Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Are you happy?
This question is posed to multiple characters in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
I’ll be honest upfront. I’m a laid-back fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and I have mildly enjoyed every film I’ve seen in the franchise. The reason is simple – I know what to expect. I’m going to see a B- or C+ action movie. I may not be getting The Godfather, but I can be confident that I’m not getting Jaws: The Revenge either. I know I’m going to get some cool action along with some laughs. I know I’m getting a movie that I can share with my kids. I knew these things as I sat down at my screening of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
I no longer know these things. Am I happy? No.
After rescuing a girl, America (newcomer Xochitl Gomez), from a one-eyed octopus monster (which strikingly resembles the supervillain in 2021’s horrendous The Suicide Squad), Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch – Doctor Strange, The Power of the Dog, Sherlock) discovers that America has the ability to travel between the infinite realities of the multiverse. Unfortunately, she doesn’t know how to manage this power. Doctor Strange realizes that if her strengths get into the hands of the wrong person, it could have devastating implications, so he must protect young America from unexpected villains in this universe and beyond. Together, they travel through multiple realities along with Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen – WandaVision, Avengers: Endgame, Wind River) at a mind-melting pace as they try to keep her power safe and snuff out the Darkhold – a book of the damned that was believed to be a myth.
Are you happy?
Certainly, comic book fans can rejoice at that plot description. I, on the other hand, crave something different when I sit down for a Marvel movie. I expect charming lead characters like Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man or Chris Evans’ Captain America, but for some reason, Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange has lost the cynical snarkiness from his first movie. He has been reduced to simply spouting out key plot points from previous films or gesturing with his hands to manifest magical glowing shapes. Gomez’s America is so wooden that I have no understanding of who she is. In fact, her one moment of pathos is so misguided that I laughed inappropriately in the theater. Olsen’s Scarlet Witch is the one redeeming character in the film, but even her performance is limited by the unsophisticated script.
I expect elite visual effects and action sequences. For 14 years, Marvel has been advancing computer-generated elements in cinema, and I thought the first Doctor Strange had the best visual effects in the entire franchise. This installment feels closer to a Spy Kids film than a sequel in the Marvel franchise. It was startling to see the decline in quality, especially following the recent action-packed sequences of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. It wasn’t a great film, but it had great action and visual effects.
I have been conditioned to expect technically precise filmmaking from its directors, but Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead, Spiderman 1, 2 & 3) did not deliver. Even though he brought some of his horror film roots to the multiverse, his signature style felt neutered by a franchise that is dependent on PG-13 ratings. The result is a pseudo-horror film dark and frightening enough that it is not appropriate for kids, but toned down to the point that true Raimi films will be left unfulfilled.
Are you happy?
I think the most damaging things I can say are that 1) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness doesn’t feel like a Marvel movie, and 2) it’s not appropriate for kids. If this marks the inevitable beginning of the end of Marvel’s massive success, I can’t imagine Kevin Feige and Disney will be happy either.
I am truly anticipating the reaction of moviegoers to this film because I think we may be watching, in real-time, the downward trajectory of the most successful venture in cinema history. Even as a laid-back fan, that doesn’t make me happy.
