Harry Situation Reviews: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Things are about to get Strange in the MCU.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is the newest MCU movie featuring the (former) Sorcerer Supreme himself, Doctor Stephen Strange (reprised by Benedict Cumberbatch). Also returning is Benedict Wong as Wong, Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlett Witch, Rachael Adams as Christine Palmer, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo, and introducing Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez And for a special treat Spider-Man and Evil Dead trilogy director Sam Raimi takes over directing duties for the first time in almost a decade.

After aiding Peter Parker in No Way Home, Stephen Strange unfortunately finds that his actions have great consequences. When he encounters a girl named America Chavez and learns of her extraordinary ability to travel between Multiverses he must defend her against monsters and dark forces are crossing over that seek her power. But soon he will learn that the greatest threat may be himself from another universe. Or so it would appear.

The first positive goes to the performances. Everyone does an incredible job. I believe the biggest standouts are in fact Cumberbatch, Olsen, and Gomez. Cumberbatch is still the best choice to be the titular sorcerer. Olsen is just fantastic as the Scarlet Witch. There's a lot of emphasis on her character in this film and she goes through a major arc throughout. And Xochitl Gomez was great America Chavez. I'll admit I know almost nothing about the character of America Chavez, but after seeing this film I'm willing to check out more of her comics.

The visuals are still amazing. I think the visual effects team outdid themselves in this one. There's a scene where Strange and America Chavez are crossing Multiverses and it tops the trippy scene in the first film. I mean it. This was hella trippy. I'd be down watching it again in 3D... or on acid.

Composer Danny Elfman teams up with Sam Raimi again and he gives an epic score. The best use of his music came during a fight Doctor Strange was involved in and it actually involved musical notes, and you can hear the score be affected by the fight. It was pretty much a battle between Beethoven and Bach. It was amazing. I was grinning like an idiot watching that scene and hearing the music play out.

I do have a major gripe against a certain character in this movie: the villain. No, the villain is not lame in any way. In fact you might be surprised who the villain is. For the sake of not spoiler the movie I won't identify the character or by any certain pronouns. Let's just say that their actions throughout the movie have made me grow to hate that character. To clarify, there's nothing really wrong with the villain. The character is very well written and you do understand their motivations and what is driving them. It's just that some of the things they say to Doctor Strange like calling him a hypocrite despite the shit they pulled before.

Man, this is really hard to explain without spoiling it. Tell you what, if you've seen this movie and know who I am referring to, please send a me a message and I'll freely talk about why this character pissed me off every time they were on screen. For now, let's just say that their actions is similar to something they did in another MCU property, and just like that one they never received any repercussions for their actions (sorta).

There's also some cheesy moments scattered here and there. I mean, I expected as much from Sam Raimi movie, not so much from an MCU movie though. Honestly it doesn't take me out of the movie. Some cheese is good.

Overall Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness is another solid entry to the MCU. In my opinion, it's not as good as the first film but it's a good sequel that's fascinating and fun.

Positives:

-Stellar performances

-Character development & dynamics

-Trippy visuals

-Dark, horror elements

-Danny Elfman's score

Negatives:

-The villain's logic

-Some cheese

Final Grade: B

So those are my thoughts on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Have you seen it? What were your thoughts on it? What do you think your alternative universe self is doing right now? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and check out more reviews here on Prose!

Best Quote:

Doctor Strange: "Red means go?"

America Chavez: "Rule No. 1 about Multiversal travel: you don't know anything."

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