Certificate: 12A
Running time: 126 minutes
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Rachel McAdams
Directed by: Sam Raimi
The story: Doctor Strange faces a shocking new adversary as he finds himself traversing the many dangerous realities of the multiverse.
The verdict: I couldn’t help but feel a little bit like a naughty child whilst watching this film. Not because there is anything childish about the film (there definitely isn’t - more on that later) but because I think this may end up as one of the most divisive entries of the MCU thus far. I can’t wait to see the bemoaned cries of those who take umbridge with certain elements, fully knowing that those elements are likely to be the ones I enjoyed the most.
As you can imagine if you ask an acclaimed horror director to direct a film, then don’t be surprised when the result is a film that could give you nightmares. Sam Raimi thrives in the horror genre and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has scenes that wouldn’t be out of place in a horror film. Can any other MCU films boast jump scares? Not that I can remember. As such, and going back to a previous point, this might be one to consider a bit more carefully before you organise a family cinema trip with the kiddies. Whilst proceedings will be tame for the diehard horror aficionados, there are definitely some scary bits and more bloody violence than fans are used to. I absolutely loved this diversion into horror - all it did was prove to me that the MCU still has the ability to shock and excite me.
Elsewhere, fans can be assured that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is standard Marvel fare. It’s big, bold and bursting with visual effects. Though the MCU films have always been crammed full of visual effects, recently I have noticed even more that these effects are really the absolute best in the game. One sequence in particular had me staring at the screen wide eyed in appreciation - this film felt really action-packed and the action definitely outweighed the quieter and more emotional moments.
By now, one has to assume that anyone going to see this film is a fan and knows the characters and backstories well. However I think this may be the first MCU film in which familiarity with the Marvel tv shows will also give you a strong advantage. Audiences also expect to be surprised by any number of cameos and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness approaches this somewhat differently to previous films - again this may prove divisive.
My only real complaint with the film was that I don’t think it’s necessarily the strongest when it comes to the writing. At times the plot felt slightly tenuous and I felt that this was predominantly a ‘set up’ film for things to come. That wasn’t a massive issue for me because I’m excited for what it set up but yet again I fear this may be another reason that this film proves divisive. That being said one aspect of the writing that I did really like was the way Doctor Strange has evolved and the way he’s been given space to evolve yet again.
I may be completely wrong in assuming that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will have a discordant effect on fans, however past experience has shown that MCU films which follow juggernauts such as Spider-Man: No Way Home tend to divide audiences more as expectations are sky high.
Nevertheless, I can’t deny that I had a blast with this. For a start it helped that so much of this film plays into things I love. Doctor Strange and Wanda are two of my favourite characters, visually their powers are probably my favourite too and I really love horror. As such it was easy for me to be swept up in the film and thoroughly enjoy it. I enjoyed it so much that I was tempted to throw caution to the wind and give it five stars. However, I recently gave Spider-Man: No Way Home five stars and this probably isn’t as good as that so for now it’s…
The rating; ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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