Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

I like the title, even if Dr. Strange’s journey through the multiverse is very brief. What can’t be argued with is this superhero film is jammed with madness. It plunges viewers into various terrifying realities, with welcome sprinkles of horror. This is a large, broad, dark, sometimes inventive, and refreshingly different Marvel movie. Its numerous imperfections, though, fiercely battle its many positives for supremacy.

In 2019, before the pandemic, Marvel movies dominated the box office, lodging three of the five highest grossing flicks that year (Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far from Home, and Captain Marvel). The studio’s next three releases, Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Eternals, failed to bring people to theaters on the same level. Last year’s Spier-Man: No Way Home proved Marvel remains a financial juggernaut. Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, and Chris Evans have exited Marvel and the studio has turned to Benjamin Cumberbatch to make the sequel to Doctor Strange a smash. Doctor Strange was a character in No Way Home, keeping him fresh in people’s minds to give Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness a considerable opportunity to be enormously popular. Given its current lack of competition at movie theaters, its success seems assured.

For those who don’t remember, Stephen Strange (Benjamin Cumberbatch) was once a neurosurgeon who lost his dexterity in a car crash. Strange has a quasi-nightmare involving teenager America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), who claims she’s being hunted because she can travel through the multiverse. Strange turns to Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) for assistance, but he discovers Wanda, also known as the Scarlet Witch, because she desires to be reunited with her sons in an alternate universe, is prepared to hunt for and kill America and steal her power. Since Wanda can’t be reasoned with, Strange, his mentor Wong (Benedict Wong), whose title is the Sorcerer Supreme, and America confront her, hoping to stop her.

Sam Raimi, hired to replace Scott Dickerson (who helmed Doctor Strange) after creative differences, directs for the first time since he made the pedestrian Oz the Great and Powerful. It doesn’t take long to realize Raimi appears far more engaged with this material than with his last cinematic offering. Raimi handles the scene where Strange takes on a gigantic cyclopian octopus with aplomb, showcasing Strange’s abilities as a superhero and doing it with the director’s customary energy. (Light spoiler) Strange later wants to prevent Wanda from entering a room and Wanda gets in by using reflections. Because of Raimi’s use of different shots hinting that Wanda has her way of breaking through the Strange’s defenses, it’s pleasurable to see. Strange and America traveling through multiverses contains the best visuals, including paint and animated dimensions, and is dramatically memorable too. Raimi keeps the action rolling along entertainingly and gets help from editors Bob Murawski and Tia Nolan, who use a fade from a scene involving Strange and Wanda to one with Wong, almost as though he’s in the same sequence. One reason (I think) it’s done is to keep the film moving and not allow the time between scenes to be dull. It works.

Frequently, the sights and sounds are niftily effective. One favorite is Strange’s musical fight sequence with his alternate universe self. Notes appear on the screen, and they can be heard as music when they are thrown. It’s an inspired idea that makes the battle between the Stranges a beaut. In another part, waterdops fall from the ceiling. Raimi gets a little more mileage out of the images by having drops fall in slow motion, and I love the pronounced sound they make. Danny Elfman’s score is also wonderful. Examples: the ethereal music after the Scarlet Witch’s destruction late in the film, Elfman capturing the drama as the Scarlet Witch sees two children with their real mother, and the tender violins in the last scene with Strange and his ex, Christine (Rachel McAdams).

Benjamin Cumberbatch doesn’t have a glowing screen personality. He’s not as fun as Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and he’s never made me empathize with him as Spider-Man (the Tobey Maguire version anyway) has. Still, he exudes a seriousness that’s right for Doctor Strange. Elizabeth Olsen does a top-notch job as Wanda/Scarlet Witch. When she talks to Strange about “sacrifice” the emotion in her voice implies why she won’t compromise with him. Olsen is just as potent illustrating her wrath. Had she given an average portrayal, the movie would have gone down a couple of notches because her character as written isn’t that credible. Benedict Wong performs respectably as Wong. Graham Churchyard’s handsome costumes also merit praise.

But an awful lot goes wrong. Perhaps I should start with something I touched on a few sentences ago—Wanda’s character. The mini-series Wandavision deals with Wanda’s grief as she realizes she is hurting people and learns to let go. Granted, there’s a mid-credits scene where Wanda pores over the Darkhold while the voices of Billy and Tommy cry out in the background. It’s obvious Wanda is going to be the movie’s villain. Still, screenwriter Michael Waldron could have added a bit more to her story and made her more complex. Making Wanda ready to kill anyone who gets in her way reduces her to a monster. The script doesn’t tell how Wanda finds out about America, something it clearly should have done because the film needs that link. Thanos was incredibly powerful, but he was also thoughtful, even if his views somehow made him more sinister. Wanda is a Big Bad, though not an interesting one. I suppose with the long runtime (126 minutes), the filmmakers believed audiences might have balked if they added a few extra minutes—a mistake because it would have made Wanda more compelling.

Then there’s America. In a way, her character is critical to the proceedings because Wanda wants her power, yet Waldron’s script gives America almost no emphasis. One of the reasons Spider-Man (2002), also directed by Raimi, was so entertaining is because scriptwriter David Koepp gives the title character a story involving his uncle, Ben Parker (Cliff Robertson), that resonates. Here, however, Strange is about to kill America because he says she doesn’t know how to control her power. I wanted to see examples of America’s enormous strength overwhelming her. They’re not in the movie. As a result, she comes off as more of a plot device than a character. America should also grow during the action so when she’s told to use her power, her change is believable. This part too is bungled. Strange gives a reason why she’s ready (as she wasn’t at the beginning), but his words aren’t persuasive.

I like that the studio allowed Raimi freedom to be himself at times in this sequel. There are some enjoyably surreal touches, like little crashing waves in a teacup, and, as I’ve mentioned, the musical notes being a part of the action. But Wanda doesn’t seem right for this world. She’s like a Disney character and, although Wanda seeks her out more than any other, it’s obvious nothing terrible will happen to her. She must “trust” herself and be who she truly is to harness her power—stuff that’s mind-numbingly cliché. (Spoilers) And what happens when she unleashes her power? She throws punches. Come on. And I don’t like what they did with the Illuminati, who are presented as serious, talented people. But they are dispatched so quickly, it’s like Wanda had to battle a bunch of ordinary men and women, who, given the resistance they show, should be on their way to a costume party.

Even the Strange-Christine section isn’t moving. A superhero who spells out his feelings for a former lover who has married someone else should be an emotion crusher. Yet as I looked around the theater as that scene concluded, there wasn’t a wet eye in the house. The sad reality is the human element in this film isn’t close to where it should be.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will provide superhero movie fans with a lot of skilfully orchestrated action. It’s too bad that the screenplay doesn’t clip on the hook ups that would make the flick as emotionally fulfilling as it had the chance to be.