Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
marvelWhen Marvel took the stage at 2019's San Diego Comic-Con event and announced their next phase of cinematic outings, one title stood out in particular: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. With then-director Scott Derrickson promising that the film would break the traditional MCU mold and define itself as Marvel's first true horror film, a buzz immediately formed. While Marvel did eventually stray from this marketing, a change in directors put the legendary Sam Raimi back in the directors' chair after a nearly decade break from the role. This plus an intriguing setup following the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home once again made the film feel like a true event, and luckily, it delivers on what is promised: to give one of the more unique entries to the never-ending MCU so far.
The immediate question that is going to be raised regarding the film is to what degree Sam Raimi's directorial voice is heard. Since The Infinity Saga wrapped things up for the first stage of the MCU, the series has struggled massively when it comes to tone and style, with an incredibly generic and lifeless energy being far too present between its newer projects. While it would be a lie to say that this energy doesn't also plague portions of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, especially the very beginning of the feature, it is a pleasant surprise to see a filmmaker like Sam Raimi be given control to create such a stylised and personable feature.
Going back to his horror roots more so than his comic book roots, Rami builds a genuinely terrifying thriller backbone for the project which follows Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) hunting Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and a girl named America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) through the multiverse to gain the powers required to make her dream of having her family a reality. The film plays into the horror genre through not just style and editing, but also iconography and a rather gruesome edge that hasn't been seen in the MCU to date. Characters are being brutally murdered left and right with a real sense of threat looming in every frame. It wouldn't be a Rami film however if he also didn't know how to incorporate tongue-in-cheek comedy that plays nicely against this more serious tone and gives the film an almost camp edge that only further defines itself against the rest of the universe it takes place in.
This style is a positive for multiple reasons. Not only does it make the film feel unique, but it also helps create a visually strong film. One common criticism of recent MCU films has been the poor visual effects. Despite millions being poured into each feature, more and more often there are shots that simply look lazy. While there are multiple reasons for this, one is a lack of style and filmmaking craft. This is a universe that has forgotten how to create captivating shots that give the visual effects something to work work. Rami brings a crafted style that isn't afraid to push boundaries and find creative ways to overall hide some of the weaker visual effects. It also helps that the film simply feels inspired for much of its runtime. From action scenes becoming wars of musical notes that translate into a captivating use of score to an embrace of wacky ideas like characters having to battle the souls of the underworld, there is something here that is genuinely fun which is something entirely missing from the MCU for what feels like years.
This creates somewhat of a conundrum, however. While in a vacuum the film has its fun moments, it is rather clear that this is not going to be translated into the future world of the MCU making this feel like a somewhat hollow victory. What is more depressing is just how bland the studio-produced world feels as present within the film itself. It is beyond clear when a sequence was led by the studio as the execution and style rapidly change. There are 20-minute sequences of pure boredom sprinkled into an otherwise really enjoyable film, which only serves to remind the audience of the larger burden this universe carries. There is also a clear issue present with some of the film's drama which harkens back to the drama found in the original Doctor Strange. Drama such as the emotions that Strange still feels for his former love interest Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams) feel incredibly out of date. Not only is this coming in a plot of pure war and terror, but it also has been deemed overall irrelevant for 6-years since the original film was released. There is an urgency to drama like this and with how big the MCU is expanding, the results are clear. This is a franchise being too drawn out and the sheer idea that we might not get more development with what is set up within this film for a matter of years is actually terrifying.
One of the largest talking points surrounding the film is going to be the character of Wanda Maximoff. Revitalised in the WandaVision Disney+ series, Maximoff carries a worthy emotional challenge for the audience and while the film might eventually reach some points of compassion and empathy, the choice to fully villainise the character feels regressive in the worst of ways. While it is undeniable that Elizabeth Olsen still absolutely kills it here, it feels like an understanding of her character is simply lacking. While again, in the vacuum of this film that means quite little, it only further hurts the relationship this film is going to have with the rest of the universe it belongs to.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness might not be a perfect film, but it is hard to argue against it being one of the most inspired and enjoyable MCU projects in years. With a strong direction given by Sam Raimi and some great performances, the film is able to overcome its weaker moments and tie together an above-average final product. While messy, one can only hope that the MCU will continue to allow for unique styles and choices to be made that can hopefully breathe a new life into this universe that is quickly dying project by project.
