Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) surprisingly isn't as crazy as the title implies. This is not a negative, mind you. In fact, the story is relatively easy to follow for audience members who are entirely caught up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Disney+ series WandaVision (2021) and Loki (2021). Said shows' themes of love, grief, and the multiverse return, but in a considerably elevated fashion, to the point where the movie becomes a literal horror flick. All kinds of twists and turns are prevalent in this movie, so here is my spoiler-filled review of the latest entry in the MCU without further ado.
The movie takes place shortly after the multiverse-shattering events of Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) and Loki (2021-present), where different universes begin to collide with each other, and Doctor Stephen Strange (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) has to team up with his mentor, Wong (played by Benedict Wong), to protect dimension-hopping America Chavez (played by Xochitl Gomez) from Wanda Maximoff, a.k.a. Scarlet Witch (played by Elizabeth Olsen), whose actions pose a growing threat to them and the multiverse.
Performance-wise, Cumberbatch delivers once again as Doctor Strange and his multiverse variants, for not only does he display his commanding presence, wry charisma, and dry wit, but he also showcases a wide range of personalities with the individual variants, from cold and authoritative with the Defender version at the beginning, to sardonic and creepy with the Sinister incarnation. The main Strange also takes the time to make peace with his past through his ex-fiancé Christine Palmer (played by Rachel McAdams) and her alternate universe counterpart, which I thought was rather profound. Wong's return as, well, Wong, is more than welcome as he gets considerably more screentime, action scenes, and a more prominent role in the story as Strange's mentor and partner. As was revealed in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Wong has been given the title of Sorcerer Supreme in the five-year absence of Strange after the latter was snapped out of existence between Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). I enjoyed this upgrade considerably, as it further humbles Strange's somewhat arrogant persona after saving the universe multiple times. It also allows Strange to respect and put others ahead of himself, which he has often struggled with over the years. Gomez's freshman performance as America Chavez proves incredibly likable and sympathetic, given her emotional journey with the various Doctor Stranges she encounters and coming to grips with embracing her unique set of powers of opening portals to different dimensions across the multiverse.
However, the real showstopper is Olsen, whose highly-motivated and committed performance as Wanda is both incredibly sympathetic and frightening for her mission to scour the multiverse to reunite with her two sons, which she created during the events of WandaVision, Billy and Tommy (played by Julian Hilliard and Jett Klyne, respectively), at any cost, even if it means possessing alternate universes' Wandas and murdering anyone who stands in her way (more on that later). While potentially morally off-putting and condemnable as a hero, Wanda makes for a compelling villain, especially after obtaining the Darkhold, or the Book of the Damned, at the end of WandaVision.
Director Sam Raimi of Evil Dead and Spider-Man fame takes the helm, and his signature use of horror elements is prevalent in this movie. From well-utilized jump scares to the use of dynamic cinematography that should leave audiences on the edge of their seats, Raimi intentionally pushes the limits of the violence allowed onscreen during the action set pieces, which sometimes left me wincing due to the graphic nature. I have several thoughts on this film's violence, which I will get to later in this review. He also squeezes in as many story elements at a brisk pace that seldom stops, which for the most part, is a positive. Frequent Raimi collaborator Danny Elfman and his musical score is a highlight, for not only does he incorporate familiar themes from other Marvel properties and classical music akin to the Disney animated classic Fantasia (1940), but the scariest scenes in the film are thanks to Elfman's use of discordant piano chords to accompany the jump scares, which are incredibly effective.
As expected with almost every Marvel film lately, there are several cameo appearances, but in the form of the Illuminati, an alternate universe organization of superheroes established by that universe's Doctor Strange, including the likes of a Sorcerer Supreme variant of Karl Mordu (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor), Maria Rambeau (played by Lashana Lynch) as an alternate version of Captain Marvel, and Blackagar Boltagon, a.k.a. Black Bolt (played by Anson Mount) from the much-maligned Marvel's ABC series Inhumans (2017). However, the most surprising ones are Captain Peggy Carter (played by Hayley Atwell) from the MCU animated series What If...? (2021-present), Dr. Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mister Fantastic (played by John Krasinski) from the Fantastic Four, and a version of Professor Charles Xavier, a.k.a. Professor X (played by Patrick Stewart) from the X-Men. Just as we begin to get comfortable seeing the Illuminati together and learning more about what happened to that universe's Doctor Strange, Raimi pulls the rug from underneath the audience and has a possessed Wanda kill most of them off in rather shocking and brutal ways (as far as PG-13 movies go).
Speaking of PG-13, I have seen online discussions about whether this movie is too violent for the said rating, to which I am increasingly open. This renewed discussion about movies' rating system reminds me of the controversy surrounding the Motion Picture Association of America or MPAA (later renamed the Motion Picture Association or MPA)'s rating system in the early 1980s following movies like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and Gremlins (1984), which were rated PG, but ultimately resulted in the MPAA's creation of the PG-13 rating because of the violence and gore depicted in those films. Do I think that a new rating is necessary? Given how many PG-13 movies get away with violent content minus the gore, I think it is far past time to create one. Ideally, somewhere in the middle, around age fifteen.
Moving on to this film's negatives, the frantic and often-moving cinematography, while gripping, gets a little overused at times and can induce motion sickness for some viewers. I was fine, but I found it somewhat repetitive after a while. The quick pace also made me think that there are possibly more scenes that had to be left on the cutting room floor for a more concise narrative flow. Also, one's enjoyment of this movie can depend on how much horror they can take in their superhero movies. This approach gripped me, for it succeeded in distinguishing itself genre-wise from the rest of the MCU films, which I admit have become somewhat tonally monotone over the years.
Other than the sometimes graphic action sequences, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is one of the better MCU films (so far) from its ongoing Phase Four. As a horror movie, it is very dense character-wise, but it (for the most part) satisfies thanks to Raimi's tight direction and runtime (it's only two hours and six minutes) and several outstanding performances. It's enough for me to recommend this entry, but parents should first think twice before taking their little ones to see this film.
Final Score: 8 out of 10
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