A FREE-WHEELING MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS
Movie Review – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Review by Ray Schillaci
SOME SPOILERS PRECEDED IN BOLD – jump to the next paragraph to avoid them
I knew it was going to be hard to beat another multiverse themed movie after Everything Everywhere All at Once. No, there are no hot dog fingers, jiggly eyed rocks or middle-aged Asian ladies kicking ass. But, Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is perhaps the darkest and silliest of Marvel properties yet. All this thanks to director Sam Raimi (first 3 Spider-Man movies, The Evil Dead franchise, Drag Me To Hell) and a wacky undertaking by the creator of the Loki Disney+ series, Michael Waldron. Raimi weaves his rollercoaster-like camera work with a multitude of nightmarish and eye-popping effects while less concerned about character development that had charmed me with another film that touched upon the multiverse, Spider-Man No Way Home.
This is not to say that the newest Marvel entry is joyless. It’s more like a junk food funhouse ride that delivers thrills and chills, but is nowhere near some of the better Marvel entities (Avengers, Iron-Man, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, recent Spider-Man franchise). Once again, Benedict Cumberbatch embraces the Strange character with much gusto along with a very conflicted Wanda Maximoff, well played by Elizabeth Olsen, and Benedict Wong as Wong delivering his wonderful brand of dry humor.
For folks not keeping up with the Marvel line up and Disney+ series, there will be confusion about Wanda/Scarlet Witch. Also, with all the effects thrown at us some may find it hard to keep up with the storyline and catch little things like what is the significance of the Book of Vishanti. Well let me clear some things up for you. ***SPOILER (if you have plans to watch WandaVision), WandaVision takes place after Avengers: Endgame where Wanda and Vision live in a ’50s-like neighborhood and life raising two children. But, Wanda created the idyllic life not being able to live after what she experienced. Later, as Wanda’s vision of her life is revealed to her and others she does battle as Scarlet Witch. So, Wanda has done battle with her dark side.
The Book of Vishanti is written by unknown authors and is purported to be the greatest known source of white magical knowledge on Earth. It contains spells of defensive magic and is considered indestructible. After Dr. Strange struggles with his nightmares of an alternate self turning on a young America Chavez with new found powers to slip into multiverses, Strange meets up with the Chavez and insists that he help her recover the Book of Vishanti to do battle with the demons chasing her. Sounds too much to take in? At times, yes. But, as with rollercoaster rides, you try to sit back and enjoy the build up, the free falls and the hairpin curves all provided by director Raimi.
Chavez has a hard time believing Strange since she knew other versions of him that eventually turned on her in other universes. Our Strange insists that he is different and they embark on a journey into the multiverse of madness where Strange will find the truth about his alternate selves and be judged by the (get this) the “Illuminati.” As if we didn’t need enough crazy conspiracy theories. And, wait till you see who the Illuminati consists of. In fact, there are quite a few surprise guest stars that will make Marvel fans squeal with excitement, but have the average moviegoer scratching their head as to what is really happening and how does it play into the Marvel lineup.
Those who have seen Sam Raimi’s infamous Evil Dead movies will know what they are in for. Nothing is to be taken seriously, and this new film just side steps the problems with Spider-Man 3 that Raimi directed and fans cried foul. Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness is definitely a theater-going experience with its outlandish visuals that take us into worlds unknown. Raimi purposely makes some of the special effects silly as to not get too serious with the subject matter. Strange’s journey is funny, lighthearted and thrilling at times. It just would have fared better with some well rounded character development.
