Film Review: "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" (2022)
The Best Terminator film i've seen since "Judgement Day".
Even before Spider-Man swung his way into theaters 20 years ago, Sam Raimi has been a household name. From āEvil Deadā to āDarkmanā to āDrag Me To Hellā, Raimi has had quite the career behind the camera. While he is more known for both his āSpider-Manā trilogy and his horror films, Raimi has quite a bit of range as well: most notably with the underrated Western āThe Quick and the Deadā and the 2013 Disney prequel āOz: The Great and Powerful.ā When it was announced that he would be taking over āDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessā after Scott Derrickson stepped down, I was extremely enthusiastic to see what he would bring to the MCU.
Taking place directly after the events of āSpider-Man: No Way Homeā, Strange is left unhappy and unsatisfied. Attending the wedding of his ex-girlfriend, Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams), Strange ponders his lack of fulfillment. However, the wedding is interrupted when America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) enters the picture being chased by supernatural creatures. As he begins to decipher what is going on, Strange goes to Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) for answers. Unfortunately, a new threat emerges, putting everyone and everything in peril.
Thereās not much plot-wise that I can discuss without spoiling the film but, I will say this: āDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessā is not your typical MCU movie. Itās basically āTerminator 2ā mixed with āEvil Deadā. America Chavez is this filmās John Connor while Strange is this filmās equivalent to Arnold Schwarzeneggerās T-800. For better or worse, itās not even as tethered to the MCU as other films have been. Itās not raining cameos from start to finish, It is a film that tells its own story and very much focuses on Dr. Strange. Some might be disappointed with this while others will actually be relieved that Marvel took a different approach as opposed to playing it safe. I fall into the latter.
This is very much a Sam Raimi film: Itās scary, campy, and silly. His love for both Marvel and Classic B-Horror is put on full display throughout its 2-hour runtime. There are moments that feel ripped straight out of films such as āEvil Deadā, āDrag Me To Hellā, and āThe Grudgeā, to name a few. The camera work lays into its campiness and at one point channels some serious 80s Giallo vibes. The scares here are genuinely effective, so much so, that I wouldnāt recommend showing this film to small kids. Thereās a corridor sequence with a jumpscare that feels a lot like the 2018 āConjuringā prequel, āThe Nunā. The movie also, for a PG-13 rating, has some insanely violent moments. The kills are absolutely savage here, so much so that it makes the latest āScreamā movie look like āPaw Patrolā in comparison.
The cast in āMultiverse of Madnessā knocks it out of the park. Benedict Cumberbatch makes the role of Stephen Strange truly his own here. I really liked Xcohtil Gomez as America Chavez, your classic kid/teen sidekick who is a bit of a smart ass and has a tragic backstory but, doesnāt overstay her welcome. Granted, her backstory couldāve been told a little bit better and not in a rushed manner (āSo this happened and now Iām hereā) but, I was invested in her character quite a bit and actually cared when she was in peril. Benedict Wong is given a lot more to do this time around as Wong and we are all the better for it. He actually plays a crucial part in moving the plot forward and is no longer reduced to an expositional mouthpiece.
The biggest standout, however, is Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff aka The Scarlet Witch. Iāve been fairly hot & cold on Wanda throughout the MCU: I was not the biggest fan of the Disney + series āWandaVisionā nor did I find her accent in āAvengers: Age Of Ultronā to be different from Natasha in the āRocky and Bulwinkleā cartoons. However, Wanda has also had her moments throughout the MCU since her MCU debut in 2015. From the sheer badassery of feeding Thanos his lunch in āEndgameā to the moment she chose her path in the aforementioned āAge of Ultronā, there is plenty to like about Wanda. However, the way her arc is handled in āMultiverse of Madnessā is incredibly polarizing, to say the least. Keeping details light, I felt that it couldāve used more clarity. Between the conclusion of āWandaVisionā and this film, Wandaās arc feels a bit disjointed. I thought the conclusion of her arc in this film was pretty awesome and conveyed the theme of the film very well but, on the way there, despite it being enjoyable, I canāt help but wonder how we got here in the first place.
āDoctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madnessā is far from perfect. The script couldāve used a punch-up, Wandaās arc couldāve used more clarity, and the film ends abruptly. Still, this is not just another MCU film, though, it is a Sam Raimi film through and through. This is very much a film that is focused on Doctor Strange that is fun, campy, and absolutely terrifying. āMultiverse of Madnessā not only has the unfortunate task of following up āSpider-Man: No Way Homeā but, also bears the unfortunate burden of being released nearly a month after āEverything, Everywhere, All At Once.ā Both films were going to be insanely difficult to follow up considering how well they emotionally resonated with audiences. Still, I enjoyed āMultiverse of Madnessā: itās not the best MCU film but, itās a pretty solid horror film that stands out from the extensive cinematic universe. If we get more horror into the MCU, I am more than sold.
Final Verdict:
āDoctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madnessā is far from perfect but also an atmospheric MCU film with a ton of personality that does not hesitate to circumvent expectations.