Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Written by Cameron Geiser
It's been a decade since Sam Raimi's last film, the ironically titled and surprisingly lackluster, Oz The Great and Powerful. I wasn't ready to abandon The Evil Dead and Spider-Man filmmaker by any means, but between Oz and his years away from the director's chair, I was curious to see how he would approach not only the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but big budget superhero antics once again. After two showings back-to-back, I can confidently say that Sam Raimi has made not only the next chapter in the MCU's evolution, but also 100% a Sam Raimi film whose style pours over every frame. Without diving into too many plot details, the story concerns America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), a superpowered teenager that can travel the Multiverse and ends up seeking Dr. Strange's (Benedict Cumberbatch) assistance. Monsters across dimensions have been pursuing her for unknown reasons, and it isn't long before Strange and America are forced to flee through her star-shaped portals to worlds unknown.
Which brings me to the pacing of the film. While there are certainly slower scenes and beats, the majority of the film feels like Strange and America are constantly outrunning demonic and impressively threatening forces. This gives the story a sense of panicky thrill. When Doctor Strange doesn't immediately have answers or a clear path to victory in hand, it gives the proceedings that tinge of horror that Sam Raimi brings to the table and he leans into that tonal shift for the MCU. This is the first film in the franchise where I've told friends with children younger than ten to take pause and consider waiting for the home video or Disney Plus release because there is some surprisingly dark imagery, death, and destruction that I hadn't anticipated going into this one. In fact, Raimi brings a lot of his Evil Dead tricks to this one.
More than just demons and witches though, Raimi's influence bleeds into the unique transitions layered throughout the film. There's a myriad of creative dissolve choices throughout the edit, not to mention the dramatic lighting that becomes more exaggerated later in the film, oh and the snap-zooms! All of this adds to the zany, madcap energy flowing through the film. Even as surprise reveals manifest before our eyes and rumored characters appear on screen, there's that ever present ringing in the background, of being pursued constantly and furiously. It's a fun, unnerving sensation that hasn't been present in a Marvel film since Infinity War and it's all the better for it.
Sam Raimi puts his own spin on the Marvel universe here.
The real show stealer though was Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff. Fresh off of her incredible character work in the Marvel TV show WandaVision, she was a surprisingly important piece to the puzzle. This also has to be the first film in the whole series to require viewers to not only be up to date with most, if not all, of the twenty plus films made so far, but to have seen a whole season of television too. For this context, the formula worked, but it does leave me suspicious that intertwining all of the Marvel shows together with all of the movies may become a cumbersome task to commit to in the future. Granted, as long as all of this interconnectedness is in the service of good storytelling, it'll probably work out for them. If this film is any indication of the merit of Kevin Feige and others' efforts in the decision making process, through pairing stylish filmmakers with unique voices and giving them emotionally resonant stories to work with, this movie train should chug along just fine.
So, for those curious to know if the two requirements of any Sam Raimi film have been met, don't worry your little bones about it. Yes, both Bruce Campbell and “The Classic” are here again and both are continually enjoyable easter eggs within Raimi's films. Sam Raimi has made both yet another highly entertaining chapter in the Marvel film franchise and an instantly recognizable film from an incredibly influential director. For that I am grateful, and beyond excited to see what Sam Raimi does next!
Cameron Geiser is an avid consumer of films and books about filmmakers. He'll watch any film at least once, and can usually be spotted at the annual Traverse City Film Festival in Northern Michigan. He also writes about film over at www.spacecortezwrites.com.