Despite featuring a villain who turned half of humanity into dust, Marvel has often been seen as the family-friendly brother to the darker shades of DC. This a universe where heroes quip, save the day, and always seem to escape the clutches of death - right? Well, not quite. You might think you know the MCU formula inside and out, but on the evidence of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, this universe still has the capacity to surprise, and even to scare.
When the live-action multiverse first opened up in Spider-Man: No Way Home, it presented infinite possibilities for MCU film-makers. Sure, seeing heroes high-fiving other versions of themselves is cool, but the multiverse could also now be exploited by evil forces looking to manipulate alternate realities. And who better to navigate these nightmarish scenarios than Sam Raimi, a director who not only helmed the Spider-Man trilogy, but oversaw the gory craziness of Evil Dead?
In a bracing opening sequence, we see an alternative reality version of Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) losing his life while protecting a mysterious super-powered kid, America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), from a fearsome beast. Back to our version of earth, and a dejected Strange watches on as his former lover Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams) gets married to a man who isn’t him. Before he can drown his sorrows in some cake, he runs into America and another ill-meaning monstrosity, sent by someone who wants to steal her power - multiversal travel.
This is where the madness of the title comes in. Instead of trying to outdo the spectacle of No Way Home, this completely changes tact, swapping Marvel’s usual light-heartedness for the sensibilities of a horror chase movie (there’s even a groovy cameo for horror aficionados). After a wicked twist that is difficult to talk about without spoiling, Raimi’s film goes to some truly unexpected places. With effective jump-scares, grisly deaths, and a Carrie inspired chase sequence, this fully pushes the boundaries of its child-friendly rating. Doctor Strange’s first director Scott Derrickson flirted with horror elements, but here is the closest that Marvel has come to full-blown slasher.
At times, the multiversal hijinks on display here means that some characters get short-shifted - particularly McAdams, who doesn’t get a lot to do here. For the most part though, Raimi and screenwriter Michael Waldron are able to deliver crowd-pleasing reveals and perfect character moments without sacrificing the quality of the story-telling.
Gomez makes for a smart-mouthed foil to Strange, even if her character doesn’t get as much development as Strange’s last web-headed protege. Meanwhile, Wong (Benedict Wong) is absolutely loving the title of Sorcerer Supreme, much to the amusing annoyance of Strange. While he does occasionally feel side-lined amid all of the chaos, Cumberbatch uncovers new layers to the Master of the Mystic Arts, whose journey from self-important surgeon to selfless hero is convincingly played.
There’s an interesting counterpoint between Strange and Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), who handle unhappiness in their realities in very different ways. In truth, though this is a Doctor Strange film, at times this feels more like an extension of the excellent WandaVision. Still dealing with the aftermath of those events, Olsen threatens to steal the show, nailing the sorrow of someone who regularly dreams of the life and family she sacrificed. As her loss develops into simmering resentment, you can completely see how she comes to embrace the unhinged moniker of Scarlet Witch.
Featuring super-powered beings like Strange, Wanda and America, the film’s creative action sequences are a feast for the eyes. Musical notes become weapons, bodies are contorted, and one jaw-dropping scene sees our heroes switch between a visually diverse range of realities, from live-action to cartoon. But Raimi saves his best for last - a demonic and visually ambitious final act that could be the fuel of nightmares. Marvel might not be so family-friendly after all.
With imaginative action sequences, assured scares and audacious plot developments, Raimi has masterminded Marvel’s loopiest - and scariest - film to date.
It’s not quite as good as the first one and it could’ve benefited from being a bit longer (to flesh out parts of the storyline)… but it’s still a good movie.
while watching multiverse of madness i kept asking myself why the movie felt like a horror fantasy movie from the 90s to early 2000s then the credits rolled and the director was sam raimi anyways i love this for xochitl gomez so much ❤️ wish her all the success !! she rly was the only reason i watched the movie lol
