Directed by:
Sam RaimiScreenplay:
Michael WaldronCinematography:
John MathiesonComposer:
Danny ElfmanCast:
Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Julian Hilliard, Jett Klyne, Sheila Atim, Adam Hugill (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
Journey in the unknown in Marvel Studio’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. When the MCU unlocks the Multiverse, Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) must enlist help from old and new allies as he traverses mind-bending and dangerous alternate realities in order to confront a surprising adversary. Enter a new dimension of Strange in this supernatural adventure filled with plot twists and exhilarating action sequences. (Disney / Buena Vista)
(more)Videos (4)
Reviews (12)
I'd say the new Doctor Strange film is extremely big-headed, in every way. Ever since the announcement, they've been trying to promote how groundbreaking it will be by making it the first "Marvel horror movie", but holy crap, I have no idea why they would even want to say that. Overall, I have mixed feelings because the bad wasn't outright bad, but the negatives probably outweigh the positives, and I simply can't be fully satisfied. A lot of things don't make sense, and they break the rules as they see fit (one minute the main villain has a problem with several apprentices, and then the next minute she's crushing the most powerful five heroes // nonsensical use of abilities // in one scene she's flying and in another she's limping slowly, but she just won't use flying - and these are just a few of the many glaring things). There's no time for dialogue, and no time for emotion, so there's a rushed jumping from scene to scene with only terse sentences that just come across as awful, and in a field of only two hours, the film is just insanely rushed and would have been better suited to a slower series. Motivations and character development are leaps and bounds transformations that don't feel consistent and the multiverse itself is also without rules, allowing the filmmakers to do and make up whatever they want, from all sorts of new variations on old characters to bizarre worlds to comically laugh-inducing scenes in the cinema. In the end, it's just a terribly weird-looking affair that still has its quality, but when I ask myself "Where have we come since The Avengers?", I find that I've grown very uncomfortable with the MCU's development, and it looks like it's heading into a very big mess that's going to be very hard to climb out of.
()
With great power comes great responsibility and with almost unlimited power comes ... MADNESS! The new Doctor Strange could have been made in pretty much any way given the storylines in the recent MCU films and the central character's abilities, and I was curious to see how Sam Raimi, creator of Spider-Man as well as cult horror films, would handle it. The film is not lacking in some decent scares, imaginative scenes (a "musical fight" like in Scott Pilgrim) and creepy characters, yet Raimi could have easily pushed the envelope further, as some of the characters were dispatched out of frame in a grimly manner. The multiverse also certainly had more potential, on the other hand, the film fortunately didn't become an outright mess. The newcomer America was more rather bland, but I enjoyed more than one cameo, which the film was brimming with. The first end-credit scene brought another Oscar-winning actress into the MCU, though I wonder if it wasn’t a "one-off". It's not a pure four stars, but I was entertained in the cinema for the full two hours, and that's what counts.
()
It’s quite... Well... Ordinary. The plot is fine, although if I had seen WandaVision I would have found my way to it faster and wouldn't have had to wait for the film to explain what it was all about. But that doesn't hide the biggest problem. Most of the new Doctor Strange felt “meh”. The new young character wasn't properly introduced, she was just there and everything started to revolve around her. Strange and Wong have abilities more like Green Lanterns than the mystics from the first movie, that semi-camp atmosphere that Sam Raimi had in his Spiderman movies doesn't suit Strange either in my opinion, every now and then something happens just because someone thought it was a good idea to make it happen, but it doesn't make much sense... And the horror, which sometimes really reigns supreme, is again – unfortunately – balanced by not very good jokes. And then there's the multiverse, which I had so many hopes for, but which is hardly used at all! The characters can theoretically jump from one world to another, but they spend most of the film in two, and the one in which the expected cameos take place (which are also no big deal) is quite boring and differs mainly because it switches to red. For example, Avengers: Endgame used time travel a hundred times more imaginatively. It’s a shame. I watched Strange's first film a few days before going to the cinema and liked it much better. PS: Danny Elfman didn't really pull it off either, because he uses Giacchino's great motif, but his own music is not very interesting. PPS: I don't think Strange has much to envy Black Widow's solo outing, and it's certainly no worse than the recent Morbius, so I'm quite curious to see how the critics will handle it :)
()
A playful, but rather oversimplified sequel to the story about an arrogant surgeon who turned his hand to magic takes us to other worlds, but also into his subversive inner self. During the opening of the movie, Raimi came up with a surprise parallel on the west Russian conflict, and also with an ending involving a demonic resurrection and all-in-all inconsistent storytelling. The second Strange would have benefitted from about a half hour extra to give Raimi the chance to give the multiverse a good long cuddle and also give the sub-stories the chance to take off a bit. I don’t believe that Waldron’s screenplay was to blame; this is more like studio intervention to bring the running time down to a more sensible length. The guest appearances are fine as a whole, but I’m not at all thrilled about one choice by casting department, so that means minus one point. The horror make-up is awesome (eyeballs dropping out of sockets!), but rotting cadavers, impressive deaths and pieces of body dropping off indicate that Disney is willing to turn a blind eye occasionally and please orthodox fans with a bit of gore. But will it be enough? Are you happy?
()
“The most horror Marvel movie” tag is about as meaningful as “the hottest ice-cream”. Sure, the second Doctor Strange isn't as funny as, say, the latest Thor or Guardians of the Galaxy, but it won’t make your stomach churn, so to speak. While there is a Sam Raimi feel to it at times, I personally was hoping for a wilder, bolder, and well, crazier ride with a film subtitled "in the multiverse of madness", but it sticks within the safe confines of harmless fun and classic Marvel template. And it's a shame, because the potential was immeasurable and for the first time in a while Marvel could have operated with a non-generic "new" villain (clearly the film's strongest point). On a scene-by-scene level, it's occasionally great (Raimi's directorial input), too bad it's not supported by a more polished script.
()
Gallery (55)
Photo © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
![Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/166/209/166209975_11a3b2.jpg)
Ads