Movie review: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
The mighty Marvel machine marches on with Doctor Strange's second solo outing, which comes hot on the heels of the massively successful Spider-Man: No Way Home, in which the good doctor played a significant supporting role.
As in that film, all the complications here come about as a result of multiverse shenanigans that once again highlight how the concept of parallel dimensions and multiple alternate versions of characters can undercut the sense that whatever occurs actually means anything in the long run.
The plot is set in motion by a new character named America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), a young woman with the unique (or so we are told) ability to create portals between dimensions. The villain of this movie, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), who became the Scarlet Witch at the end of her Disney+ miniseries WandaVision, seeks that power so she can reunite with her two young sons - who were tragically revealed to be figments of her magic – in a universe where they actually exist.
Chavez aligns herself with "our" Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who must stop Wanda from gaining a power that could bring about the collapse of the multiverse itself. There's also a lot of business with an evil book, which should amuse long-time fans of director Sam Raimi, whose early Evil Dead films also centred around a nefarious book.
Raimi's presence behind the camera (he replaced the first film's director, Scott Derrickson, who apparently wanted to make a darker movie than Marvel was willing) was cause for excitement, as Raimi helped kick this whole superhero thing off with the original three Spider-Man films.
But, unfortunately, not much of Raimi's distinctive directorial personality gets to shine through here. Sure, there are some familiar Dutch angles, doors slamming and, of course, an amusing Bruce Campbell cameo, but there's a sense that Raimi's manic style has been smoothed out within the Marvel system.
The challenge with any Marvel movie is to feel like it wasn't directed by committee, and I'm not sure this lives up to that challenge, as visually dazzling as it often is.
Indeed, there's a huge amount of spectacular stuff to see here, including some fun cameos and noteworthy character introductions, all within a prevailing impression that none of it has lasting consequences. Horror-leaning imagery is often presented, but you'd never call this scary.
And as is increasingly the case with these movies, prior familiarity with the characters and their journeys is required to fully comprehend what is going on. And even then, the bewildering universe-hopping blurs the exact nature of the actual stakes at any given moment.
Cumberbatch has some fun playing various versions of Strange, including some not revealed in the marketing, and there are several visually inventive sequences, the coolest of which uses music in an interesting way.
The entertainment value here is undeniable, but Marvel fatigue is starting to set in.
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Xochitl Gomez
Director: Sam Raimi
Running time: 126 minutes
Rating: M (Violence)
Verdict: A resolutely average entry in the MCU.