The Web of Death

Forgive me, dear reader, for this review will prove challenging. On the one hand, The Web of Death, a Shaw Brothers production, features incredible spectacle with several standout set-pieces. But stitching these pieces together is what Roger Ebert would call an “idiot plot,” that is, a plot that only works if everyone involved behaves like idiots.

The film opens mid-battle, as two groups face off. One group unleashes a mysterious weapon—a magical tarantula that roars like an elephant, blares a droning alarm like a supervillain’s base self-destruct warning, and emits a massive jet of poisonous gas. One blast kills the opposing group in seconds.

Fast-forward and we learn the weapon, unused for generations, is guarded by the Spider Sect, part of the Five Venoms clan. The clan’s other sects want to use the weapon to assert dominance over the other clans, but the Spider Sect leader proves reluctant, leading to a coup led by the Snake Sect leader, played by frequent Shaw Brothers baddie, Lo Lieh.

Meanwhile, the other clans, wary of the legendary Spider weapon, dispatch Wu-Tang swordsman Fei Ying Xiang to investigate. He ends up involved with the Spider Sect leader’s daughter, who, in turn, ends up crippling his adopted brother.

Everything culminates in a big set-piece where Fei Ying Xiang and the other clans face certain death at the hands of the Spider’s web, before an unexpected sacrifice turns the tide.

Along the way, we’re treated to several memorable scenes. One battle sees one group of swordsmen battle another armed with primitive flamethrowers. The practical fire effects thrill, as characters cut away flaming bits of clothing mid-battle, while, around them, fully engulfed combatants tumble to the ground. Another sequence features a booby-trapped tomb, which claims victims in several gruesome ways including spikes and an acid pit. And the finale ups the ante with surprise dismemberment and face-melting.

The action shines. Director Yuen Chor frames the fights in crowded wide shots to showcase the spectacle, and through a combination of editing, sound, lighting, and inventive camera angles, makes the ludicrous spider weapon a sensory—almost cartoonish—treat.

But the sequences connecting these moments of bonkers insanity range from tedious to frustrating. No one acts according to any character-based motivation, just the whims of the plot. The exposition-laden dialogue exists to allow off-screen characters to overhear out-of-context snippets and jump to conclusions. This leads to the idiot plot mechanics where characters could easily defuse misunderstandings with a few words, but can’t because the plot won’t permit it. Consider the big finale where one character, after being accused of murder, simply says “I didn’t do it,” rather than explain how she came to be at the scene and how her innocence could be proven.

Compounding matters, the English dubbing for several characters is atrocious, marked by hard P’s and a slight echo that suggests some parts were recorded in a different studio.

These shortcomings overshadow what’s otherwise a fun spectacle of a film, making for a wildly uneven viewing experience. Shaw Brothers fans will want to give it a watch, but others should opt for one of the studio’s more balanced efforts.