_{By: Amanda Guarragi}

Diving into the multiverse is always a dangerous feat. Not because of magical creatures, witchcraft, or breaking dimensions, but because of how many possibilities there are. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) explained all of this in Infinity War, but now, it’s visually explained to audiences through Sam Raimi’s vision. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has Raimi written all over it, but the script, which was written by Michael Waldron unfortunately clashes with his ideas. Madness and chaos are always welcome when discussing the multiverse, but if it’s disjointed, then the grand scale of the story gets lost. In a way, it did feel balanced, but it also didn’t. It’s a conflicting movie with very strong elements and some fumbles along the way.

Raimi opened Multiverse of Madness with plenty of action as he set up America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) and her purpose in the universe. Even though Chavez doesn’t have much screen time or even much to do other than being protected by Doctor Strange, audiences will get a feel for her character. Gomez grows on you as the film goes on because of her quick backstory and her power set. When Chavez meets Earth-616 Doctor Strange things get interesting. The first act is straightforward and Waldron allows Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) her time to shine. Every single scene with Wanda Maximoff is played out and Raimi let those scenes breathe. The contents of the Darkhold are explored through Scarlet Witch and Raimi makes it a visual spectacle by leaning into those horror elements.

Sam Raimi was able to pull elements from his previous films to make an MCU horror film to be remembered. From the extreme close-ups to wide shots, to stunning transitions, Raimi’s mark was made in the MCU. He knows how to build anticipation and create so much tension by filling the room with silence and he lets the visuals speak for themselves. The sound design combined with his camerawork for certain scenes, plus the genius score by Danny Elfman presented the horrific side of the Scarlet Witch and what Doctor Strange is capable of. This is a visual feast to finally show off their power set and it worked for what it was. At some point, the story did lean more towards Wanda and we lost Strange a bit.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a film that has two conflicting ideas and it seems like certain elements were placed there out of convenience. If it weren’t for Sam Raimi’s style and love for horror then this wouldn’t have been enjoyable. On the surface, it’s a very fun, chaotic, and interesting movie, but once you dive into the character arcs, that’s where it falters. Even though it may feel enjoyable, you still leave the theatre wondering what actually happened and where Doctor Strange even goes from here. The takeaway from Multiverse of Madness is that Elizabeth Olsen continues to shine in this role and no amount of screen time will be enough. And even though this is a sequel to the first Doctor Strange it could not feel more detached from that world that was created.