Doctor Strange Multiverse of Madness movie review.

Doctor Strange Multiverse of Madness

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The contemporary Marvel sequel has as many weapons as a spell from Dr. Strange. Consider all the sequels that "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" contains. In that you probably need to have watched that movie less than the Strange adventures that followed, it is a sequel to "Doctor Strange," if barely. It's a follow-up to "Avengers: Endgame" and "Spider-Man: No Way Home" in that it makes use of action from both movies and extrapolates a little bit from the universe-saving choice the main character made in the first. It closely resembles "WandaVision," the television program that introduced the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's also somewhat of a sequel to Sam Raimi's films from the age when he was one of the most fearsome directors working today for a certain generation. Maybe it's because of all these allegiances that "Multiverse of Madness" never finds its own voice and depth. It's a Frankenmovie, a blockbuster created by combining elements of other motion pictures, comic novels, and television series, and bringing them to life with the power of a Marvel budget. Raimi's visual flair gives "Doctor Strange 2" some traction after an agonizingly protracted build-up, but even that fizzles out. You actually aren't able to return home.

There won't be many spoilers. Not to worry.

Chaos breaks out in the street when Dr. Stephen Strange is at Christine Palmer's (Rachel McAdams) wedding; the fact that Michael Stuhlbarg's name is on the poster for his lone, early-movie scene at the wedding feels like an agent's coup. America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) is being chased between dimensions by a huge, octopus-like creature, who is wreaking havoc as they go. America is sought after for her ability to travel between universes, though she can't really control when she does so. Strange and Wong (Benedict Wong) act quickly to save the girl. As Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) is still grieving the loss of her children at the end of the Disney+ series and is under the influence of the evil Darkhold, a book of evil spells that looks a lot like the Necronomicon, Strange suspects that witchcraft may be involved. Raimi fans will likely notice this similarity. Wanda is prepared to go to any lengths to maintain her right to exist in a world where she still has her children (though Vision is hardly mentioned), which causes chaos for Strange, Wong, and America that involves Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a few well-known figures, as well as some unfamiliar-looking newcomers with well-known names.

Early on in "Multiverse of Madness," Strange and America fly through other realities, including one where they appear animated and another where their bodies are painted. I became giddy. I believed Raimi and team were ready to disrupt the Marvel paradigm and create a live-action movie that felt like "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" after what seemed like an endless setup. Consider that. a visual artist like Raimi with the resources of the modern MCU and unrestricted artistic freedom.

This movie isn't interested in that kind of possibility, so you'll have to imagine it. The movie "Multiverse of Madness" consistently pushes against its own potential. It has a plot that, with the right director and fresh takes on the idea of an universe with heroes, might have artistically astonished audiences time and time again. However, it is very obvious that this is a product of a content machine that is working against its own interests out of a fear of alienating any of the millions of prospective viewers. These movies are made all the more annoying by the impression that they merely pretend to be "weird" while in reality, they're rather average. "WandaVision" and "Loki" both took more artistic chances. Significantly.

Because of this, it's a double-edged sword when Sam Raimi, the director of "Spider-Man 2" and "Evil Dead 2," enters the picture halfway through and picks up steam in the final act. Without giving anything away, "Multiverse of Madness" begins to feature the walking dead, demonstrating that the revolutionary Raimi who created the horror genre is still alive and well. In "Multiverse of Madness," there are a few inventively produced and executed action sequences that could only have been created by the director of "Drag Me to Hell." These scenes are without a doubt the movie's high points and come close to saving it. One simply wishes that it didn't take so long to reach them and that they weren't bound to a film that all too frequently doesn't know what to do with that energy. 

The narrative repeatedly returns to relatively superficial character aspects like Wanda's anguish, Strange's covert affection for Christine, or America's anxiety about her own abilities rather than allowing "Multiverse of Madness" to soar creatively. Each of these rings hollow. The performances suffer as a result of the character arcs being so astonishingly inadequate. Although Cumberbatch does well, the movie's overly complicated plot causes him to spend most of his time rushing from one CGI scene to the next. And I'm interested to see what the likable Gomez can accomplish with a far more compelling character. I realize MCU films aren't often known for their in-depth character development, but I just want to point out that this instance is particularly shallow given how consistently dependable Olsen nailed this character in her last appearance. It's disappointing to see her and the character retreat rather than pursuing the concepts in the program that bore her name.

I started to wonder whether there's a breaking limit to these CGI orgies that serve so many other qualities that forget to be entertaining on their own by the time "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" pulled out the universe-bending moments that would undoubtedly be shown by Friday afternoon. However, it's never felt like a snake eating its own tail as it does here. There have been complaints about MCU properties that feel like they exist merely to pique people's interest in the next film or television series. Or, at least, the spell is no longer working on me.