Review of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) by Moviemitch96 — 07 May 2022

Damn. Still trying to wrap my head around this one for better or worse. Directed by Sam Raimi (director of the original Spider-Man trilogy of all people), Dr. Steven Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) find himself thrust into the multiverse as he tries to protect a young multiverse jumper (Xochitl Gomez) from a possessed and deranged Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) whose Scarlet Witch persona has taken over her mind.

Just when you thought things couldn't get much tripier than the first Doctor Strange film, along comes this one to throw everything that film had to offer, along with the rest of the MCU as a whole into complete disarray.

This film is quite a mess, and not exactly a good one either sadly. While it surprisingly didn't overindulge on fan service too much with the exception of a very particular sequence towards the middle of the film that is sure to please several eager fans holding out hope for certain cameos, the story itself is still so scattershot and all over the place from start to finish that it becomes almost headache-inducing to follow.

There's very little in the way of character/story development here as well. Furthermore, this is EASILY what I'd consider to be both the darkest and even most violent MCU film to date, with several uncalled for brutal and violent deaths that left me with a very bad taste in my mouth, as well as several frightening/jump scare moments straight out of a horror film, which makes sense considering this is Raimi we're talking about here.

He's come a long way from his 'Evil Dead' films, but nonetheless manages to incorporate their atmosphere and style into this, but it just doesn't seem to fit or vibe well with a Marvel superhero film in my opinion.

Performance-wise Cumberbatch of course once again nails the role he was born to play here, and even Elizabeth Olsen is in top form and creepy as hell here. Several of her scenes in particular are sure to serve as nightmare fuel for several people! Newcomer Gomez also turns in a great performance here, and returning cast members from the first film, such as Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, and Rachel McAdams are also great! Unfortunately, none of them really helped me enjoy this cluster of a film much more.

Overall, it's not particularly inspired, and the story/concept is a mess, but it still nonetheless gives an interesting idea of what direction things might go in the MCU from here when all's said and done.

Whether that direction is good or bad is beyond me though, and I still consider this a rare misstep within the MCU. It left me feeling exasperated moreso than exhilarated by the end of it.