Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Review: Sam Raimi Brings Much-Needed Evil Dead Flair to the MCU
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The post Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Review: Sam Raimi Brings Much-Needed Evil Dead Flair to the MCU appeared first on Consequence.
The Pitch: Nothing good ever happens when Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) hangs around with teenagers. In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the master of the mystic arts happens to be attending the wedding of his ex-girlfriend Christine (Rachel McAdams) when a strange commotion outside leads him to encounter a young woman named America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), born with the ability to hop from alternate universe to alternate universe, and in serious danger because of it.
It’s not just America’s life that’s in danger, though — the fate of not just our universe but the entire multiverse is at stake, as dark forces want to steal her abilities for themselves. To save the day, Doctor Strange will have to work with both old pals like Wong (Benedict Wong, forever the best) as well as some new friends… specifically, new friends who look a lot like old pals, because when the multiverse is involved, who knows what, or who, you’re going to get.
No Spoilers, But You Might Do a Little Homework: That plot description above is about as vague as one can get without revealing the biggest surprises of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, a film that builds upon the established MCU (and beyond) to deliver some of its biggest twists. It’s a bold movie that constructs a sequence that might be the platonic ideal of fan service, but puts it towards the middle of the film — a choice that actually works to the movie’s advantage, keeping the overall narrative focused on the guy whose name is in the title.
Multiverse of Madness establishes the Phase 4 trend of projects which kinda-sorta require the viewer to not just be up on all of the theatrically-released MCU films, but also the Disney+ shows: In this case, WandaVision is the most important one, as the film also continues Wanda’s (Elizabeth Olsen) story following the events of that show’s finale. (Though you might brush up on What If…? as well, if you’re planning to study up.)
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (Disney)
Everyone In This Cast Is Oscar-Worthy: Doctor Strange as a character has been a difficult one to root for more often than not, perhaps because his primary personality trait has always been, essentially, arrogance and not much else. Still, Cumberbatch delivers some necessary pathos to the film, even while working through what ends up being a pretty minimalist character arc.
Xochitl Gomez was already a breakout star as the original Dawn on Netflix’s The Baby-Sitters Club (she was recast for Season 2 due to her filming commitments here) and her future potential seems vast. And, once again, Benedict Wong is the best, and if he’s never going to get a solo Wong adventure then the least he can do is keep showing up in other MCU projects.
Olsen has a lot of extremes to balance as Wanda, but brings such emotional intelligence to the role that you never question the character’s intent. Also, if nothing else, this film does not repeat the egregious sin of its predecessor, and Rachel McAdams gets to do some stuff. Okay, it’s not a lot of stuff, and she’s still not much of an actual character, but she’s far more present and engaged here than she was in the first movie (bet you maybe even forgot she was in it).
The Raimi of It All: Not since the hiring of Taika Waititi for Thor: Ragnarok has Marvel made such a smart choice for a director — while original director Scott Derrickson’s work on the first film was solid (especially the kaleidoscopic action sequences), Sam Raimi really does find a way to make this material his own. That in some ways is a quite literal thing, as the film is packed with touches right out of Evil Dead and its kin, including some inspired fights with ghouls that really notch up the horror quotient.
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As a general rule, MCU productions have a bad habit of leaning too much on digital effects and sets, and while there’s some amount of that here, there’s a lot more which feels tactile and true. The reason the dinosaurs in the original Jurassic Park still look so good is that Spielberg was sure to blend animatronic models and puppets with digitally generated raptors and the like; the tangibility created by that combination is essential to that film’s power. Raimi and the effects team know this, and key sequences here work really well as a result.
It’s not that Marvel hasn’t hired directors with a strong signature style before, but a great movie isn’t just driven by a great director. While Chloe Zhao’s talent for visual wonder did not work in concert with the script for Eternals, Raimi’s very specific set of skills is in perfect alignment with all of the challenges of this story, both visually and emotionally.
Along those lines, whatever Marvel’s paying writer Michael Waldron, it’s not enough. As head writer of Loki, Waldron didn’t just introduce the concept of the multiverse to the MCU, he injected some very welcome wit and surrealism into that show — a trend that continues here. Multiverse of Madness isn’t wildly unconventional in its story choices, but the fun it has exploring the possibilities of this narrative, pushing with real imagination into the potential of magic users at battle with each other, makes it a treat.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (Disney)
The Verdict: There’s an alternate universe, likely, where Multiverse of Madness does not come out mere weeks after Daniels’ Everything Everywhere All at Once, and that universe might be a somewhat kinder one for this film. It’s not Raimi’s fault that the Daniels exploded what’s possible with a story told across multiple universes — beyond one dazzling sequence, Multiverse of Madness can’t help but suffer a bit by comparison.
That said, after so many movies and TV shows, even the biggest MCU fan will admit that this franchise can get a little same-y; there have been some notable swings over the last 14 years, but all within relatively safe boundaries. There are moments of Multiverse of Madness, though, that genuinely feel like they’re pushing towards the outer edges of what’s possible within the MCU.
That’s not a reference to some of the scarier/more horror-infused choices (though they’re for real). Instead, that’s an acknowledgment that Raimi and Waldron have managed, on a scene-by-scene basis, to create something which often feels truly fresh and original. There’s no shouting at CGI clouds in this film, just ordinary human motivations against an extraordinary background, coupled with a few moments that might not drive you mad, but may leave you feeling a little dizzy, like a roller coaster ride it’s worth riding at least once again.
Where to Watch: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness crosses over into theaters on May 6th.
Trailer:
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Review: Sam Raimi Brings Much-Needed Evil Dead Flair to the MCU
Liz Shannon Miller
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