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Review: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

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SPOILERS!

I have read a lot of comics. A large number of them deal with the more abstract and mind-bending elements that can be utilized and explored so well. And yet, my brain still can’t comprehend that there is a character whose legal name is…America. That has produced some funny lines of dialogue in the movie. And yet no one in the film acknowledges that her name is weird. That kinda works and leans into the unintentionally funny aspect of using her name. I just wanted to get that out of the way before diving into the review proper.

Doctor Strange finds himself protecting a young girl named America Chavez. She has the ability to travel throughout the multiverse and is being hunted by someone who wants her power. That person…is Wanda Maximoff AKA The Scarlet Witch. She desires her power to travel to a universe where she can be with her children and she utilizes the Darkhold for the dark magic that will help her achieve her plan. Strange & America try and find a way to defeat her as they travel through other universes.

One thing that has been talked about is how this movie is supposed to have consequences for Strange’s actions in “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and even his first movie. That isn’t exactly true. Those events aren’t explicitly mentioned in this movie. But this movie is supposed to have Strange realize that his stubbornness and need to be in control has put other people in danger and drives others from him. There is even a brief scene in the beginning where someone asks Strange if his plan to defeat Thanos was the best one, that there was no other way. While the people snapped did came back, this guy mentions how his brother had passed during those 5 years in between. It’s a moment of clarity that there are still people who will never be reunited due to how Strange’s plan unfolded. This is something that Stephen realizes and confronts by the time the movie ends. And that makes Strange one of the highlights of the movie.

One of the other major highlights is Wanda. I loved her as the antagonist in this movie. She has some great, intimidating scenes, really shows off what she is capable of. There may be a few people who aren’t quite on board with this development based on the finale of WandaVision. And I can understand where they are coming from. Personally though, I thought it made sense. Especially since she was pushed in that direction by the corrupting influence of the Darkhold. The other character that has a major role in this movie is America Chavez. She is…pretty much what you think she ends up being. The movie doesn’t really give her much room to establish a unique personality or stand out beyond being the person being hunted. That’s not to say I didn’t like her. She was fine and I see the potential for her in future movies. I just hope those future movies have her evolve and develop into a more interesting character.

There are a couple of things about this movie that keep me from really falling in love with the movie. While the multiverse is in it, we don’t spend a lot of time in other universes. We see glimpses of a bunch, sure. But only spend significant time in a couple of them. The trailers also showed that Mordo – Strange’s former mentor turned enemy – is back in the movie. But it is one from an alternate universe. However he is still pretty similar to the main Mordo. Which just makes it a little more frustrating that we haven’t followed up on that character since the first Doctor Strange movie. Finally, the first half of the movie does have some of the MCU traits that people are criticizing a bit more in recent years. All though there isn’t a lot of it and they are passed by fairly quickly.

With all of that out of the way…I gotta say, I still found a lot to really enjoy. Like previously mentioned, Strange and Wanda are two big highlights and I love their roles and arcs through the movie. But this movie is truly at its best when Sam Raimi is allowed to be himself as a director. There are multiple camera shots and angles that are unique to his visual style. Scene transitions similar to some of the transitions used in his Spider-Man movies. And of course – the horror elements in this movie will please Evil Dead fans such as myself. This creates some great visuals in the movie. Hell, there are entities called Spirits of the Damned and I’m totally convinced those are just the MCU’s version of Deadites!

I can’t say that I loved this movie. But I did find myself really enjoying this movie. Definitely something that I would revisit multiple times in the future. While it was shorter than I expected, it is kind of refreshing to have a lighter multiverse centered story as opposed to some others that go for the more epic feel and weight. I also appreciate how after something horrific happens, they usually don’t follow it up with a joke. They will let the weight of what just happened just be felt. Overall, it was worth the wait.

Movie Reviews, Movies

Review – Doctor Strange

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is both impressive and frustrating. When you look back on what it’s accomplished – in terms of story-telling, making unknown characters/actors household names, and box office – there’s no denying it’s a huge achievement and should be praised. But when you have a franchise that lists this long with so many films )and now TV shows), a formula is created. One to help ensure their future installments become successful. And while the MCU should stray further from the formula and expand, it can still be executed well and enhanced by direction and acting. “Doctor Strange”, one of their installments from 2016, is a great example of that.

Dr. Stephen Strange is a neurosurgeon who loses the use of his hands to perform surgery in an accident. He ends up coming across Kamar-Taj in Nepal and meets the Sorcerer Supreme known as The Ancient One. There he learns the mystic arts and becomes involved in a conflict where one of the Ancient One’s former students attacks their Sanctums so that a being known as Dormammu can conquer Earth. Dr. Strange manages to defeat the being from the Dark Dimension, but with the iplication that the way he did it will have repercussions down the road.

This movie shares several traits that can be seen in other MCU origin stories. Several people have pointed out how Strange’s personality is similar to Tony Stark. There is truth in that. But I would argue that it takes Strange longer to move away from his more narcissistic thinking in the movie and that in future appearances he still struggles with his more arrogant nature. But he is still very like-able in this film, thanks to the casting of Benedict Cumberbatch. He also has an ally/kind of love interest, Dr. Christine Palmer. But they don’t go all the way with their romance. The closest we get is that they were once lovers before the events in the film and she gives him a kiss on the cheek before the climax. They could have changed that to just a hug, but I appreciate that the movie doesn’t have them end up together like most other MCU movies.

And that actually connects to one thing that makes this movie a little more unique. There is a supporting character named Mordo, one of Strange’s teachers in the film and allies. But by the end, he becomes disillusioned by the world of Sorcery. He is a strong believer in maintaining the natural order. But when he learns that the Ancient One uses power from the Dark Dimension to extend her life and watching Strange tamper with Time to save the planet, he ends up leaving Strange and the other sorcerers. Him leaving with the implication that he and Strange will go up against each other down the road is a little dark but in a good way. It does show some of the complexities or different philosophies when it comes to how people like Mordo or Strange should use their power. Most of the MCU films have the villains more clear-cut evil and easy to hate. It’s only in more recent films that we are getting more complex antagonists. And while Mordo wasn’t a villain or antagonist in this film, I completely get why he thinks the way he does and I understand his fears. And when he and Strange do go up against each other later on, I can’t really hate his reasoning or motivation.

But going back to Strange manipulating Time, that’s another thing that makes this film unique. When it comes to the final battle of Strange vs Dormammu, you would expect a big battle with great visuals. And while CGI is used to depict the Dark Dimension and there is action, it doesn’t play out like you think it would. The trick Strange uses is that he puts Dormammu in a time loop. So even though he is killing Strange, Dormammu is in actuality Strange’s prisoner. Eventually, he agrees to make a bargain with Strange to leave Earth and escape the loop. It’s actually a clever way to handle the final climax of a Marvel movie and I have to give credit for that.

But honestly, I just really like this film in general. I’ve always found myself more drawn to the supernatural characters of comic books. And some of the dialogue in this film reminds me why I like reading the comics I do, as well as just the types of stories I gravitate to the most. Exploring ideas and themes not usually talked about, or familiar ones from a unique perspective. And this film has some of the best visuals of any MCU film. There are several scenes that do look similar to “Inception”. But there are so many other visuals that are truly awe-inspiring. At the end of the day, this is one of my personal favorite films from this long running franchise.