Doctor Strange Enters the Multiverse of Horror But Is Light On the Madness

Before you can brace yourself for the film you’re about to see, it starts. Right out of the gate, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness takes off with no warning and no need to deliver a lengthy backstory. We’ve been on this ride for a while, we know where we’re headed and we’re thrown right in.

We’re quickly introduced to America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), a teen being hunted by dark forces who want to drain her power — the ability to travel through the multiverse. In her fear, she and her attacker fall through a portal during Christine’s (Rachel McAdams) wedding reception where she is saved by Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Wong (Benedict Wong), the Sorcerer Supreme. After saving America, they learn that there’s not just one universe, but many. And within those universes, there are different versions of themselves. Like many teens, America hasn’t exactly mastered her ability. Looking for some additional help, Strange pays a visit to Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen). When the truth behind those chasing America is brought to light, the race to save her and preserve the universes as they are begins.

A Sam Raimi film featuring Marvel, Doctor Strange heads back towards his horror-themed comic roots. The Drag Me To Hell director delivers a macabre that sets itself apart from any other film currently in the MCU. Raimi’s distinct style gives audiences a more violent and scary film that’s sensory overloaded with some amazing action sequences. Oh, and one scene, in particular, that’ll make you swoon thanks to composer Danny Elfman. Grief and fear were rampant themes throughout the film and manifested differently in each character-shaping their motivations in every universe. Raimi couldn’t have been a better choice to mirror these sentiments.

Written by Loki’s Michael Waldron, the story arc did fall a bit shallow. For a film to allude to a multiverse of madness, there wasn’t much madness at all. There was barely chaos. The most maddening part is that I wanted more. It seemed more of a prelude to madness than an actual mental trip. In Spiderman No Way Home we saw chaos as a result of Doctor Strange’s spell going awry, so it made sense that fans would expect an elevation in derangement. As Doctor Strange is the protector of reality, it felt like a missed opportunity to not go further into the mind which makes this film feel like a vehicle for a more manic film in the future.

We did, however, finally peel back another layer of Doctor Strange’s character though much of the delight goes to the expansion of Wong’s character who was much less of a sidekick in this film. One of the shorter films in the MCU, it was very mission-focused. There wasn’t a lot of filler which was refreshing. More time could have been spent on further developing the relationship between Strange and America as their on-screen chemistry is so engaging, reminiscent of a Tony Stark and Peter Parker kinship.

Bottom line, the movie is good. It’s funny, it’s sad, it’s thrilling — it’s Marvel. Casual and hardcore fans will enjoy it and be even more excited to stay on this MCU train a bit longer to figure out what’s coming next.

Also, this universe really needs pizza balls.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness opens Friday, May 6.