Probably one of the most hyped movies for this year. Everyone saw Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness as one of the Avenger-level films that we will miss for a few years ahead. But owing to the hype and the trailer, that almost feels like the end of the world. Does Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness live up is something we will be looking at in our review.
So for that, we will talk about the good as well as the bad aspects of the film throughout our review; from the messy narrative to stunning visuals. From Elizabeth outperforming to Sam Raimi bringing the much-needed new direction for MCU with his horror elements. Here are our thoughts on Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness.
Spoiler Warning
Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness Review: The Narrative
Like many would review, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness is not at all a Marvel powerhouse film. You can call it a Sam Raimi powerhouse film because the elements you can find in Sam Raimi film are the only ones evident and live strong throughout the film’s run.
Let’s start with the ones that caught the eye of many. The word multiverse and stunning visuals featured in the film when we first saw the trailer. While the stunning visuals live up to their hype, the madness we were expecting from the multiverse didn’t. We expected a deep dive into the concept the film was presenting, but the movie hardly explores multiple universes.
The movie doesn’t waste time in getting into the story, which is great. But there is missing tension for a forthcoming event that would destroy universes. The narrative may make the viewers feel like whatever Wanda intended to do with the multiverse wasn’t a big deal after all.
It continues to flow like a solo superhero outing like ‘it should’. But it also had a job of exploring the multiverse to its best which it failed to do so. The movie ends up exploring one or two universes. Thus it is more of a stepping stone to the arc of Spider-Man: No Way Home, where characters of two universes crossed over to MCUs.
Still, you can enjoy the film, especially the marvel fans who had dreamed of watching the multiverse on screens. Also, if the MCU is planning to keep the story to one single character again in solo outings by developing a bigger storyline on the other side like it always has. Then it’s still something worth looking at. It has worked before, and it may further.
Also Read: When Will Doctor Strange 2 Be Available For Streaming?
Character Arcs
First, we would like to talk about the character of Wanda, she completely stole the show throughout the movie. The only takeaway is the fact to understand her emotions, the fans should be familiar with other Marvel properties. Alteast the ones that are interconnected with the film. Not just her story for the entire movie. But in case you find yourself watching it before any of the other movies, you might be lost for some notable moments of the movie.
Coming back to Wanda, so after what went down in Wanda Vision. The emotions a person should have after losing everything one dreamed of or a family is reflected brilliantly by Elizabeth Olsen. Let it be with the ruthless Scarlet Witch we saw while she killed off the Illuminati or the breaking down Wanda when her kids from Earth-838 rejected her.
The same can’t be said about the titular hero of Doctor Strange or the newcomer America Chavez though. Doctor Strange had his own storyline of losing Christine Palmer. But unlike what we saw in What If…, MCU’s Doctor Strange’s arc about accepting the fact she can never be hers didn’t imbibe the emotions we needed.
Lastly, talking about America Chavez, we hardly get to know her in the movie. Although she becomes a focal point of the movie and Xochitl Gomez does a brilliant job, we needed more from her back story. That part was left hanging with only seconds of screentime.
A Horror Movie Or A Superhero Movie?
Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, as mentioned, kept itself distinct from the regular superhero movies of the Marvel. With Sam Raimi as the director, the movie triumphs with horror elements and blends it with the superhero genre.
It features jump scares, a haunting background score, and scary visuals executed at the right time. Thus leaving you spooked somewhere during the scenes. Apart from the brilliantly executed horror elements. The movie continues to find itself as a superhero film and struggles over the course of the run.
The Potential Of The Cameos
If one thing Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness was hyped about, then the cue goes to surprise cameos. After Spider-Man: No Way Home, the fans were left wanting more when it comes to the possibilities of a crossover. This time they expected the likes of the Fantastic Four & X-Men to join in.
Although Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness did deliver on the strong cameos part, but it seemed like a rushed one. The fans would have wanted more from these surprise appearances, but their arcs are wrapped way too early. These characters could have played a bigger role in the film, especially Professor Xavier.
Professor Xavier was one of the characters who could have had a huge potential in the multiverse mess. He was one of the first to find the hiding Wanda inside Scarlet Witches’ minds. But even he is killed off quickly.
We believe at least one of the surprise cameos should have made it to the final battle of Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness. So that it could leave the fans excited, and the multiverse could mean something far bigger.
Also Read: Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness Ending Explained: The Incursions May Continue
