Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) - SPOILER-FREE Review
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Directed by: Sam Raimi
Written by: Michael Waldron
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg, Rachel McAdams
Runtime: 126 min
Synopsis: The MCU unlocks the Multiverse and pushes its boundaries further than ever before. Journey into the unknown with Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who, with the help of mystical allies both old and new, traverses the mind-bending and dangerous alternate realities of the Multiverse to confront a mysterious new adversary.
One of the biggest questions surrounding Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was related to how Kevin Feige and co. would approach what happened in WandaVision. After all, Avengers: Endgame's Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) couldn't be more different from the one presented in the first MCU film of 2022. From all the unbelievable, morally questionable acts of the then hero to the drastic power improvements, it's actually the lack of emotional connection with the character's motivations that could harm the viewing of audience members who ignored the series.
The truth is that Multiverse of Madness 100% presumes that the vast majority of its audience has, in fact, been following all the TV content from the cinematic universe. The exponential growth of the MCU also increases the danger of alienating viewers who fail to watch everything that comes out in all available services, in addition to being essential to know other sagas from decades past to get the most out of all the most recent works. Ten years ago, rewatching the MCU before the next big meeting of every introduced superhero was something easily doable and not too complicated. Now, it has become a genuinely challenging, complex task.
This preface basically serves to make the following statement clear as water: if you want to feel involved in the story of Multiverse of Madness, especially in the emotional arc of the movie, you must watch WandaVision. There's no other way around it. Reading a detailed summary of the series obviously helps understand Wanda's main narrative and motivations, but the bond with the character will never be the same. That said, the spoiler-free opinion that follows comes from someone who has, in fact, been following all of the MCU content and who expected this installment to rise to the top of personal favorites within the genre. However, despite leaving the theater satisfied, there's also some disappointment.
Let's start with the positives. Sam Raimi's return to the director's chair is the most refreshing element of Multiverse of Madness. The filmmaker responsible for the original Spider-Man trilogy, who has been inactive since 2013, impresses with his ability to escape the MCU formula, delivering a visually distinct film compared to the rest of the franchise. During the first announcement of this flick, Feige sold it as the "first horror movie of the MCU", which left me incredibly skeptical. I never believed that any director could overcome the "standards" of the most popular studio in the industry, but Raimi makes me admit that I was wrong.
The amount of blood featured in Multiverse of Madness is genuinely shocking, as well as the wildly violent, macabre deaths that will leave younger viewers wondering if they've entered the right screening room. Raimi's classic influences in the way the camera moves through space and towards the characters create a truly terrifying atmosphere, where foot chases become a survival mission, and effective jumpscares keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Personally, these horror elements are some of the strongest aspects of the film, but some moments may contain too much gore for some fans.
The action sequences hold mind-bending visual effects, just like the first Doctor Strange. Once again, Raimi's hand creates visually captivating scenes, with that director's unique style filling the screen. Multiverse of Madness literally takes viewers on a journey across the multiverse, forcing brains to work overtime to keep up with the visual complexity of the various universes. I take this opportunity to leave an opinion that may prove unpopular: unfortunately, Danny Elfman's score is one of the most disappointing aspects. In addition to practically leaving aside the original theme of the protagonist, it's difficult to remember a sequence elevated by the background music.
Since I mentioned the protagonist, behold, Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) becomes one of my favorite characters in the MCU yet again. In Spider-Man: No Way Home, the former Sorcerer Supreme proves to be wildly incompetent, irresponsible, and incapable of dealing with whatever comes his way. A caricature of someone who supposedly is one of the most powerful heroes in the MCU. In Multiverse of Madness, Strange again demonstrates his intelligence, spirit of sacrifice, and genuine kindness, undeniably distinguishing himself from other versions of himself scattered across the multiverse.
The moral and emotional dilemmas present in this movie put Strange in tough positions that force him to make crucial decisions for the stability of the multiverse and the survival of all beings and their respective versions. However, all the sentiment of Multiverse of Madness is found in Wanda's arc. The overwhelming traumas of losing her brother, husband (several times), and, more recently, her own children lead Wanda down evil paths, eventually "transforming" into the great villain, Scarlet Witch. This is where the WandaVision series helps develop this character deeply, adding her to the debate of the best villains in the entire MCU.
