If there is one thing that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a bit shaky on, it’s giving many of its movies a distinct look and feel. Many Marvel movies, though not all, have a similar look and feel, and it really takes a director like James Gunn, Taika Waititi, Chloe Zhao, or Ryan Coogler to put a distinct look to their respective films with varying levels of success. So, really, the idea that Sam Raimi was taking over for the second Dr. Strange movie should at the very least give audiences a movie that will also have a distinct look and feel that would be unique to the MCU.
Whether it would be a crowd-pleaser like the Guardians of the Galaxy films or the artsy oddity that was Eternals was something that I figure only seeing the movie for myself could settle.
The movie opens with a ponytailed Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) fleeing from a fiery, demonic thing with a young girl named America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez). However, it doesn’t quite work out, but this Strange apparently is the not the one that has appeared in other movies. That Strange was dreaming of the opening scene, and he has a wedding to go for former flame Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams). However, during the reception, a commotion occurs in the street: some kind of monster is trying to catch the girl from Strange’s dream. With an assist from Sorcerer Supreme Wong (Benedict Wong), he manages to save the girl and decides she needs help. To that end, he reaches out to the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) for help, but Wanda Maximoff is still grieving her loss from WandaVision.
I’m not sure if I should say who the villain is this time around. Most MCU movies are pretty good about showing who the bad guy is to one degree or another, but the advertising for this one was pretty good about hiding the bad guy. Suffice to say it has a lot to do with a question that people keep asking Strange and the people of his world: are you happy? America Chavez can jump from one reality to another. Surely if you aren’t happy in one world, you can find happiness in another. Too bad she can’t really control when and how her powers activate.
I should probably point out here and now that I am a Sam Raimi fan. And yes, this movie is very much a Sam Raimi film, but I’m not sure how well it will go over for anyone who isn’t, say, an Evil Dead fan. Raimi’s movies often show a lot of truly inventive camerawork, and Multiverse of Madness is no exception. The way characters appear and disappear throughout the film is truly inventive, there are some rather effective jump scares, and while the movie isn’t devoid of humor, it’s a much darker humor than most MCU films. And this one is pretty violent for a PG-13 superhero flick. There are a lot of deaths in this one, and many folks don’t go down pretty or easy. As for the actors, Olsen is a treat even when she’s chewing the scenery and gives easily the best performance in the movie. Cumberbatch has a wry sensibility, a swagger that may or may not be earned. Strange, perhaps like Tony Stark, likes to be in control and doesn’t react well when he isn’t. Gomez is charming even if the role is perhaps not as well written as the others, and the rest of the cast does fine.
Where the movie starts to fall apart is in the overly busy final act. Yes, a superhero movie will typically have a busy final confrontation between good and evil, but this one, flipping back and forth between universes and tossing everything but the kitchen sink into the blender and seeing what comes out got to be a bit much. Yes, a movie about a magical superhero should probably be over-the-top and crazy, and to be sure, Raimi delivers that from the opening scene, but there may be too much happening in the finale. Likewise, I don’t know how well this will play with anyone who isn’t a Raimi fan given the style and tone on display. I liked it for the most part, at least for the first 2/3 of the movie, but I would never say I loved it, and the ending was a bit much.
Grade: C+
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