Director: Sam Raimi
Notable Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen,
Xochitl Gomez, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Jett Klyne, Julian Hilliard
Although I am not the biggest fan of the first Doctor
Strange, a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film that continually seems to
garner and convert fans year after year, even I was hyped for its sequel, Doctor
Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The combination of director Sam Raimi
at the helm and the fact that it was reportedly a direct continuation of the
events from WandaVision (a show that easily ranks as one of the most
fascinating and best uses of the MCU formula to retcon characters that were
horrifically misused or underused in previous films), made this sequel a must
see for me. Not that I would have skipped an MCU movie in theaters, but the
stars seemed to align with this one. The question remained, how much would
Disney and Marvel try to water down the film to get it to mix with general
audiences?
Fortunately, for this reviewer, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse
of Madness, which will just be referred to as Doctor Strange 2 from
this point on - although I am tempted to call it 2 Strange 2 Multiverse
for the sake of being ‘that guy’, is one that hits its mark. It’s not
necessarily the best film for MCU fans, but it might be one of the more
entertaining ones in the franchise and it delivers in some surprising ways that
allow it to overcome its faults. Although the film requires some stretching and
formula establishment to get moving, the latter moments of the film Doctor
Strange 2 have so much energy and oddities under its cloak that it does
find its voice.