Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness might be the most comic book-y film to come out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe thus far, for better and for worse. Usually, the MCU does a decent job at taking wild comic book imagery and holding back just enough to give the impression that what you’re seeing is happening in our world, for the most part, and often utilizing a more understated film language in order to do that. That very film language has resulted in a very same-y, house style quality to the Marvel movies, with very few having very few opportunities for singular flourishes.
That is far from the case with the sequel to 2016’s Doctor Strange, which is helmed by Sam Raimi, his first feature since 2013’s Oz The Great And Powerful; who brings along some regular collaborators like editor, Bob Murawski, and composer, Danny Elfman. Written by Loki creator, Michael Waldron, the film follows Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), not too long after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, finding himself in a new multiverse situation, which requires him to protect America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), a teenager with universe jumping abilities, from a demon that is trying to consume her power and kill her.
I’ll be honest. I went into this more as a Sam Raimi fan than a MCU fan, and I was fully prepared to see his style become crushed under the weight of Kevin Feige’s Marvel machine. However, I am surprised and delighted to say that this feels like a Sam Raimi film through and through. Like, full on Sam “I’m going to shove the camera into the actor’s face” Raimi, complete with the wild camera work, horror sensibilities, gnarly violence (seriously, this pushes that PG-13 as far as it can), genre bending, sincerity, and moments of camp. There’s even direct nods to shots in some of his previous films. That’s not to say this is Raimi unhinged, this is still a part of the MCU after all, but he manages to bring more personality to the filmmaking than any previous director in the franchise.
The writing on the other hand, that’s where there are some issues worth discussing. It’s a bit of a mixed bag because I like what it’s doing in a broad sense, it’s a mostly standalone adventure story where the pacing is something like that of a Safdie Brothers’ movie, piling on one thing after another with barely any room to breathe, it’s chaotic as hell, and it very much tries to reflect that in the craft. It’s a very plot and exposition heavy film, which does differ it from the usual character driven narratives that made audiences connect to these characters so well. It’s also the first MCU film where you can feel the last minute changes and potential connective tissue left on the cutting room floor, which is odd since this isn’t a particularly long film.
The main victim of the lack of breathing room is sadly America Chavez. We get one quick scene to establish her backstory, and we only ever really get to know a couple things about her. Thankfully, Gomez is strong enough here to make the most out of what was given to her. And despite the overall structure feeling standalone, it does enrich the understanding of certain motivations if you were to watch the Disney+ show, WandaVision, as Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) plays a critical role here that has a lot to do with what she experienced on the show. She’s terrific here, by the way. There is an obligatory moment to give folks who didn’t watch the show a basic idea of what they missed, but it didn’t explain other things that they would reference.
I feel like there was also a general concern that after the success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, the reshoots on this would turn it into a total reference fest littered with cameos and more world-building. However, I didn’t find that to be the case at all. There are cameos, but it’s limited to a certain sequence, and there is a chef’s kiss of a payoff to it. Nothing in this film gave off the impression that it was forced or out-of-place, and it’s all stuff that I would assume you’d want to see in a sequel to Doctor Strange. Obviously, one can see how things would be tighter and more clear if this didn’t have the expectations of being a piece of the MCU, but I doubt it would be by a lot. Though, I will say that as much as I love the goofy as hell title, calling this a “Multiverse Of Madness” is hardly an accurate description, just reset your expectations in that department.
Something that I did appreciate about this film that continues from the first film is the way it explores more heady ideas with its characters, touching on fate, regret, grief, being stuck on the past, and the inability to move on. Obviously, a big movie like this won’t necessarily get the opportunity to go as intimate and nuanced as something like the other multiverse movie that recently came out, Everything Everywhere All At Once, but the little bits of introspection here do go a long way, and they’re handled with the kind of grace and sincerity that most MCU projects wouldn’t do without adding some kind of punchline at the end of the scene. It definitely helps that Cumberbatch feels the most comfortable he’s ever been with this character, bringing a gentle and warm grace that separates him from the other heroes in this franchise.
Like I said, I was prepared to be underwhelmed, but I never should have doubted Sam Raimi. He’s one of the all-time greats for a reason, and to see him in this playground was truly a joy to experience for me. I had a blast, and it’s perhaps the first MCU movie since maybe Black Panther where I felt the desire to see it again on the big screen right away. Yes, the film is flawed, but this is the…strange…scenario in which most of the flaws do set it apart from the usual MCU fare, and in some cases, are also a part of why this was so much fun to see. I felt similarly about Eternals, but this was just more my jam. It’s just wild to see actual personality within the craftsmanship, the camera work, and the music – by the way, probably the best out of any MCU movie. There’s moments and imagery here that has burned into my brain, and considering much of what we’ve gotten with this franchise has become increasingly monotonous in terms of vision and creativity, that says a lot. It just feels alive. This was a breath of fresh air, and obviously given Raimi’s weirdo sensibilities, I can see why this might not work for some, especially given its unwieldy script, but I had a wonderful time.
Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness is now out in theaters.