Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez
Directed by Sam Raimi
Leave it to iconic director Sam Raimi to not just provide a thrilling, unrelenting, mind-boggling superhero spectacle film, but also a terrifyingly horrific one to boot - splashed throughout with his own unique blend of dark humor. The director - best known for his emergence with the memorable "Evil Dead" and its wonderful sequels - re-emerges to once again showcase his talent in both the superhero world (since, after all, he did direct one of the best superhero films before the MCU became a thing: "Spider-Man 2") as well as the frightening world that resides in his special mind. Much akin to the idea of "Doctor Strange 2" (which is much easier than calling it by its long title), Raimi turns it into a Frankenstein's Monster all its own - combining pieces of other MCU properties into a unique vessel in which, while it suffers from its own identity, manages to achieve its title by 1) being totally strange, and 2) serving up utter madness.
After saving the world, Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is trying to enjoy his life - even though the love of his life, Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams), is getting married to another man. On her wedding day, a monster attacks the city, and Strange - along with the new Sorcerer Supreme, Wong (Benedict Wong) - sets out to stop it from wreaking havoc, only to discover it's after a girl named America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez). America reveals that she's from a different universe, and she has the ability to traverse the multiverse at will, but she doesn't know how to harness her power. She's being hunted by someone who's associated with witchcraft, so Strange turns to Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) to protect America and stop what's stalking her. Events spiral out of control and they all find themselves at the mercy of the multiverse, where friends and foes alike blur the lines of reality.
It's been said, many times, many ways...actually, it's just been said before that the MCU has taken risks and done something it's never done before. It all started with the first "Avengers" movie, where people doubted that bringing in titans like Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye into one film could produce anything more than the actors trying to up-stage each other - and the MCU proved that it could take a risk and have it pay off in dividends. This trend continued with "Guardians of the Galaxy" which featured an inter-galactic rag-tag team of ruffians (including a talking raccoon and tree) who try to save the galaxy - often for a price. Again, risk and reward were in equal measure. "Avengers: Infinity War" shattered all worries that people once had with including six superheros into one film and instead included over twenty, and resulted in one of the biggest jaw-dropping finales in recent memory. It all came to a head in "Avengers: Endgame," which once again shattered expectations and proved - yet again - that the risks the MCU takes results in box office gold. Then last December the MCU took another bold move with "Spider-Man: No Way Home," which not only featured the return of crowd favorite villains like Alfred Molina's Doc Ock and Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin, but also included the return of fellow Spider-Men Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire. Time and again, the MCU upped their game and reached new possibilities. "Multiverse of Madness" only adds to their repertoire, sending our beloved superheroes to strange new worlds filled with more exciting cameos and intense, horrific action that borders the line between PG-13 and R - a first, again, for the MCU.
The story here, to be honest, is rather lackluster in comparison to other multiverse films (especially the stellar, unparalleled "Everything Everywhere All at Once"), but the MCU honestly really hasn't been known for top-notch storytelling - and that's more than okay with me. You can easily explain this film like this: Dr. Strange protects a human McGuffin from a terrifying, seemingly unstoppable threat as they hop universes to find another McGuffin to solve all their problems. It's simple in premise, but executed in such a unique, stylistic way that you can't help but be in awe of the visual CGI world(s) you get to see.
This comes from the mind of the creator of "Evil Dead," and Raimi's personal imprint is all over this film - hailed as the first horror film in the MCU. It is indeed horrifying, as Raimi uses his old tricks in new ways to give a sense of fear in the minds of even the likes of Doctor Strange, as the violence itself is also amped up to unbelievable levels (not to spoil anything, but some characters are dispatched of in much more gruesome ways than just getting dusted). Raimi even incorporates some of his "Evil Dead" moves in the film, and any fan of the beloved franchise will recognize them right away (not to mention the addition of his BFF Bruce Campbell in a hilarious non-spoilery cameo). If you want a horror superhero movie done right, Raimi is the man to call, and he answered the call with reckless abandon.
