A One Mann’s Movies review of “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (2022).
Like London buses, you wait for months for a film about the multiverse and then two turn up at once! By a strange fate of scheduling I went to see “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” during the day and then “Everything, Everywhere at Once” in the evening! Consider my mind well and truly ‘swiss-cheesed’ (as Al in “Quantum Leap” used to say).
Bob the Movie Man Rating(s):
Plot Summary:
Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is in trouble after casting a forbidden spell to help Spider-Man (in “Spider-Man: No Way Home“). He has connected our universe to numerous other multiverses and nothing is quite right any more. He has nightmares about fighting a fearsome beast with a young girl, America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), and dying in the process. When the girl from his dreams turns up in NYC claiming to travel between other universes, Strange seeks advice and guidance from Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), living a quiet life off grid in the countryside.
Certification:
Talent:
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Xochitl Gomez, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong.
Directed by: Sam Raimi.
Written by: Michael Waldron.
Twitter Handles: #DoctorStrange.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Review:
Positives:
- This was one of the most enjoyable Marvel outings I’ve seen in a while, thanks to a crisp script (interestingly, penned by a single guy this time rather than a committee). The rationale for the protagonist to do what they did was believable and stood up to scrutiny. And there were some comedic lines that hit the spot nicely.
- The movie also includes a wide-range of surprising characters (No spoilers here)., such that I spent a lot of the movie with a big grin on my face.
- I loved “Wandavision“. It delivered such a depth of both action and emotion. And Elizabeth Olsen is SUCH a class act. Some of her lines are delivered with enormous panache: “You break the rules and become the hero” she purrs. “I do it and I become the enemy. That doesn’t seem fair”.
- The special effects and editing are top-notch, with a fall through multiple universes being particularly impressively done (although I have to say, not as impressive as a similar scene in “Everything, Everywhere All At Once”).
Negatives:
- It’s all based on cod-science of course and (although I thought the script was pretty good) the story did seem to be making itself up as it went along in the latter stages (e.g. with the “spirit guardians”). The concepts of the “bad book” and the “good book” of spells was a tad simplistic.
- As a “multiverse movie”, I have to compare it with “Everything, Everywhere All At Once” and Doctor Strange feels a little light in comparison. Although hundreds of universes are referenced, we only spend time in a few of them. There are more featured in EEAAO, and in a more creative way.
Monkeys?
As is common with Marvel movies, there are two “monkeys” in the end titles: one mid-titles which adds yet another star-studded cameo to the universe; and another one at the end. This last one I thought was pretty funny, and has the more apt closing line of any of the Marvel films!
Summary Thoughts on “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”:
As originally someone who was decidedly Marvel-skeptic in the early days, look at me now giving the latest film 4-stars! But Marvel, if nothing else, must be ENTERTAINING. And, for me, this one was just that.
Trailer for “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWzlQ2N6qqg .
I really liked this one too. I’ve been a fan of Sam Raimi’s non-horror films for years. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen Wandavision, but have read a lot about it so managed to understand most of what went on before with her.
This seemed to be a lot more fun than some of the Marvel films and didn’t take itself too seriously (IMHO).
I haven’t seen Everything, Everywhere, All at Once as we are quite behind, but for some reason, we got Dr. Strange 2 slightly before most of the world!
Thanks for commenting. You should catch up on Wandavision if you can… it was something else! I only caught EEAAO as a special preview…. Don’t think it comes out in the UK until at least next week.