Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness Spoiler Free Review
How you feel about the movie Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness depends on your expectations. Personally I had none. America Chavez is a new character for me, I have no prior knowledge of who her comic book counterpart is. I’d heard of (Marvel’s) Illuminati only through trailer breakdowns and theories based on them. I’ve seen all the newest Marvel shows on Disney+, I’m up to speed when it comes to Wanda and her missing kiddos. Also, Wong is always a delight and Christine? No slight to Rachel McAdams, but Christine’s just there-doing her thing.
The real hero in this movie is apparently Sam Rami whose name I’ve heard and read just as many times as any actor or character that’s in this film. I never thought this movie would be a challenge for him and I think he really nails it. It’s got monsters! It’s got zombie Dr. Strange! It’s got a wicked witch! Jump scares! Magic, spirits, and a truck load of special FX to pull it all off.
While, I’m still processing the entire thing I feel-just like time travel-once you introduce the ability to hop from one universe to another you introduce inherent problems. This results in all sorts of questions but no answers. For instance, If someone is missing in another universe, were they ever born? Is the same character a hero or a villain? If you travel to a multiverse do you inadvertently create a new reality in that timeline that spins off into infinity? Again, questions that have no answers because the movie doesn’t take the time to set some ground rules.
When no one explains the rules but says: “go play!” Chaos ensues. And that’s pretty much what happens in The Multiverse of Madness. Which…may be the point? I realize I’m not giving you anything really substantial but these are the thoughts the movie left me with. So what did I think of the film?
As a ride or die MCU devotee…go see the movie. If you’re like me, no amount of reviews-good or bad-will stop you. There are really great fan service-y moments in the movie which were exciting and made me smile. Subtle nods-even if it was just in the movie’s score-that made 19 year-old-me sit up and say, “Whaaaat!” There’s a host of character cameos that-though brief-was fun to see. The action scenes were great! Zombie Dr. Strange was awesome! Likewise, I dug America Chavez and what she could do for the MCU going forward. Even though the movie’s got Dr. Strange’s name attached to it, by the end of the film I only found myself worrying about Wanda Maximoff.
The film does try to focus on Dr. Strange-for fleeting moments-to give him some sort of emotional narrative. Certainly in an effort to tie this film to the first Dr. Strange movie. But, I’m just not concerned with the state of Strange and Christine’s relationship. By contrast I feel like Wanda and Vision are the MCU’s first real power couple. After watching WandaVision over a year ago and-knowing how that show ended-I found myself rooting for Wanda. That she would find the peace that she’s looking for. The movie is nearly centered on why that is so…complicated. In the end, let’s be honest, we all know Dr. Strange will be alright. What makes me uneasy is the fear that Wanda won’t.