DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS (2022)
Updated: Dec 10, 2022
Benedict Cumberbatch Faces Dark Forces in Sam Raimi's Return to the Superhero Genre
Grade: A-
**Spoiler Alert!!**
If a movie series lasts long enough, audiences and critics may eventually catch on to certain tropes used over and over. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one such series. Kicking off in 2008 with Iron Man, the phenomenally successful MCU has garnered much praise for its performances, themes, action, and characters. However, it has also attracted criticism for its overabundance of computer effects, formulaic origin stories, and Easter eggs of other Marvel properties, teasing fans of things to come. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the latest MCU release, is indeed guilty of that last pet peeve, but it manages to compensate by retaining the series' signature charm and likeable characters. And there's a twist: unlike most other Marvel movies, this one is practically a horror film.
Multiverse of Madness continues the story of Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), the Master of the Mystic Arts. One of the earliest scenes in the new movie finds Strange and his friend Wong (Benedict Wong) battling a giant cyclopean octopus to rescue America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), a girl with the power to travel between different realities. Strange learned the hard way that tampering with other universes is a bad idea in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). He seeks the help of former Avenger Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), only to discover that Wanda herself is the one sending monsters to kidnap Chavez. Soon Strange and Chavez find themselves on a terrifying adventure across the Multiverse to find a sacred book that can potentially help them defeat Wanda.
The director is Sam Raimi, who is perhaps best known for helming the Spider-Man trilogy (2002-2007). Before that, however, he directed the Evil Dead trilogy (1981-1992), which featured Bruce Campbell battling evil spirits. Raimi could have hardly picked a better movie by which to return to the superhero genre, since the fantastical world of Doctor Strange deals with scary magic. The finale, for example, finds Strange having to use the darkest of all such magic to possess a corpse of his alternate self to save Chavez. Things have indeed become that crazy; that's just the way Raimi likes it.
Much of the horror in Multiverse of Madness is centered on Olsen's Scarlet Witch. After discovering her true self in the Disney+ series Wandavision (2021), she has embraced the darkness and become one of the MCU's most powerful villains to date. She mows down sorcerers, murders superheroes, and possesses alternate versions of herself in a relentless pursuit of Chavez with the intention of using her power to find a universe where her two sons are still alive. This makes her an especially tragic figure, since only a few years ago she was a hero. Basically, she has become Raimi's means of channeling his dark edge into the MCU (although her sudden villainous turn essentially undoes the lesson she apparently learned at the end of Wandavision).
As is typical in an MCU flick, the cast all put on great performances. Cumberbatch once again fits perfectly into the role of Strange, portraying him as a character determined to do the right thing no matter what, yet still haunted by past mistakes. He also has great chemistry with most of the supporting cast, especially Gomez and Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer, his ex-girlfriend. Gomez's Chavez fits into the mold of characters who cannot control their powers, but she avoids the common trope of pushing others away, and instead accepts their help. And Olsen vividly conveys the hurt, insanity and evil that has consumed Wanda, resulting in one of the finest performances of her career.
The movie's Multiverse theme is both a handicap and a benefit to its success. On the one hand, it allows the MCU to continue its trend of advertising and teasing other projects and Marvel properties in often distracting ways. In one universe, Strange encounters alternate versions of superheroes, as well as some he hasn't seen before but will definitely be more familiar to audiences. They manage to rise above being mere cameos, but are only on-screen for about fifteen minutes before being brutally taken out. It is almost enough to make one wonder what the point was in even showing them, but their fates could be the movie's way of keeping them from overshadowing the main plot.
On the other hand, the theme introduces some fascinating ideas and images. In another universe, Strange encounters an evil version of himself in a gray, barren wasteland beneath a bizarre vortex in the sky. It is here that a visually interesting duel takes place involving piano and harp music. Strange learns that his opponent is one of two versions that have caused destructive havoc across other universes, leading his allies to consider him to be the greatest threat. And in the end, Strange himself must face the consequences of dabbling in dark magic, as shown in an alarming final shot that Raimi uses to effectively subvert the overall feel-good ending.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is dark, violent, and crazy, but it also has great performances, intense action and interesting themes. Only time will tell if it is unique enough to be considered an outlier in the franchise, but it is definitely not your typical MCU flick. Nor is it a a mere commercial for future movies, despite the appearance of alternate superheroes. Instead it is a scary fun ride, courtesy of a director who has effectively combined the two genres he is most famous for. "Multiverse of Madness," indeed.
Director: Sam Raimi
Screenplay: Michael Waldron (Based on the Marvel Comics; Doctor Strange created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko)
Producer: Kevin Feige
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch (Dr. Stephen Strange), Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch), Benedict Wong (Wong), Xochitl Gomez (America Chavez), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Karl Mordo), Michael Stuhlbarg (Nicodemus West), Rachel McAdams (Christine Palmer)
Rated: PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence and action, frightening images and some language)
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