Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022) SPOILER FREE Review: A Weird & Wonderful Mess

It’s finally here! After nearly two years worth of delays, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness is now officially out. One of the most anticipated Marvel Studios movies of 2022, following the extraordinary success of 2021’s Spider-Man No Way Home, we’ve all been pulling our hair out waiting for this one. Saddled with huge promises and a host of high expectations, we couldn’t get to the theatre fast enough. So, with all that said and done, did Doctor Stephen Strange and the Multiverse come through?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWzlQ2N6qqg

Complicated question, to be honest. There’s a lot to unpack.

First thing to note about this movie: Sam Raimi. When Raimi took over the Doctor Strange director’s chair after original director, Scott Derrickson, stepped down from the project, fans were excited by the prospect of a slightly spookier Strange movie. And boy, has Raimi come through on this one! This movie is dripping with all the weirdness you’d expect from a Sam Raimi movie, complete with its undertones of horror, ready and waiting to give you a good spook right when you’re least expecting it. That said, the Raimi vibe was sometimes at loggerheads not only with himself but with other prominent features of the movie. It could feel jarring while played alongside Micheal Waldron’s sometimes laboured dialogue (we’ll get to that later), with one sometimes stunting the overall effect of the other. And while, most of the time, Raimi’s signature stamp of peculiarity worked wonders with the movie’s atmosphere, some scenes felt bizarre simply for the sake of being bizarre. Still, the movie undoubtedly raised brows much more for the right reasons than it did for the wrong.

Now, since we’re on the subject of cinematography, let's talk movie aesthetics! One of my ongoing gripes with Marvel movies is the overabundance of CGI. It's not that I dislike CGI as a concept - it's when things look CGI, to the point where it's so overdone it's almost overwhelming to the eye. Well, Sam Raimi, of this crime, I pronounce you not guilty. Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness is a visually stunning experience and is exemplary when it comes to effectively blending CGI animation with live-action sequences. The stand-out CGI moments in this film are the visual interpretations of superpowers. From the Doc’s energy blasts and the gateways between universes, right down to the diverse depictions of the multiverse itself, the use of CGI was not only pleasing but just felt right. This paired with the rest of John Mathieson’s fast-paced cinematography made for a really gripping experience - the kind that makes you not want to blink for fear that you might miss out on something!

Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter, Doctor Strange Premiere, 2016

Now, we can’t talk about this film without mentioning the host of epic performances by this absolutely stellar cast. So, Benedict Cumberbatch was great as the Doc; we knew that already. He’s phenomenally talented and is an ideal casting choice for the role of our beloved Stephen Strange. Once again, he really knocked this one out of the park. That said, we need to talk about Elizabeth Olsen because WOW. Her constant, seamless shifting between the calm, respectable Wanda Maximoff to the crazed fury of the Scarlet Witch is enough to make your head spin! What really hits about her performance, though, is the potent layer of sadness that comes through within her character. Amid the outward anger of the Scarlet Witch, Olsen portrays the deep, inner ache of her character with a wonderful naturalistic subtlety that’s sure to get under your skin. Alongside our two impeccable leads, we also have Xochitl Gomez bringing in the first MCU appearance of America Chavez, offering endearment, likeability and great chemistry with her co-stars - I really hope we get to see more of her in the future! It was also really cool to see the highly anticipated cameo of Patrick Stewart, reprising his role as Charles Xavier. Honestly, I could go on forever - there really wasn’t one bad performance in this movie!

Now, leading on from the actors, we do need to address the aforementioned script. My least favourite thing about this film was the dialogue and overarching story progression. Now, it wasn’t painful. The movie was still very enjoyable. However, you just can’t help occasionally raising a brow at the hokey way some of these characters interact, pushing the story forward in a clunky A to B format. Sometimes a scene would occur, and you’d find yourself suddenly asking, “wait, what’s happening now?”. Amid the great performances and visual splendour, the script (and some of the direction too) gave Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness a pretty messy feel. And hey, maybe that’s fitting for a multiverse movie? Still, the script and story beats could doubtless benefit from a bit more fine-tuning in this one. Hopefully, future Strange instalments will tighten things up a tad.

While the strained story progression was a bit of a damper for me, the positives of this movie still outweigh the negatives. So let's go out on a high note because we need to talk about the score! Okay, so it's Danny Elfman - we know it's going to be good. But holy moly, it was GOOD. From his spooky ambience and ominous twangs on the electric guitar to the climactic orchestral blow-out, there was no scene that wasn’t emphasised by Elfman’s musical prowess. Without giving anything away, there was even a scene containing a musical battle. Yes, that’s right. A musical battle. Sounds a bit cheesy, doesn’t it? Well, trust me, it's not. It's stunning.

So, overall, how was it?

Raimi’s first entry into the modern MCU is imperfect. There were times when the script felt downright awkward, and some scenes could benefit from a bit more honing, especially in terms of storytelling and overall purpose. But if there was going to be a Marvel movie in which messiness would feel fitting, it's a Doctor Strange film - and even more so, a multiverse film! It's visually beautiful with an undercurrent of grimy darkness, which lends itself to a unique and compelling atmosphere. It's probably not one for Marvel newbies, as you’ll need a lot of context to get the full kick. But for the more familiar fans of Strange, there are a million reasons to go see this movie. It's a weird, wonderful mess that’s sure to leave you reeling!

Have you seen Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness yet? If so, what did you think? And if not, are you excited? Let us know your take in the comments below!

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