- If you ever found yourself wondering how superhero movie history would have been different if Sam Raimi had kept making Marvel films, then Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness may be the goofy horror-inclined shlockfest for you. This time around, Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is working to rescue multiverse-traverser America Chambers (Xochitl Gomez) from the evil clutches of the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), who was a villain back before she became a hero back before she became a villain. They meet some people from other universes, including duplicate Drs. Strange and Scarlets Witch, and good more-or-less overpowers evil by the film's end.
- From the abrupt tone of this review, you might surmise that I'm getting tired of superhero movies, but nothing could be further from the truth. I could sit down and watch Iron Man, Black Panther, or any of the Captain America movies right now. The problem is that Marvel has set such a high bar for itself that truly mediocre entries like this one feel more like a throwback to...well, the early 2000s, back when Sam Raimi was running the Spider-Man series. Actually, things are even a little worse than that since the modern Marvel movie must also face the continuity demands imposed by the previous 27 films and various TV shows. Maybe transforming a troubled-yet-sympathetic hero like Wanda into a complete monster is something the fans would notice, hmmm?
- The best part of Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is an early battle with the giant one-eyed octopus (and Shuma-Gorath stand-in) Gargantos. Beyond that, there are some creatively designed universes that flit across the screen too quickly and a musical duel that could have been more fun than it was, but there's not much else to recommend this one. Benedict Cumberbatch seems more comfortable with his role this time around, while Xochitl Gomez is completely out of her depth. Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, and Chiwetel Ejiofor reprise their roles or variants thereof, and the movie crams in a bunch of cameos (Patrick Stewart, Hayley Atwell, Lashana Lynch, Anson Mount, John Krasinski, Cherlize Theron, and Bruce Campbell) to distract from the fact that it is too long, badly written, and stupid. I never thought I'd find myself looking back wistfully at the first Dr. Strange, but here we are.
- Danny Elfman handles the musical score, which is underwhelming aside from a reference to the 90s X-Men cartoon.
