Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness definitely has Sam Raimi's fingerprints on
it, but how far does that go and more importantly, is it a good story?
Well, I have mixed thoughts on the outcome, but I am happy that Sam Raimi
did bring some of his flair to the film and with a bit more polishing up, this might have
been one of the best MCU movies.
In this video, I'm going to be giving you my spoiler free
review of Doctor Strange 2, discussing all my thoughts on the latest MCU film.
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But without further a do, lets dive into my spoiler free review for
Sam Raimi's Doctor Strange 2.
So Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has finally released here in the UK and it's
clear that the multiverse has opened up and reached a tense point following previous entries.
After Loki and Spider-Man: No Way Home, we get quite a different viewpoint into this
clashing multiverse and while Doctor Strange doesn't have the crowdpleasing scenarios of
the latest Spider-Man film, I was hoping that this would
bring a unique flair to the formula of a Marvel movie, especially when Sam Raimi's attached
and you advertise it with him at the centre.
It definitely includes the entertainment and
cgi action that a traditional Marvel movie would include, but coupling that with Raimi's
style of pans, zooms and his Horror characteristics, makes this quite a mixed bag.
A lot of people are saying that it's the MCU's first horror movie and while I agree that
there are the characteristics present of that, the Marvel
formula and editing of this film doesn't make the horror stand out in a way that it could
have.
Maybe that's me having been subject to more psychological horror film, but I was
expecting more from that genre being apart of this.
The jump scares and CGI forms of horror didn't really scare me as much it might do for others,
and I think where this could have benefitted more from, is through the emotion
in the story.
That really does come through Wanda's character in brief scenes, but I think they could have
upped it in a more practical way.
For example, think of the hospital scene with Doc Ock in Spider-Man 2.
But like I was getting at, it's really down to the characters and story to help elevate
everything we see in the film, and while I found it fine, it wasn't
as emotionally engrossing as it could have been and I think it will be divisive amongst
differing viewers.
But it is definitely enjoyable because of the style that Raimi atatches to
all of it.
Coming to the plot of Doctor Strange 2, Sam Raimi definitely throws you right into the
madness, with quite the few opening chases and battles that a multiversal plot would
require.
We meet America Chavez, who's being chased by
a creature with a Doctor Strange from another universe, and our Strange wakes up and thinks
it was all a dream.
This is until Christine Palmer's wedding day becomes quite the eventful
one, with a creature called Gargantos arriving, and Strange meets America Chavez on the run.
He soon finds out that there's a connection to his dreams, and with the help of Wanda,
he goes off into the multiverse to confront a mysterious villain.
That is revealed quite quickly, and from here, there's plenty of twists and
turns.
But because this is a spoiler free review, I'm saving my extended discussion of these
events for my breakdown video, due out in a few days time.
But what did I think of what Raimi did with this plot and the final piece
he has put to screen.
Well as I was saying before, his style is definitely there, but a few things do bring
it down from being a better film.
Starting with the positive, I'm happy this isn't No Way Home in
that the fanservice and crowdpleasing moments take centre stage.
There is one brief section of the film that includes this kind of stuff, but even that
fits within the mould of the multiverse idea.
And there's not really a sense of the bigger multiverse shifting elements that you would
expect going in, so the movie get's to the point of what the characters are
aiming to achieve.
But then again, the limited explanation of this and the spectacle of a Marvel movie is
on full display, becoming quite relentless in the process.
There's no time to breathe, yet the visual style of the Multiverse
and different realities still keeps you satisfied.
This is aided by Sam Raimi's fingerprints because in moments we get the traditional
pans, tilts, zooms, and viewpoints that the filmmaker always puts on display.
There's moments that remind you of scenes from the original Spider-Man films and the
film even has a warmer filmic filter over the footage, making
it feel less studio managed at times.
Don't get me wrong all of the overly cgi frames and corny dialogue is still present to make
you feel the greater studio presence too, but
with the infuse of trippier sequences and the way they are handled, it does help to
elevate the Multiverse through the lens of Rami.
This does help to separate it more from the formula
than most MCU movies do.
This I really liked, and especially in that of Danny Elfman’s score, which builds a
greater sense of grander presentation that previous movies they worked
on would contain.
Whether it's piano notes or strings on a guitar, it helps to guide what's on screen, and it's
definitely one of the better Marvel scores of the last few years.
But coming more to those previously mentioned issues, while the action is quite entertaining
and has cues of what we want from a Sam Raimi Marvel movie, I think the editing and overall
pace of this film really goes over the top.
Yes it's supposed to be a multiverse of Madness and choas is supposed to take place, but some
of the editing feels very choppy and it messes with your focus at times.
Especially when we see an action by a certain character and then it immediately cuts to
a different scene.
And it also makes it clear that the plot on display isn't all that interesting.
Yes we have darker and deeper themes than we do in much of the usual MCU fair, and I
found this very compelling, but similar beats of the plot are
repeated throughout the film and it does get quite repetetive and exhausting.
We rush to another location or sequence without having the breathing room to smoothly transition
to it.
Now Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness doesn't feel necessarily safe as previous
movies did, and like I've said, I really appreciate that.
But if you going to attach a great filmmaker's flavour to the mix in the aim
to really do something different, you've got to go all in on that and trust one of the
masters of comic book cinema.
At times it doesn't feel like it's made by a committee and then in
other moments it feels quite messy in the way it's put together.
I honestly think this stems from the editing process and having a better pace
to it may have really elevated what I feel about the film and overall plot.
The best way I can describe it is if Marvel tried to replicate the style of Sam Raimi,
but couldn't quite give the authentic touch that he usually brings.
It's still entertaining and effective in sequences but in other moments it's like a replica of
a Sam Raimi film and I think going all the way with his approach may have been the
better option.
But one brighter thing to note is that Doctor Strange does have some great performances
in the mix of it all.
As I was saying before, Wanda is really the emotional element that makes
me engrossed in what's going on.
We could have got more of a pull from some of the other characters too, like America
Chavez, who is quite important in what's going on, but we only
really get the smallest of scenes to make us understand her pain.
And even the answer to that is quite weak in comparison to others.
Benedict Cumberbatch himself is also quite solid in
the film, and he has fun playing all the different versions of Strange, that again visually is
pretty good.
But other supporting characters like Wong and Christine Palmer, are really
only present to serve what's going on and bringing more of an emotional hook into the
film and the characters within that, could have really elevated all the pieces of the
puzzle.
But yes, Elisabeth Olsen's Scarlett Witch is quite
the bright example of that as we follow the events directly from Wandavision and it's
taken in quite the extreme way.
All of this was good and it shows that Marvel can really do
something emotionally compelling, even if it's not to the greatest of outcomes with
a weak plotline.
But overall, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is sure to be quite
the mixed entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Sam Raimi definitelly giving us something
more off the wall and in line with his work, but it's a film that does have various problems
in many areas.
But that was my spoiler free review for Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness.
I'm giving the film a rating of 7.5 out of 10.
But to those who have already seen it, what do you
think of Sam Raimi's MCU movie and do you agree with the points I have raised.
It's all subjective and I appreciate the range of reactions and reviews that you guys give,
so let me know down below in the comments section alongside
the things that stood out with your first impressions.
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