(film review) - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

What I will say first and foremost is that, I have taken a little time to think about this movie before I wrote this for a few reasons. By no way am I trying to justify this movie's shortcomings on the pandemic and reshoots, but more on how the movie was actually presented to me in the end. The end result in which everyone watched and from the buzz I am hearing, seems to be dividing people. I would like to say secondly, this movie is not trash, it is not terrible, it is not rubbish, though I really really enjoyed this film, I do believe this film lacks something that could have made this movie great (in my eyes of course), but this film...for me anyway, is good, really good...but not great. I'll explain.

After the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Stephen Strange finds himself having nightmares that seem very real. In a nightmare, Strange is running with a young girl named America Chavez however, he soon bumps into her finding out not only is this young girl special, but in a vast multiverse with many different realities, there are many different threats that threaten the world and also, many different Doctor Stephen Strange's. Strange must find a way to stop these demonic forces and threats so he seeks out Wanda Maximoff for help.

This is a very divisive movie for a few reasons.  This is a horror movie. For those who do not like horror, will be turned off by this. I will say that the horror is light in comparison to actual horror movies, but the elements and themes are still there. This is a Sam Raimi movie who is also known for horror and there is a specific style of directing he carries out in his movies. It is like campy or slapstick, maybe? It is dark comedy infused with horror and that style may not be for everyone. This is a Marvel movie and although it is not imperative to watch all the other 20+ movies before it, some of those movies can help paint the narrative and storyline as to what is happening in this movie as well as watching the TV show, WandaVision.

With that said, what did I think of the movie?

I feel the movie is divisive for me for a few reasons, but overall, I really enjoyed it but could have enjoyed it more due to a few things I feel was missing. Although this movie shows the growth of Stephen, it also shows us the personal struggles he has along with trying to be the Scorcher Supreme.  The character is still learning and Benedict owns the character. As for Wanda, excellent! Elizabeth Olsen does a fantastic job here and a lot of the movie is carried by her acting and storyline, but I do feel, more could have been done to help flesh out the character more for those who did not see WandaVision. Whilst Xochitl Gomez is brilliant in the role, I felt more could have been done with her and her abilities. Which leads me onto the Multiverse of it all. Maybe it is Marvel trying not to show their hand too much for what is to come, but a film called 'The Multiverse of Madness' needed more Multiverse......and madness. It is not like, what we get is not good, but what we got was lacking. I am under the impression that this film could have been and could quite well have been longer, but it was cut short.

Sam Raimi has always been great with visuals so there is no loss there, but the music was equally just as good. The film is a little choppy and very fast paced whilst although there was an element of character development which dragged the movie a tiny bit, I just felt more character development should have been done to help flesh out the motivations of these characters, leaving the movie feeling a little rushed. There is also a scene with music I thought was a little corny at first but I ended up enjoying it.

This movie could have been soo much more and whilst there are some great and amazing visuals and moments, the film does lack that little bit more, like a spicy kick to help deliver the material in a more meatier fashion. I mean, Endgame was meaty, why could this not be just as meaty? And we cannot say due to timing constraints, especially when some Marvel movies do not shy from being 2-3 hours long. Have a watch and let me know how you feel.

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