Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Review: A Scary Good Time

SPOILERS AHEAD: PLOT DETAILS WILL BE DISCUSSED.

Ambitious. Gory. Wild.

Those are the three words that come to mind after experience Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. This follow up to 2016’s Doctor Strange may be Marvel’s most unique film to date, and all of that is owed to director Sam Raimi, who is making his return to the genre of movies he once defined.

Raimi’s style is in full force during this film, which sees Benedict Cumberbatch returning as Doctor Strange to save a fleeing America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) from the grasp of Wanda Maximoff, aka the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). The Scarlet Witch wants to steal America’s powers - the ability to hop across the multiverse - to find her children. The Disney+ series ‘WandaVision’ is absolutely required viewing before seeing this film.

Marvel Studios held their cards close to their chest in terms of plot details leading up to release, and this film is all the better for it. Wanda is revealed early on as the primary antagonist (after a fun tussle between Doctor Strange and Shuma Gor… er, Gargantos), and becomes the MCU’s creepiest, deadliest villain to date. Raimi’s style and horror expertise is in full force, with twisted limbs, gory deaths, dutch angles, quick zooms, and jump scares galore - not to detract of course from Olsen’s superb performance as the Scarlet Witch - someone who elicits sympathy, not for their cause, but for the fact that they’ve lost so much of themselves in their own grief.

Doctor Strange, America Chavez, and a multiverse variant of Christine Palmer

Gomez’s America Chavez is a fun and welcome new face to Marvel’s cinematic universe. Her powers are incredibly fun to watch, and Chavez gives a much needed voice to the younger side of Marvel heroes. Gomez absolutely hold her own alongside her veteran cast members, and I can’t wait to see her interact with other heroes in the future.

Wong (Benedict Wong) returns as the new Sorcerer Supreme, and is unfortunately set on the backboned for a good portion of the film. Not that he has nothing to do, but for the most part he takes a beating and delivers some fun one-liners while the multiversal adventures ensue. Additionally, the MCU’s trademark humor and quips are back this time around, with some jokes landing and some not quite hitting the mark. While it’s a signature at this point, it felt a bit out of place in such a unique, horrific take on the Marvel formula.

Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/The Scarlet Witch

It wouldn’t be a movie about the multiverse without some fun alternate realities - the pivotal one in the film being a New York that is home to the Illuminati, a peace-keeping team of heroes concerned with keeping the universe from an incursion (but not so much the Scarlet Witch). The team is comprised of Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell), Baron Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Black Bolt (Anson Mount), Captain Marvel (Lashana Lynch), Reed Richards (John Krasinski), and Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart).

This team is an absolute treat to see on screen, with John Krazinski standing out in what can only be seen as his on-screen audition to play Mr. Fantastic in the future. Anson Mount gets a chance to redeem himself after the poorly-received Inhumans TV series, and doesn’t disappoint. Patrick Stewart returns as Professor Xavier, this time from the 1990’s cartoon series’ universe. Hayley Atwell getting to be Captain Carter from Disney+’s What If… is a fun choice. Much like Stewart’s Professor X, it’s almost novel to see an animated character cross into the live action realm. Lashana Lynch’s Captain Marvel is a nod to the character’s comic origins, albeit an underwhelming one.

Not to be forgotten, Rachel McAdams also returns as Christine Palmer, pulling double duty as the version we all know, as well as an Illuminati scientist. McAdams feels a bit wasted in this role, mostly serving as an emotional catalyst for Strange to resolve his own romantic feeling towards a recently wed (main universe) Christine.

America Chavez is a welcome addition to the MCU

The Illuminati don’t overstay their welcome, however, clocking in at roughly 10 minutes of screen time before meeting their grisly demise in what can only be described as the most brutal and gory fight Marvel has put to screen yet. Luckily, with such a huge open door to the multiverse, there’s plenty of possibility for these characters to return. I must also applaud Marvel for reigning themselves in when it comes to cameos. The premise of this film lends itself to dozens more cameos just like the Illuminati (especially after Endgame and No Way Home), but would ultimately distract from the flow of the main story. Electing to have some fun, but quick cameos before moving on was a good choice in terms of pacing.

It can’t be stated enough what a breath of fresh air this film is to the overall MCU - letting Sam Raimi be himself while directing this movie gives it more character to stand out from the admittedly cookie cutter (but still fun) formula of recent Marvel films. Notable instances are Wanda breaking the fourth wall (absolutely chilling) and Strange possessing a dead body and using the souls of the damned as giant wings. It can’t be overstated how much of Raimi is in this film’s DNA, right down to his take on New York City being immediately recognizable as his own.

Overall, Doctor Strange takes a bit to warm up (and not all of its jokes quite land) - but once it starts, it absolutely does not stop. It’s notably more brutal and scary than previous Marvel films, but it’s absolutely what gives the movie its voice. The tail end of the film opens up even more fun possibilities, and I can’t wait to see what these characters do next - hopefully Raimi’s take will start a new trend of experimentation from Marvel and their cinematic outings.