how hard it is to make a movie in the studio system.”
Stuckmann claimed that many of the film’s shortcomings were likely a result of issues within the studio systems and restrictions placed upon the director.
On top of being called out by his fanbase for this, AngryJoe replied to him with a lengthy comment as to why he feels Stuckmann’s approach here wasn’t the right one. Here’s a small excerpt from Joe’s reply:
“Chris, I have to say this man after being a follower and subscriber of yours for as long as I can remember. Never feel bad about or straight out REFUSE to criticize something harshly when that piece of media deserves it. The second you do that you are no longer a reviewer. And thats not ‘bashing’ Madam Web. Thats telling it like it is and you need to continue to do that to maintain credibility.” AngryJoe claimed.
“People will question if you are being kind to something else for other reasons besides the merits of the media if you refuse to criticize harshly when warranted. Madam Web is a bait and switch, its a waste of money, its a blantant cash-in from untalented hacks with some of the most shockingly bad writing in any superhero film to date. People need to know that.”
Chris Stuckmann has yet to respond to criticism toward his choice not to review the film.
