Streaming on Disney+
Recently, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) appears to be experiencing a nebulous state. After peaking with the grand finale of The Infinity Saga with Avengers: Endgame (arguably), most of the Marvel projects, with a few notable exceptions, feel like they are struggling in some way. They're not losing their audience, but they feel they want to evolve in some way yet are held back for no apparent reason. My best speculation is that the MCU has reached a point where it needs and wants to grow up and explore more mature themes and narratives. However, the powers at Disney are still too afraid to do anything that doesn't appeal to the family-oriented demographic, and their few attempts to do otherwise haven't had the warmest of receptions nor the best of executions.
To that end, consider today's subject, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, a Marvel movie touted as their first "horror" film with a genuinely fantastic idea with tons of potential that, regrettably, doesn't stick the landing as well as it could have. It has great moments, decent ideas, and clever bits here and there that prevent the film from being dull or lackluster. Still, the film's focus appears misguided, trading clever ideas and great potential for narrative training wheels and short-lived fan service. If Marvel is serious about branching out and exploring new ideas, this may not be their best first step, but, at the very least, it is still the first step.
A fair warning to some of my beautiful readers. If you have not been following the Marvel films and/or television shows, some of what I am about to discuss will sound incredibly alien and almost non-sensical. To that end, please bear with me, and I shall do my best to keep everyone on the same page.
The story follows Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Marvel's resident Wizard and master of all things magical and unusual. Lately, he's been having strange nightmares about a mysterious young girl and what appears to be alternate versions of himself. One day, after encountering a dangerous monster, he meets the young girl from his dreams. Her name is America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), and she has the power to travel through The Multiverse: a vast plane of various timelines and realities. She cannot control her power and has been hopping between Universes for years, trying to find help to hone her gift. Offering his assistance, Doctor Strange seeks the counsel of another fellow magic user, Wanda Maximov, a.k.a The Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olson). However, he soon discovers that Wanda, still traumatized by the events of Wandavision, has fallen into a dark place and wants to use America's power for her own desires, regardless of how dangerous or even deadly it could be. Doctor Strange must now face off against The Scarlet Witch and protect America, even if it means traveling through the Multiverse and facing all the risks that follow.
First, let me go over the aspects of the film I liked.
Everyone's performances, especially Elizabeth Olson's, are top-notch and engaging. The action scenes are visceral and exciting (as are the special effects). The few bits of Multiverse travel we experience (more on that later) are lots of fun and potentially promise more exciting events to follow. America Chavez is a delightful and engaging character worthy of the MVP award, and I hope to see more of her in the future. The film receives many bonus points for embracing the inherent silliness of its comic book origins and having fun with it all. Finally, the few "horror" elements that get to shine through are a welcome first step towards exploring different sub-genres with the Marvel films.
And...that's about it. Let's move on to the things that didn't quite work for me.
For a movie with the subtitle "Multiverse of Madness," not much of the Multiverse is explored, and there's not much madness to go around. The film is attempting to emulate and invoke the works of H.P. Lovecraft: stories that explore and contemplate our tiny insignificant place in the vastness of the cosmos, attempting to make peace with the unknown and unusual depths of the Universe. While the film does accomplish this to a degree, it becomes less interested in exploring those mature themes and more focused on setting up future movies. Not to mention bits of fan service that ultimately don't serve much of a purpose to the present narrative.
Plus, there was an opportunity to explore tons of different worlds and iterations of characters with this particular story. Yes, that does happen, but I can't help but feel like they should have done more with the concept. Without spoiling too much, they only travel to two different universes, and only one of them has anything worth exploring. And even then, it's taken away as quickly as it was introduced. It felt less like an exploration of something neat and more like a proclamation of things yet to come. Which I understand is par for the course with Marvel, but must it still be so needlessly blatant?
Director Sam Raimi, best known for classic works of horror like The Evil Dead and Drag Me to Hell, not to mention the first run of the live-action Spider-Man movies before the MCU, gets to do his usual intense style with the film. While his style is appreciated and well-executed, it sometimes feels like he wants to do more but is needlessly restricted by the PG-13 rating. His trademarks can be seen throughout the film, and they are appropriate for this particular story. Things like rapid camera movement and well-timed jump scares all solidify that this is a Sam Raimi movie. It's just too bad that he doesn't get to go completely off the rails like he wants to.
Doctor Strange and The Multiverse of Madness is not a bad film nor an excellent one. It's a primarily fun roller coaster ride that introduces a few new exciting things to look forward to with future installments while providing talented actors the opportunity to explore and showcase their range. However, it doesn't take as much advantage of its fantastic concept as I might have preferred, and as a result, while I still enjoyed myself, it ultimately left me a bit disappointed. Hopefully, future installments will continue to push the envelope and contribute to the evolution (or mutation *wink*) of the MCU.
You don't have to be stoned to enjoy this movie, but it might enhance the experience slightly.
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.
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