Summary
An imaginative roller coaster of a return for both Doctor Strange and Sam Raimi as the MCU plunges headfirst into a Multiverse filled with darkness, horror and Pizza Poppa.
There’s a lot to celebrate in Doctor Strange’s second solo outing — if anything in the Marvel Cinematic Universe can truly be said to be ‘solo’ at this point. Not only does it mark the return of some long absent characters, it’s a triumphant return of director Sam Raimi to our theatres after almost a decade away.
In fact, it’s hard to believe, but there have been 14 films and half a dozen limited series in the MCU since the first Doctor Strange. It’s not as though the Sorcerer Supreme has been absent, playing pivotal roles in the Avengers movies and Spider-Man: No Way Home. Yet it speaks to how complex that universe has become over the last six years, and how the Multiverse has become a central storytelling pillar.
Which is a long way of saying that DOCTOR STRANGE AND THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS is not just a sequel to its titular predecessor. It’s a link in a chain that stretches from bargaining with Dormammu through the WandaVision, What If…? and Loki series. Like the most recent Spider-Man film, it acknowledges a cinema audience who have been following Marvel on screen for over two decades — but more on that later.
Raimi’s film opens with another Strange in another time and place, where he and teenager America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) are being chased by a mysterious force. As one Strange falls, Chavez is pulled into a more familiar New York, where our Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is attending the wedding of old flame Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams).
After battling a giant creature from another realm, Strange and Sorcerer Supreme Wong (Benedict Wong) learn that Chavez has the ability to inadvertently travel the Multiverse. Suspecting that there are witchy origins to the attacking creatures, Strange seeks the counsel of old ally Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) before setting off on an adventure across the Multiverse to stop the surprising Big Bad.
You may have already seen alleged leaks and spoilers about some of the people they encounter along the way, and it would be a heartless review to spoil any of them for you here. (Suffice it to say: this fan was serviced). Yet this was only a very minor beat in a much bigger story, one that is more interested in exploring the perimeters of its own world.
Which is where the talents of Sam Raimi come in. Lurking just under the surface of this bombastic special effects movie is a true piece of Gothic horror, the kind that Raimi has been perfecting since the late 1970s. There is an initial emphasis on special effects wizardry, yet as soon as the running starts, it’s classic Raimi horror. Rapid cutting between doors, eyes, arms, mirrors and point of view shots are signatures straight from the Evil Dead series. Without giving too much away, it all builds to an expressive zombie moment that is equal parts Marvel and Army of Darkness.
In between, there’s some wonderfully inventive set-pieces that make the most of both director and composer Danny Elfman. Case in point is a fight between alternate versions of Strange where musical notes become the weapons. It’s so batty that it just works. Even the interstitial moments are impressive, including a mind-boggling effect of tumbling through layers of the Multiverse, ones that sits somewhere between the art of Steve Ditko and the animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The whole thing lasts seconds but leaves an indelible mark.
Writer Michael Waldron, who penned and created the Loki series, is also interested in interrogating these characters a little more. Picking at the edges of the first film, Waldron ponders what becomes of an ambiguous relationship when interrupted by the Blip. Indeed, McAdams gets more meaningful screentime in this sequel than the first, solidifying her reputation as the go-to love interest for time travellers. Strange himself is more tortured, being forced to ponder aspects of himself as they literally pop up before him. Of course, for the many lovers of WandaVision, Waldron continues to explore Wanda’s emotional fragility, making good on the promise of the final moments of the season finale.
Those going in expecting a Multiversal mash-up filled with relentless cameos and winks at the audience may be disappointed, as this is not what this film is about. DOCTOR STRANGE AND THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS is unique in the pantheon of recent MCU outings in that it is not wholly about setting up something else. Yes, it leads us down a pathway for future films, but one gets the sense that this was a sandbox everybody wanted to play in whether we were watching or not.
2022 | USA | DIRECTOR: Sam Raimi | WRITERS: Michael Waldron | CAST: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg, Rachel McAdams | DISTRIBUTOR: Disney | RUNNING TIME: 126 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 4 May 2022 (AUS), 6 May 2022 (US)
