Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Review

It has been a long six-year wait for Doctor Strange to have a second solo adventure. This time Marvel brought in a directional heavyweight for an adventure across the multiverse.

America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) is a teenage girl who has the power to travel the multiverse. She’s also being chased by demons and monsters. When America lands on Earth-616 she’s saved by Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and he sets out to protect her from the multiverse spanning threat.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been building upon the idea of the multiverse for a while. Spider-man: Far From Home and Wandavision teased the idea before it was fully explored in Loki and Spider-man: No Way Home. Loki’s showrunner, Michael Waldron wrote the screenplay for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness marks the first time for an MCU film that goes beyond the confines of Earth-616. Spider-man: Far From Home brought characters from other universes into Earth-616 thanks to Doctor Strange’s magic. The multiverse travel allowed the MCU to go in some weird and wonderful directions.

Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse was the film that opened the floodgates for movies set in the multiverse. That film was a visually inventive film with a strong emotional core and due to it being set in an alternative universe it allowed for some amazing twists (i.e. the Doctor Octopus reveal). Spider-man: No Way Home was heavily influenced by Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was also influenced by the animated hit. The villains in Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness had similar motivations.

Marvel brought in an A-List director for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: Sam Raimi. Raimi was known best for making the Spider-man and Evil Dead Trilogies. It was a massive statement for Marvel to hire a director like him because of his reputation. Marvel usually brings in emerging filmmakers and many of their films have felt formulaic and visually similar. I made that point when reviewing Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings where the Marvel machinery overrode the director.

It was amazing to think that Raimi would direct an MCU film. Directors like Patty Jenkins and Ava DuVernay left Marvel projects of the studio’s overbearing nature, and even Doctor Strange’s original director, Scott Derrickson left the sequel because of creative differences. Raimi’s own experience with Spider-man 3 would have made the director hesitant to take the job.

Some directors like James Gunn, Shane Black, and Taiki Waititi have had freedom within the MCU and put their creative stamp on the franchise. Raimi can stand with them. He was able to make a film that worked in the continuity of the MCU and have his visual style. The film’s beginning felt like one of Raimi’s Spider-man due to it starting with Strange attending a wedding and fighting a monster to save someone. Yet with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness he got to use his horror experience. There was a lot of horror imaginary, and he did make the most violent film in MCU. It pushed the limits of the PG-13 rating. The gorehound in me loved how brutal one death was.

The use of the multiverse setting allowed Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to have a no-holds-barred approach. There were actions that wouldn’t have been allowed to happen in other Marvel films.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was an incredibly hectic film. Within the first 30 minutes America escapes from a monster, Doctor Strange battles another monster and there was even a massive fantasy battle. There was little let-up in the opening act and even after that, the film was a sprawling affair due to it taking place across different dimensions and needing to set up the rules of magic. It was a film that was so deep in Marvel mythology that new viewers have the potential to be lost. Wandavision was required viewing for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to make sense.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was a film that had moments of fan service. A couple of cameos were revealed in the trailers and some were speculated in the media about who else would appear. It would have been more impactful if Marvel had kept them secret because they could have been fangasm moments.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was one of Marvel’s most daring films in a long time. It stands out due to the violence and horror influence and it was great to see Sam Raimi work in the superhero genre again.