Dr. Stephen Strange casts a forbidden spell that opens the doorway to the multiverse, including alternate versions of himself, whose threat to humanity is too great for the combined forces of Strange, Wong, and Wanda Maximoff.
I’ll be brief in my review of Marvel’s latest regurgitation of tropes, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” I won’t even recount the messy plot. Disappointment is the prevailing sentiment. Like my esteemed colleague, I was excited when I found out that Sam Raimi — the legendary director behind the “Evil Dead” and original “Spider-Man” trilogies — was on board to direct. My excitement spiked when Michael Waldron, the scribbler behind one of the funniest, most inventive shows of all time, “Rick and Morty,” joined to pen the screenplay. Unlike my esteemed colleague, who praised the film in his review (which I found infinitely more entertaining and eloquent than the film), I failed to find much novelty in this bombastic affair.
For one, it fails to deliver on pretty much all fronts. Those expecting a psychedelic trip through a multitude of increasingly odd, mind-altering dimensions will feel let down. The film really isn’t all that trippy, Marvel utilizing the gargantuan budget for your basic CGI beasties, uninspired showdowns, and some dull inter-dimensional hopping. There’s so much that could have been done with the premise, and it certainly feels like the easiest, most routine way out was chosen. Quite a feat to make a film with a grandiose budget and sensational title, so blah.
Secondly, there’s Sam Raimi’s direction. Sure, there are plenty of times when his directorial stamp is evident: rapid-fire cuts, zoom-ins, and pans; some cheeky visual references and inventive camera placements; a somewhat-inspired cameo by his lifetime comrade Bruce Campbell; and nods to the “Evil Dead” franchise aplenty, especially towards the end, when Doctor Strange’s possessed alter-verse-ego clearly resembles the possessed Ash from Raimi’s classic (replete with demons/zombies).
Somehow though, it doesn’t add up. There are too many “heart-on-the-sleeve,” cringe-inducing moments, Raimi smearing the schmaltz in thick layers. The director’s goal seems to have been to kill two birds with one stone — inject Marvel fare with his custom flourishes while also abiding by the established Rules of MCU — but only slightly wounds them instead.
The film is neither quippy enough nor original enough to revolutionize Marvel like “Guardians of the Galaxy” or “Thor: Ragnarok” did, nor old-fashioned enough to be charming, like, say, “Iron Man 3”. What’s worse is the dialogue, crammed with groan-inducing one-liners and expository exchanges. Any 20-minute episode of “Rick and Morty” contains substantially more to chew on than the entire two hours of this “Doctor Strange” chapter.
Benedict Cumberbatch goes through the motions as Doctor Strange, curiously devoid of the enthusiasm and zing that was so evident in Scott Derrickson’s original entry. Newcomer Xochitl Gomez as multiverse-jumping hero America Chavez similarly fails to stand out; she’s lively enough, but what makes her performance unique? I’m sure a trillion teenagers will disagree, but I’m just being honest. If you introduce a new hero to the Marvel canon, you better make damn sure they are incredibly compelling.
Elizabeth Olsen is delegated to playing the villain, as the Scarlett Witch guides her actions throughout most of the narrative, which is a shame — after Disney Plus’s mind-fuck of a series, “WandaVision,” the character deserved more depth and nuance. Rachel McAdams fares worst in an utterly forgettable, side-lined, wide-eyed, “give me my paycheck” extended cameo; Benedict Wong is the saving grace as the always-reliable Wong.
I may be too harsh on the film. It’s certainly better than the disaster that was “The Eternals.” But then, I just watched Daniels’ “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which also dealt with the multiverse theory, albeit on a fraction of “Strange”’s budget. It delved into heady subjects like, as a friend of mine pointed out, “quantum theory according to the Everett interpretation,” but did so with tongue planted firmly in cheek, sometimes tender, often vulgar, side-splitting, and unabashedly creative. None of these adjectives apply to “Doctor Strange,” who wouldn’t know Hugh Everett from Harry Houdini.
In Theaters Friday, May 6th
