Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Marvel Studio’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is showing in theaters at the time of writing.
SCREENPLAY: C-
Doctor Strange casts a forbidden spell that opens up the Multiverse. And things do not go well. Will Strange, Wong, Wanda, and a few newbies be able to bring it back under control?
This movie is “a lot” in a lot of ways. The Multiverse has many rules. A bevy of bizarre magical items wreak havoc upon every universe and all the fine people in them. All of this makes it difficult to follow the plot. Is that a dealbreaker? No. Director Sam Raimi gets Raimi-style weird in the last third of the movie. This injects the story with a much needed boost of fun. It would have been cool to see more of it.
ACTING: B-
Cumberbatch gives us the stoic and detached Doctor Strange we’ve grown to know and accept. Olsen is fantastic as Wanda Maximoff. The danger she delivers is clinical and legitimate. You know when a teacher or parent is so upset that they whisper your name instead of yell it? She’s terrifying in that way. Benedict Wong provides the steady ground for his fellow players to work on. He’s a legend. Xochitl Gomez is wonderful as the new character, America. I don’t see any upcoming Marvel projects on her IMDb page. I hope that changes.
CRAFT: B
In a stunning move, Marvel decides to use lots of green screen and CGI. They do a good job with it.
One thing that stands out is the relationship between the camera and Wanda. Her character navigates a slew of emotions and bounces between several levels of power status. Very often, the camera is either gazing up or peering down at her. The angle often guides us - like a seeing eye dog with its master - in our understanding of where she’s at. It’s very effective.
THE HORROR! (Elective Class): C
Superhero buffs know Sam Raimi as the director of 2002’s Spider-Man. Horror hounds love him for his Army of Darkness and Evil Dead films, which are stuffed with campy, ridiculous, and ever-enchanting elements of horror. That side of Raimi finally kicks in after an hour or so. The horror here is weird; it’s neither scary nor overly gross. And it’s definitely not Marvel.
This film is built in the opposite way that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is. Shang-Chi creates a totally new Marvel experience until the required CGI battle at the end. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness begins in typical Marvel fashion before pivoting into … strange, for lack of a better, unpunny word … territory at the end. I would have loved to see both films go for broke and fully commit to their new directions. I want weird Raimi-Marvel for a whole movie. This grade would have been much higher if we had had more of the horror.
FINAL COMMENTS:
We are now five movies into Phase Four, and I have no idea what’s going on. It just doesn’t feel like a phase. It feels like five completely unconnected movies. Which is fine. But since it’s Marvel, I suspect something grand is in the works. And I’m waiting for it. It feels like we’re not moving, like we’re treading very Strange waters. I’m getting antsy.
I saw this film early Friday morning of opening weekend. Walking into the theater was like being at a music festival, but with less music and more Marvel pajamas. The crowd was upbeat and giddy. They were HAPPY (a question this movie asks its characters many times). But this jubilant group of Marvel-heads went silent for the entire film. No yells during the fights. No “ooooh’s” at the villain’s many turns. No thundering cheers for the cameos. Just. Silent.
I don’t know if people walked out of the theater antsy like me, but I didn’t take the crowd’s loud silence as a good sign. Are we happy?