Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is directed by Sam Raimi and is a direct sequel to Doctor Strange, Spider-Man: No Way Home and WandaVision. That is a very tall order which you need to ignore in order to enjoy this movie. You need to be prepared for the fact that it is a very small scale movie. It is not Avengers 4.5. Also this movie is the closest that a MCU movie can get to being a horror movie. It uses a lot of horror troops to the point that it really stretches that PG13 limit, by a lot. I wouldn't take small children to see this movie. But I really liked it.
I think that it is important to lower your expectations when it comes to this movie. Everyone were super hyped about all of the super cameos, but in reality what you get in the trailer is all that you get in the movie. That's it. I mean I had one very big surprise because I managed to avoid some spoilers and I was really happy about it. Although the end result wasn't that great. This movie just has a lot smaller scope than we imagined. The story is very small and personal, not larger than life. It is not the fate of the world that hangs on the balance. It is just Doctor Strange on a rescue mission going through a few realities and not that many to be honest.
I am a very big horror fan so I loved all of the horror elements in this movie. The filming, the cinematography, the music, the choices that are made on screen are all super horror. There are actually jump scares in this movie. Sam Raimi did direct a lot of horror movies. Some of them are cheesy, and there are elements of that in this movie as well. And I think that it totally works. Although I do prefer me some hard core horror elements.
As for the story itself it is very straight forward. Doctor Strange played by Benedict Cumberbatch tries to live his unhappy life post the Blip. Until suddenly he encounters America Chavez played by Xochitl Gomez. She has the power to travel through the multiverse. A power that she cannot control and a power that is very coveted by a mysterious evil entity that keeps chasing her through the multiverse. But we only get a small glimpse of the multiverse in this movie.
On the other hand we get Wanda Maximoff played brilliantly by Elizabeth Olsen. This feels more like her movie than Doctor Strange's movie, but there is a problem with her character in this movie. Sam Raimi admitted that he didn't watch WandaVision and it shows. It really really shows. Yes, the plot of this movie literally picks up right where WandaVision left off. Although people that didn't watch the show won't miss out on much for a simple reason. Wanda's personality feels like it is pre-WandaVision. The show left her in a much better mental state than how this movie portrays her. I know that Darkhold corrupts everything it touches, but this feels a bit much. Even in comparison to other characters in the movie. This movie is lucky that Elizabeth Olsen is such a talented actress that she pulls off even the illogical elements of her character.
But on the other hand this is what the Scarlet Witch is best known for in the comics. Making a big mess out of everything and causing a lot of damage. Although I feel like WandaVision spoiled us by making her character feel more independent and with better motivations and agency. We don't understand Wanda's true motivation in this movie. I get that she misses her sons, but this still makes no sense. Plus, Vision and Hawkeye were big anchor support systems for her and their absence in this movie is glaring obvious. To the point where it feels like a Marvel phase 2 movie, where we don't understand where all the other heroes went and why don't they help each other out.
Also, I hate to say this but America Chavez was not necessary to this movie. She is the MacGuffin of this movie. Xochitl Gomez did the best that she could with what she was given but it wasn't much. Her character has no edge like she does in the comics. She is simply there so she can setup Young Avengers and for her powers. But the ending of this movie doesn't do anything to actually set up Young Avengers which is annoying. Luckily for Chavez her powers look amazing. I mean really amazing. The way she opens portals looks so cool and spectacular. You can almost forget about everything else around her.
Let's talk about this multiverse for a moment. Unlike the Loki TV show, here all of the variants look exactly the same. Which is boring. It doesn't explore what makes a person a person throughout the multiverse. I know that it means that our main cast gets to stretch their acting chops, and they do a great job with it, but it is less visually impressive. Plus more actors could have made this movie seem more interesting and less small scale.
The best things about the movie are the Scarlet Witch showing her full powers and the setup for Secret Wars. Not the first boring Secret Wars, but the second one. Although I think that Marvel might combine Secret Wars with the Multiverse Wars to make things simpler and to have just one major arching plot.
This is not one of Marvel's most memorable movies, but I did enjoy it. It does have its own plot and it does move the MCU's plot further. Although I do remember Kevin Feige saying that WandaVision, Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will almost feel like a multiverse trilogy, but I don't feel that. There is no one cohesive story or almost a connection between them. Heck, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness barley feels like a sequel to the first Doctor Strange movie. still, I enjoyed this movie enough that I watched it twice in theaters and it will probably become one of the Marvel movies which I rewatch when I feel like I need some Marvel comfort.
What did you think about the movie? Are you disappointed or did you like it?
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