Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness Review

 

 Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness Review

by Akshat Agarwal

It is truly fascinating how the Internet has changed the film industry. Besides streaming services, far more publicized and accessible casting data means that people are able to predict with ease quite a few of the plot twists that a movie might attempt to have. 

To Marvel’s credit, they do try to lean into this and by creating this massive cinematic universe, they have created a niche entertainment model wherein people will spend hours reviewing trailers and movies frame by frame to then speculate on what might be in the movie. Unfortunately for Marvel, like all sciences, these YouTubers and TikTokers are getting rather good at speculating to the point where a lot of the twists of Multiverse of Madness fell short. 

In an unfortunately more common occurrence with regards to Marvel movies, I find myself having mixed feelings for Doctor Strange. The CGI was a little disappointing and although we were supposed to see Sam Raimi’s signature horror, I feel like the movie just fell flat. 

I will say that it was probably a smart move to reveal that Wanda was the villain early on in the movie considering almost everyone had deduced that much, but the inconsistencies in Wanda’s power is amazing. She feels the need to take America’s power in case her boys get sick and the cure doesn’t exist in that universe but as numerous people pointed out on the Internet: she can literally alter reality. She could simply just magic out any disease. They also just refused to develop her character: she kills herself instead of learning to live with her grief. 

America Chavez was a pretty cool character and honestly they did a pretty good job with her. I would say the same for Wong. Both provided excellent humor and were welcome additions to the movie. Xochitl Gomez and Benedict Wong gave excellent performances. 

I have to be honest -  I am also slightly frustrated that Stephen isn’t the Sorcerer Supreme. It almost feels like the movie wasn’t about him becoming a better sorcerer. We see him repeatedly be told that his variants like Ponytail, 3Eyes, and 838 Stephen were all arrogant and dangerous and just when it seems that he is not like them, he uses the Darkhold and gets a third eye. 

I, like almost everybody, do not understand why Marvel would just allow a bunch of their iconic characters to be destroyed so soon after their introductions. I imagine they were trying to make Wanda seem like a massive threat, but it really was just a waste of characters. Reed Richards (who was rightfully played by John Krasinski), supposedly the smartest man alive, just revealed valuable information to Wanda. I can see how he and Captain Carter were easily killed, given the different scales of power they had versus Wanda, but Wanda should not have been able to kill Captain Marvel that easily. 

Additionally, they wasted Partick Stewart’s Professor X, though I do appreciate them tying in the 1997 show. He should have been able to do so much more in Wanda’s mind. It is his domain of power after all. Maybe I’m missing the point of the scene but I am honestly unsatisfied with how they treated two of my favorite characters (Mister Fantastic and Professor X). 

This movie simply gave me the impression that Marvel wants to dip its toes in the multiverse but is afraid to do anything serious with it right now. 

If you want a multiverse movie, watch Spiderman: No Way Home, not this. 

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