Hello Fellow Journeyers,
It seems like the months between Spider-Man: No Way Home sped by and it's time to review the "not" direct sequel: Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. This one got me excited in equal measure to No Way Home and while they were less connected than I assumed, the concepts were very similarly used.
What's the story about: Dr. Strange 2 follows more closely after WandaVision's miniseries in that much of Wanda's actions are motivated from this background. And the multiverse is alive and kicking thanks to a girl Dr. Strange meets. Going into any more depth would be spoiler territory but suffice it to say, Dr. Strange must protect a young girl from a villain who wants her powers and must survive the multiverse to do it.
This movie was a trip, for better and for far, far worse. Where to begin eludes me but we'll start with the directing. As this movie was directed by Sam Raimi, apparently that comes with consequences, and yes, they were consequences. I was aware they decided to enact some horror elements in this movie but it simply went way to far. This may have been the most violent and bloody Marvel movie I've seen and it just seemed out of nowhere for why it was. Just because a director has a penchant for something, doesn't mean they should've come in and ruined a franchise to fit their particular mold. And for me, this definitely ruined Dr. Strange's movie entirely.
Which points to the reason for all the violence, the villain. Wow. This one was a doozy. Despite giving Marvel credit for trying something a little different, the results were absolutely atrocious. The villain's motivations made little to no sense considering their background and led me to believe they squandered this poor character entirely. Even when this chapter comes to a close in a slightly redemptive sort of way, all the mayhem, blood, and violence that came before does not justify why they decided to go this route. Marvel movies don't all need to look the same to be good, but some things such as kid-friendlyness I think should stay consistent. This movie was clearly for adults.
Finally, before stating the entire thing was a dumpster fire, there was one aspect that was genuinely fun and awesome found near the middle of the movie, but it relied on cameos (Marvel's equivalent to shock value) to get this reaction out of the viewers. What came to pass was fun and fit with the overall multiverse idea that this movie promised. It was pretty awesome and for someone who stays clear of spoilers as best he can, it was very interesting to see one multiverse universe used in the way it was.
Final Verdict: ★ 1 Star - Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness gives away the main idea of the movie in the name: madness. While it attempts many new and innovative ideas, it lands nearly none of them. The directing choices were completely over the top without having a clear point for why things were happening the way they were. The story was choppy and directionless. And the action was overly violent and bloody, reminiscent of horror movies. It seems like Marvel has gone the desperation route of trying to add directorial flair to their movies to reach audiences in recent films such as Thor: Ragnarok and Guardians of the Galaxy, but not all of their characters and stories fit this outlandish method. Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is one such movie that gets completely upended and ruined in the process. I wish I could've seen this movie done by a different production team because it may have worked, but unfortunately it does not here.
Let me hear from you! If you like what you read, want to hear more thoughts on this movie, other reviews, or talk movie recommendations and Essential Reading, leave a comment below.