Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - Review
When we last saw Steven Strange, he was attempting to repair the cracks in the multiverse that he and Spider-Man had created, with that crisis averted, it was time for the good doctor to take a break and relax, but adventure soon calls again. Does Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness conjure up a wonderful tale, or is it more akin to an ever-waking nightmare?
Worry not good friends, this review is completely spoiler free, so you can read out without fear of reading something you may have wanted to avoid.
In the few times that we have seen Dr Strange now, we have seen him arrogant, humbled, sacrificial and even jovial, but when we catch up with him in this movie, he is lying to himself. Lying about what, that is something you will need to see the movie to discover, but while he is embracing that lie, screams are heard out he window and like any good hero, he jumps into action, or in his case flies. What this leads to is an adventure that is out of this world and the countless others that we see and while it does keep the story points in order, there are a few times when it jumps around a little sporadically, leaving those not paying attention a little lost. The word multiverse does appear in the title of the movie, so I don’t feel bad to tell you that he does venture to other worlds and it is in these worlds that we get to see him be more snarky, very much the doctor who loved to quote music trivia in surgery. The problem is that those moments are few and far between and while yes, they do have their moment, I find myself connecting to the character more, when he is like that, rather than all serious.
But in all seriousness, there is a lot to see in this movie, we get to see our world, as we have come to expect it from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, complete with a reference to Thanos and his snapping fingers. But it is when we visit other worlds, or even travel from world to world, that we start to get a sense of just how amazing the multiverse can be, from those similar to our own and those completely different, for a number of reasons. While the first Dr Strange took viewers on a trip, those with experimental histories may be able to explain better, this one tends to ground things more. Yes, there are a few of those, now famous, Dr Strange rotating building moments, but they are used more as roadblocks than threats. While we have seen Dr Strange in combat before, it seems in between hanging over the Grand Canyon in Spider-Man No Way Home and now, he has hit the gym and a few self defense classes as well.
What is incredible, is just how many versions of the one character, Benedict Cumberbatch gets to play, and yes visually, there are clear distinctions between each of them, some have the beard, some don’t, it is the mannerisms and speech patterns that change, letting you see what differences lie between them. Some of the characters get more time on the screen then others, but each time we see a new Dr Strange, it never fails to impress. Wong also has stepped up here, we got the throw away line in Spider-Man that he has become the Sorcerer Supreme and while there was some sense of what the role entailed in the first movie, here we get to see someone that the other mages respect, even if Dr Strange does not. Benedict Wong gives a wonderful performance, both as the master of Kamar-Taj, but also as the opposite to Cumberbatch’s Strange, not to say that one is good and one is bad, but more that between the two of them, when they are on screen together, they balance each other, which makes for some great moments.
Rachel McAdams has a more substantial role in this movie, above the love interest, but saying any more would be a spoiler. Of course, we can’t talk about a movie featuring Wanda Makimoff, without bring up Elizabeth Olsen, there are calls back to WandaVision, but if you have never seen that show, you won’t be at a loss here. While Wanda has left Westview behind, it clearly hasn’t let her move on, her actions in the movie are driven by loss. There are times when she also gets to interact with herself and those can be quiet interesting to watch, but I will stay quiet on the why. In fact, saying anything more about any of the other actors in the movie, would be spoiling major moments of the films, so I wont say anything more about that at all.
As I mentioned before, the movie is one of the most visually stunning ones that Marvel has created, yes there are some trippy scenes at times, but they are never used in excess, like in the first movie. It is the tonal shifts in the worlds that we visit, heck even the locations we visit in our universe are full of wonderful moments. It is easy to see when the action has shifted to another multiverse, because the tones of each scene have changed, the first one we see is darker at times, with a lot more blues, but when we are in our world, it is a lot warmer, oranges and reds. The colour shift is great, because it lets you keep on top of the action, without spending too much time wondering where you are, its akin to movies, like Guardians of the Galaxy, that plaster their location names on the screen. It is important to note that these shifts are not massive, is in you won’t get a slab of blue or red covering the screen, they are just used to highlight.
There is of course, a lot of CGI in this movie and for the most part, there are flawless shots all over the place, but there were a handful of times that I noticed that the visuals were not quite photorealistic, as it were. Why this was left in the movie, who can say, it could have been a lack of time or money, or maybe the shots were deemed ok for what they needed to be. While the times when you see it, they are more blink and it’s done, but there is one shot, that is pivotal to a sequence of events, where the CGI’ness of it is so pronounced, that you will have a hard time not seeing it. The end result of course doesn’t impact the story, but it will stand out and catch you of guard.
On the audio side of things, there are some wonderful themes and some strange, pun intended, uses of music, the main Dr Strange theme gets used a lot, sometimes it is the same pacing as the first movie, other times it plays out slower and a little more melancholy. There is a series of shots that use the theme, but it is played so slowly, that you will have a hard time realising it is the theme, so understated is it. There is a moment in the movie, where Dr Strange gets into a fight and for some reason, the music plays a pivotal role in it, the how and why is being left for you to discover, though I will say that it was the most inventive use of music, that I have seen in a long time and given I play a lot of video games that use music in different ways, that is saying something.
the entire saga of the MCU. It has characters that we know and love and the new additions to the cast, do fit right in and combined managed to take us on an adventure that is literally out of the world. There are some amazing uses of colour and music in this movie, some of them being more unique than anything else around. The movie does contain a little more gore than any other Marvel movie, excluding Deadpool, so be forewarned on that, but even with that, the story and stakes are both interesting and rewarding.
The Score
9.5
Review acess provided by Disney
The Pros
+The jump from universe to universe never feels to out of place, helped with the use of colour
+A lot of the cast get to play multiple roles and they each feel distinct, while strangely familiar
The Cons
-There is one character that feels under used
-The ending, right before the credits begin is a hard cut and feels out of place
