Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is Marvel Studios’ latest mega-blockbuster. Director Sam Raimi attempted to create a multiverse movie which expands the Marvel universe whilst staying within the confines of the established formula and in many cases, he succeeds. Strong performances and Raimi’s stamp on things make it an enjoyable enough movie, even if its story and overall scope leave a lot to be desired.
Benedict Cumberbatch returns as Dr Stephen Strange, the only one who can stop The Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) from taking the power of the multiversal hopper America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez). Cumberbatch is just as sound in this movie as he usually is, but the strongest performances by far come from the movie’s female leads with Olsen delivering an absolutely heartbreaking performance.
Gomez is ultimately the movie’s biggest breakout star, providing the audience with a character to root for and effortlessly balancing childlike innocence with great power.
This movie is absolutely a product of Raimi’s action/horror roots. Moments of pure horror and terror are interjected throughout, usually involving The Scarlet Witch. These scenes help differentiate the film from the MCUs usual action-heavy, uninspired punch fests. The colours are vibrant, the CGI is among the MCU’s best and Raimi ensures that the movie flows with his signature blend of suspense and humour.
However, this film feels held back by Marvel’s need for PG-13 fun. Any potential for violence and gore seems stripped away leaving it in this weird middle ground where you can’t make out if it is a horror or not.
The plot is weak, and the MacGuffin tale is almost mind-numbingly generic. Basic tropes are apparent: the hero finds an item, the item is destroyed, the hero gets another power to save their friend in the nick of time, and there are absolutely no consequences. The central plotline seems to be sidelined in favour of cramming in as much content as possible elsewhere. The third act is possibly the MCU’s most uninspired, with little of note happening, and ending with The Scarlet Witch in the same place as she was at the end of WandaVision.
Considering the multiverse is supposed to be full of infinite possibilities, the universes the characters spend most of the runtime in are disappointing at best. During a 40 second montage, we get a spectacular look into many wild and wacky universes, including an animated world and one made entirely of paint.
It is then angering when the whole second act is in a world where traffic lights are different. Teasing all these potential unique and visually distinctive universes makes this especially underwhelming.
Ever since Spider-Man No Way Home gave us *those* cameos in its third act, fans have gone to the cinema expecting some sort of celebrity-infused expansion to the MCU’s overall roster – and in this regard, Dr Strange succeeds. The Illuminati’s council is stacked with interesting characters and exciting fan casts, the audience audibly going crazy for John Krasinski. His Reed Richards is joined by variants of Captain Marvel (Lashana Lynch), Black Bolt (Anson Mount), Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell), Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart).
Dr Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a Raimi Marvel movie, and if you like either one or both of those descriptors, it’s worth watching, at the risk of being a little underwhelmed. The performances are good and the cameos are aplenty, with the movie having enough action to keep you in your seat.
3/5
Image Credits – The MovieDB