Wanda's motivations are surrounded by devastating grief and an immense desire to be reunited with her family. The multiple obstacles that arise to stop her quest are annihilated with such brutality and lack of mercy that any viewer will be stunned by the witch's extraordinary power. The entire cast delivers excellent performances, but Cumberbatch and especially Olsen are on another level. The actor demonstrates his versatile talent by playing several different versions of his character, while the latter proves she's one of the best actresses in the business - an Oscar in the next ten years wouldn't be surprising.
Changing the tone of the review now, the problems with Michael Waldron's screenplay begin precisely with the balance between the various storylines. The arc associated with the hero-villain - depending on how you interpret Wanda's arc - is quite well built and explored, ending up in a remarkably satisfying, complete manner. Even so, the full potential of the character and her emotional complexity isn't achieved due to Strange's constant stops across the different universes while trying to deal with the uncontrolled power of America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) - a new character with the ability to travel the multiverse, but only when she's afraid.
The balance between the arcs of Strange, Wanda, and Chavez, without forgetting the inclusion of the multiverse in the middle of these characters, is far from the best. Chavez suffers a lot from this, basically being a giant MacGuffin to reach a smaller MacGuffin through a fairly predictable plotline. Waldron's script demonstrates some inexperience in dealing with several complex narratives in two hours, unlike the astonishing success of his Loki series. Television and cinema couldn't be more different monsters, and succeeding in one doesn't imply success in the other, as these two separate projects confirm.
The premise of Multiverse of Madness automatically sets a herculean task for any screenwriter, but Feige's decision to leave everything in the hands of a single writer with no feature film experience is, to say the least, risky. Given the central emotional theme of the movie, it's honestly surprising that a woman wasn't given a chance to help with the screenplay. That being said, such a fascinating character with Wanda's importance in the cinematic universe deserved more than her last scene in this film being a CGI wide shot, far from Olsen's outstanding expressiveness, when she carried the entire thing on her shoulders.
The much-anticipated cameos are nothing more than that: introductions to new characters and/or variations of familiar ones, being the latter group probably just an one-and-only sight. On one hand, I applaud the fact that they weren't swayed by the success of No Way Home and filled Multiverse of Madness with endless cameos and fan-service. On the other hand, there's literally only one sequence where the movie delivers everything at once, which is partially disappointing and dangerous for the future. I appreciate the intention to show Wanda's impressive power without restrictions, but Raimi loses control of this particular situation, not because he values Wanda too much, but due to the way he reduces other heroes.
The CGI during the action sequences is impeccable, as mentioned above, but the lack of footage in real locations is starting to become worrying. As much as technology and visual effects evolve, it will always be too noticeable that all actors are inside a studio, surrounded by blue/green walls. Sometimes, they're not even in the same studio, having to look for reference points, something that stands out a lot during a particular scene with such cameos. The necessity of protecting secrets and surprises is more than understandable, and I firmly support it, but there must be a balance between this and the filmmaking art.
Finally, some questionable narrative decisions take the focus away from more exciting storylines, and even the third act is quite different from what the MCU usually ends with. It's truly amazing to bring something new to the genre, but the negative messages that the conclusion of the film transmits are extremely depressing and could have a bad influence on some viewers. Nevertheless, there's much to appreciate in Multiverse of Madness, and I've no doubt that it will be well received by most audiences around the world.
Final Thoughts
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is undoubtedly one of the most unique installments in the MCU, thanks to Sam Raimi's distinctive visual style and his impressive ability to elude the Marvel formula by seriously venturing into the horror elements. Never has a film from the cinematic universe been so violent, bloody, and terrifying. Benedict Cumberbatch and especially Elizabeth Olsen carry the complex story about the multiverse through Michael Waldron's flawed screenplay. The balance between the various storylines could be better, America Chavez is just one MacGuffin to reach another MacGuffin, and the journey through the multiple universes only compensates for the mind-blowing visual effects. Some personal disappointment is associated with the cameos treatment and the lack of real-location filming. Overall, more was expected from what was supposed to be Phase Four's "big movie", but it's a solid entry into the top half of the franchise.