I said before this is a Frankenstein's Monster of a film, and that's really one of the hindrances the MCU faces - it's becoming way too big for its own britches in some respects. This long-running cinematic universe has expanded its reach from the theaters to the television, and if you aren't completely caught up it'll take you a good amount of time to get up to speed. In order to fully appreciate "Doctor Strange 2," you don't only have to watch "Doctor Strange," but also "Avengers: Infinity War," "Avengers: Endgame," "Spider-Man: No Way Home," and the entire series of "WandaVision." In that way, "Doctor Strange 2" doesn't have its own soul, but rather a conglomerate of other projects that have pushed the overarching story forward. It's almost like a small snowball that Kevin Feige started at the top of the mountain ("Iron Man") that has accelerated and grown exponentially, careening down the moutainside at breakneck speed with no signs of stopping. I'm fully convinced I'll be 80 and ready to enter the theater to see "Avengers 10" where the Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Inhumans battle Galactus or something like that - and I'd still be cheering like a young buck.
Another issue the MCU faces is the fact that people are starting to get a preconceived notion of what to expect. "Spider-Man: No Way Home" expounded on that by re-introducing fan favorites Alfred Molina, Willem Dafoe, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire, and the Internet was abuzz about possible leaks months before the release. Now if there's a MCU film, people expect cameos up the wazoo, and if they don't get that one "stand up and cheer" moment, they're deflated in their excitement. "Doctor Strange 2" does indeed include a few "stand up and cheer" cameo moments, but even those were spoiled to most due to the chronic leaks and buzz on the Internet. This never happened in the 80s when "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" provided moviegoers with one of the biggest twists in cinematic history, and in a way I wish it was like that still. Even when these cameos happened, I already had a sense they were going to happen, so while I was still excited, it was dampened by my expectations that they happen. Thanks to the Internet and the leaks, "Doctor Strange 2" suffered from expectations versus reality, as possible leaks pointed to numerous cameos that never happened (and, in all honesty, didn't need to happen) which led to some moviegoers feeling disappointed with the result. Instead of wishing for a ten-second appearance of a certain adamantium-clad mutant or a variant of a certain billionaire playboy philanthropist, we should appreciate the ride as a whole - but it's easier said than done.
"Doctor Strange 2" offers a lot more than just a multiversal tour set against a horror motif, but also poses some intriguing questions and deeply philosophical quandaries. In a world of infinite universes and infinite yous, there has to be a world where everything is going right for you - would you want to go to that world, even if it meant destroying that you in the process? In a sense, the idea of regret and the cost of our decisions is diminished when we realize we can just skip to another universe. We see this struggle in our three main characters, and each one handles it in completely different ways.
Benedict Cumberbatch's Dr. Stephen Strange should - in all intents and purposes - be happy (a theme that's paralleled multiple times in the film), but his idea of happiness is being with the woman he loves, and knowing that he screwed it up permanently. Could he find a universe where he and Christine can be together, or are they doomed in every universe he finds? Elizabeth Olsen steals the show as Wanda Maximoff/The Scarlet Witch, as she continues to struggle with her own past trauma over what she did to the townsfolk of Westview, as well as the fate of her own sons. If there's a universe out there where her kids are alive and well, would she sacrifice anything to get to them? Xochitl Gomez's America Chavez herself struggles with her inter-dimensional powers and her inability to control it, resulting in the possible loss of her own family, and she lives with the grief that she feels - but is there actually a universe where she's also happy?
This quandary is met with the impeccable CGI effects that the MCU can provide, along with some shocking twists and turns that have yet to be seen within the context of the MCU, as well as changing the storyline of some of our favorite characters forever. Raimi proves more than capable to take the MCU in this strange new direction, filled with heart-stopping moments, jaw-dropping events, cheers, tears, and a sheer world of utter...madness.
The Score: A+
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