As the sequel to Marvel’s 2016 “Doctor Strange,” I had high expectations for “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” However, my hopes were dashed down as indeed this movie was filled with unexpected madness.
The film begins with Dr. Strange’s recurring nightmare. Benedict Cumberbatch, who brilliantly plays Stephen Strange, is chased by a demon in the multiverse while searching for the Book of Vishanti. Accompanying him is America Chavez, one of the main protagonists of the movie. We learn that America has the power to travel throughout the multiverse, which is why Wanda Maximoff, who has transformed into the Scarlet Witch, is hunting her down so that she can be united with her children who live in another universe.
The entire plot centers around Wanda’s desire to rejoin her children in Westview, and she goes through extreme lengths in order to do so. Wanda “dreamwalks” to her alternate self in another universe. Meanwhile, Dr. Strange and America visit Earth-838, and the audience is introduced to the Illuminati, a group of Avengers and superheroes who protect Earth. The plot continues with dramatic fight scenes where much blood is shed, and viewers are left speechless at the stunning visual effects and motion graphics.
I found the action scenes to be mesmerizing and thrilling in typical Marvel fashion. However, there were too many gory details and the brutal murdering of characters we didn’t have the time to form connections with. So, although we mourned the deaths of heroic men and women, it wasn’t as much of a heartfelt blow as Aunt May’s death was in “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” In my opinion, the plot was all over the place, with Dr. Strange and America jumping from one universe to the next, twisting and turning the details so that I was left confused at too many parts of the movie.
The end credits leave us with a glimpse of Clea Strange, played by Charlize Theron. The opening of the multiverse definitely opens up Marvel’s opportunities to see where different plots take us, and movie-goers will experience superbly choreographed scenes with mind-bending visual effects.
Overall, you can never go wrong with a two-hour action-packed Marvel movie, but the gruesome scenes were overboard. Although it was a let down from the high expectations I had, die hard Marvel fans would certainly enjoy it.
My guest Emily shared, “I’m not the biggest Marvel fan since I haven’t watched a lot of the Marvel movies, and going in I didn’t have any expectations for the movie. I thought that the plot was interesting and entertaining, but it was a little hard to understand and the story line didn’t make much sense to me in some places.”
Movie Times: click here for showtimes
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Run Time: 2 hours 6 minutes
Director: Sam Raimi
Actors: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez
Rating: PG-13
