It’s a great relief that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness can authentically be called a Sam Raimi movie. That might be the most important thing at the end of the day; because Marvel’s hasty hiring of Raimi after parting ways with the first films' director Scott Derrickson over what appeared to be attempts to push the character into stronger horror territory, seemed to suggest this was yet another work for hire job from an acclaimed creative filmmaker. The marketing supported this, honing in on interconnectivity to other Marvel products and implying fan service cameos in the trailers. By every indication, Raimi’s voice on the first film he’s directed in nine years looked to be muted.
But it is a great fortune that either Raimi couldn’t be so easily suppressed or Marvel actually respected his agency enough as a filmmaker that his Doctor Strange movie turned out to really be a Sam Raimi Doctor Strange, or as much as is possible within the framework of the MCU. It does still have to abide by a lot of those rules, which do in some instances undermine it and restrain it from its’ full potential. However, in and around those cracks is a Marvel movie more interesting and exciting than most.
Raimi of course is in some ways a father of the MCU, the superhero mega-franchise being directly descended from his much revered early 2000s Spider-Man trilogy. And he does well to remind us of that early on with a fantastic classical superhero scene involving a monster in Manhattan and a hero actually saving civilians -it’s very specifically reminiscent of Spider-Man 2 in fact, but with its’ own energy. And it doesn’t take long for Raimi to inject his stylistic flare into the action. I think even if you were unaware of Raimi’s reputation in relation to his work on this film, you would notice the craft is on another level than what’s typically expected from Marvel. His camera moves in dynamic ways, he utilizes push-ins and gorgeous cross-fades, his transitions are impeccable and his visual effects are shot with expressive motion and eloquence that actually gives them some character. And once it gets into the multiverse of things, even more opportunities arise for Raimi to flex some creative muscle as he steers the film tonally into alien regions for Marvel -which will probably put off several segments of fans.
To set some context first, the film largely follows Benedict Cumberbatch’s Strange trying to protect a young girl called America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) who has the power to travel the multiverse and is being pursued by the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), in the first instance of an established hero of the MCU becoming a villain. Her goal is to sap America of her powers so she can search the multiverse herself for a reality where she has her children -as depicted in WandaVision, and yes this movie does require you to watch that series and its’ awful finale.
This plotting isn’t developed terribly well, and especially the Wanda stuff, for as much of a departure as it is, rubs up against the more intrepid choices being made by Raimi. It’s the only area where the film seems especially beholden to continuity, but even there it’s not all that clean. Wanda’s arc requires the backstory of WandaVision to be effective, yet her characterization is still put through the ringer as she does some truly horrible things depicted with a brutality foreign even to some of Marvel’s cruelest villains. There is something fascinating in these actions being in pursuit of a specific fantasy, a lost dream, and Olsen plays it very well. But the efforts to humanize the character amidst all this aren’t permitted the substance to be effective, certainly not in this movie alone, and it makes for some unsatisfying beats.
These aren’t confined to Wanda’s share of the story though, and in fact Michael Waldron’s script is a little haphazard in its’ handling of such story threads. America’s tragic backstory is given a single brief acknowledgement, while Strange’s relationship with his ex Christine (Rachel McAdams) -a relationship that by each’s admission didn’t really amount to anything but some regret on Strange’s part- takes up greater real estate in what seems to be a clear effort to give McAdams (who was already vastly underutilized in the first film) more screen-time. There’s allusion to a trust issue between America and Strange given the actions of one of his multiverse counterparts that is never much fleshed out either -Strange constantly having to justify himself against preconceptions from other realities is what counts for his own character journey. But he’s never made to question his methods or his ego.
Yet these deficiencies in story and character are easy to take in the miasma of Raimi’s vision. And even the most egregious Marvel ploys are rendered palatable under his sway. In one universe, Strange is arrested for the crimes of his counterpart by an equivalent to the Avengers made up of four cameos and one hilarious bit of stunt casting. It’s little more than strikingly shallow, naked I.P. gloating until Raimi gets to turn the tables on it with one of the most gleefully extreme sequences in the MCU -a reminder that this is the guy who made Drag Me to Hell. And in fact, his horror roots do show in this movie, which often seems more in debt to Evil Dead 2 than his Spider-Man trilogy. There’s been ridiculous discourse on these horror elements being too much for Marvel or its’ PG-13 rating (in fact it’s the only MCU movie that honestly earns a PG-13), but things such as the movies’ body count, the appearance of blood, and some gnarly if never too graphic imagery does lend it a welcome edginess over the studios’ other products. It feels like genuine stakes are in play because of this, casting the Scarlet Witch as a more formidable villain and emphasizing greater gravitas in the token MacGuffin -a book that, in Raimi fashion, is this universe’s version of the Necronomicon. Even if the movie is tame compared to actual horror flicks, it’s still the kind of thing Marvel couldn’t have gotten away with even a few years ago. And it makes the case for Raimi as the right director, because his choices in relation to these elements are just about the best part of the movie -especially going into the last act, which sees the weirdest and most captivating of several Doctor Stranges introduced throughout.
As you can imagine, Benedict Cumberbatch is given more licence in this film and, in spite of some hollow characterization, delivers fairly well, and is having a great time with at least one of these other Doctor Stranges. As stated, Olsen is really good and Gomez, at the forefront of a lot of the movie, holds her own quite capably. Benedict Wong, who is given more prominence and action than in any Marvel movie yet, might be the stand-out though. Or he would be if it weren’t for Bruce Campbell showing up (as is standard for a Raimi project) in one of the greatest cameos of this entire franchise -and I am including the late Stan Lee. It’s a shame Michael Stuhlbarg was likewise relegated to a cameo though, wasted here as he was in the last film. McAdams is given more screen-time, though allotted precious little material of substance. And rounding out the trifecta of over-qualified actors the film is obligated to use is Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo, once set up to be the next Doctor Strange villain, here only appearing as an alternate universe mini-boss to temporarily obstruct Strange’s mission.
As expected, not a whole lot is done with the multiverse concept; the movie isn’t much about exploring realities or causality, it is merely a plot device. It hasn’t anywhere near the ambition or creativity of an Everything Everywhere All at Once -which is honestly good because it keeps the film at least relatively focused and allows it to exist in contrast (it’s interesting that where universes were determined by life choices in EEAAO, in this movie it’s all based in dreams). But even in its’ limitations, Raimi can make it captivating -visually and tonally- in ways that so rarely make it to the big-budget movie scene these days. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a shaky movie, with several components that aren’t up to snuff, but it is a delight to watch; one of the few Marvel movies that can rightfully be called unexpected and bold.
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