I enjoyed the first Doctor Strange film even though it followed the same format of superhero origin stories. The exploration of the magic side was just an interesting aspect of the universe and I just love how they portrayed it visually. So I was gutted when the director of the original, Scott Derrickson, left the project. However, it was then revealed that legendary director Sam Raimi, director of the Evil Dead and Spider-Man trilogy, would direct it and I was super excited again. So does it deliver a multiverse of fun or is it a multiverse of dullness?
Firstly,
this is definitely a Sam Raimi movie. All the usual flairs that you
would expect from him are completely in here and I love it. The
stylistic way he shoots a scene, the way he portrays New York feels like
what he did in Spider-Man, the slight goofiness, the horror elements
and jump scares are all here. There are some great visuals during the
magic sequence and multiverse stuff. There are also some horrific scenes
that genuinely surprised me as it felt too gruesome for a PG 13 movie.
It’s a Sam Raimi film through and through and his direction elevates
this movie to new heights.
There are also some great action set pieces that were very creative and a blast to watch. The music is composed by Danny Elfman and he does a great job. There is a fun action sequence with the use of music and Danny does a great job with the music score to illustrate that battle. The actors are also all doing a great job. Benedict Cumberbatch is still the perfect Doctor Strange and delivers on every scene. I also love how he portrays the other Doctor Strange variants from other universes. Benedict Wong is great and his chemistry with the other Benedict is still fun to watch. Rachel McAdams returns as Christine but unlike the first film she has more to do this time and I appreciate that since she is wonderful in the role. Xochitl Gomez is good as America Chavez and I like her interaction with Doctor Strange. The other supporting cast does a good job as well even with their small screen time. The biggest standout is Elisabeth Olsen as Wanda. She does a phenomenal job in her performance. I just love how she did in every scene from the emotional to the scary. She is the core of this film.
However, that is also part of the reason I didn’t enjoy the story as much. For a movie titled Doctor Strange, he isn’t even the complete focus of the plot as he shares equal screen time with Wanda as well as having to share it with America Chavez as well. All 3 of them have story arcs but none are done to a satisfying degree. Strange still loves Christine, Wanda still loves her children, and Chavez doesn’t trust Strange and this is their character for almost the whole of the movie. They all lack proper characterization and depth which makes them all feel one dimensional. Chavez ends up feeling like a MacGuffin for the plot and a person to spout exposition, rather than an interesting foil to Strange or Wanda. There is also a pacing drop around the second act where it is just a lot of walking and talking which went on for a bit too long. Ended up making the movie feel longer than it is. The ending is also great and very Sam Raimi but the mid-credit scene just undoes any impact of the ending and that is such a shame.
Overall, I am thrilled by the return of Sam Raimi to the superhero genre. While the screenplay lets the movie down a bit, Sam Raimi was still able to make this movie feel unique. It’s clear that the MCU didn’t restrain Sam’s wackiness and I am glad about that. Thanks to his amazing direction and the terrific performance from the cast, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ends up being extremely fun to watch.
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