[Rating: Swiss Fist]
Now in theaters (every single one of them)
Marvel is continuing to expand its own universe within its own multiverse story lines and our own “real” world, having viewers be tripped out over its latest outing in a neverending franchise. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness finds our good doctor (Benedict Cumberbatch) in a war against variations of himself and Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) as he sets out to protect another universe’s citizen from certain doom.
Continuing from last year’s blockbuster Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange finds Stephen Strange having a continuous dream of himself and a young girl fighting for survival against other dimensional beings. While attending the wedding of former flame Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams), Strange battles an octopus-like creature who is trying to kill a young girl. After saving the girl with the help of Wong (Benedict Wong – now Sorcerer Supreme), they learn she is America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) who can travel through the multiverse, but doesn’t know how to control it. Strange enlists the help of Wanda who, after the events of WandaVision, is secluded in her own private sanctuary. However, instead of helping out one another, Wanda threatens Strange with her own desires to use Chavez to travel the multiverse. Fighting breaks out and spoilers happen throughout.
That seems like a lot, but with a vast universe ahead of us, it’s pretty tame with whatever Strange, Chavez, and Wanda’s goals are in this film. It has that signature eeriness director Sam Raimi is so well known for, and I got Evil Dead vibes from a few scenes. The technical aspects of this film are pretty amazing, especially the scene where the characters travel through different dimensions in a matter of seconds. However, in all that’s fun to look at, the plot itself is…fine. After a few of these Marvel movies (which reader, I do like them most times! Calm down!) I’m always pumped afterwards. I was never a fan of Doctor Strange in the first place but the plot of this is fine at best. I was never on the edge of my seat and many plot points here were very predictable and blase in their execution. I counted how many pauses the characters took after talking about twists that affected the plot!
My biggest beef with this film however, is the use of Wanda. I won’t spoil anything, except if you’re not a diehard fan who has not seen WandaVision, Marvel is now relying on you to watch their own show to understand the entire plot of this film. Everything is a sequel to that Disney+ show. Marvel wants you to consume them at any cost.
Look, I was never going to fully love this just because Doctor Strange is fine as a person. The film is well executed, but the plot and many motivations of the main characters are unimpressive, and I could care less if we keep continuing this Strange universe. Although we will, because Disney owns us all.
Christian Ramos is a classic film fan, having had the dream to host Turner Classic Movies for years now. He also has a large amount of Oscar trivia in his head, remembers dressing as Groucho Marx one Halloween, and cherishes the moment Julianne Moore liked his tweet.
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