'Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness' A Review

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness is a superhero sequel, the latest in the MCU saga. Strange(Benedict Cumberbatch) runs into America(Xochitl Gomez) who has the power to travel within the multiverse. She's on the run from monsters directed by a nameless threat that is quickly revealed to be Wanda(Elizabeth Olsen). Strange must save America at all costs because the fate of not only our world but all worlds depends on it!

The cast are all great actors but the is simply too much plotting to give them time to do much, if any, acting. There are few actual scenes between characters and the ones that are in the movie are seldom over 30 seconds. This is a problem because despite the all-universes-are-in-peril stakes this actually translates to almost no stakes as the people inhabiting the story, across the board, have little to no dimension. It's great to see Gomez(excellent in the Babysitters Club) the return of Ejiofor and Wong not to mention some fun multiverse cameos but it is simply not enough, there is virtually no depth or humanity involved to any of the characters and therefore all the CGI glitz and glam is kind of pointless. This is not the fault of the talented cast but the script. 

There is also some regressive character motivations at play that seemed to have been used exclusively for narrative efficiency. Wanda's heel turn is solely motivated by her not being a mother, she's driven literally insane and homicidal by the idea. This was handled in WandaVision with some nuance but here it is rendered as an offensive sterotype. Equally regressive is Dr. Strange's pining over Christine(the always excellent Rachel McAdams) which is, seemingly, the only arch his character has in this movie. He operates like a narcissistic and potentially dangerous ex-boyfriend and its played out as if its reasonable. Not to say this kind of movie needs to focus on character the same way an indie drama would yet the filmmakers have a responsibility to portray healthy human emotion given the reach of the MCU and regardless of all the spectacle real people have to inhabit it in order for it to be engaging.

Visually the movie is uneven, with some inspired sequences- the Illuminati, the music note battle, the multiverse travelling- but also some really clunky CGI- the fight with the one-eyed octopus monster at the beginning is laughable. The rest of the production design is servicable but suffers from the MCU's slick homogeny, it simply all feels the same. There is too much plotting and not enough fun going on and the idea of the multiverse is hardly actually utilized, its a wasted opportunity.

A bland disappointment, especially given the available multiverse alterative.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Don't See It.