Director – Sam Raimi
Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
CAST- Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong (no he’s not
a multiversal variant of Benedict Cumberbatch. He plays Wong. Yes, even am
wondering if he was cast because of his real last name as well), Rachel Mc Adams,
Xochitl Gomez (No, I have no idea how to pronounce it) and SOME GREAT CAMEOS.
Why is Sam Raimi’s name before everything else in this
review? Coz we finally have the rare Marvel movie which feels like it has a
unique director’s vision behind it. Raimi is the Madness in the Multiverse of Madness.
THE MULTIVERSE
We were properly introduced to the Multiverse concept for
the MCU (Should we even call it the Marvel Cinematic Universe at this point? Or
the MC Multiverse?) in the series Loki. If you haven’t seen it, then definitely you
encountered it in Spiderman: No Way Home, which united all the Spidermen of the
past movies with the current one for the one finally good MCU Spiderman movie. Dr.
Strange was an integral part of that movie and this is a logical progression from
that one movie in some aspects. Dr. Strange 1 remains one of my favourite solo MCU
movies to date. Not just because it introduced magic into the MCU but because
it didn’t follow the typical 1 joke per 10 minutes and big soulless third act
battle formula.
The trick about making sequels is that there is always the
dilemma of whether to do more of what worked with the first one or to take a
completely different direction. The Dark Knight is the gold standard of making
sequels and it showed the solution to making a great sequel especially to comic
book movies – escalation. It showed us the consequences of the choices made by
the hero in the previous movie and how the heroic choice comes at a cost. Dr. Strange
2 follows a similar template.
The movie actually picks up pace from the word go, where in
we are introduced to America Chavez – a girl with the power to travel the
multiverse. She is unable to control the power herself only accidentally using
it when afraid. She is being chased by monsters who are being controlled by
someone who wants her power for their personal goals. Dr. Strange takes it upon
himself to protect her. But they enemy they are fighting is so powerful that the
solution to their problems, may not lie in their own universe. We also see the consequences of Dr. Strange having to always make the risky play or the tough decision.
THE MADNESS
One of the best things about the screenplay is, it
establishes the villain very early on. There is no twist moment later. This
actually makes the chase very interesting. However, what makes the movie truly
unique is of course Sam Raimi. For those not in the know, Raimi directed the Spiderman
movies starring Tobey Maguire. You could technically say he is the father of
the modern comic book movie. CBM’s didn’t have any respect or big budgets until
he showed up. Also, in case you didn’t know – he was previously known for
directing the horror Evil Dead movies.
That is perhaps the reason Producer Kevin Feige wanted him
for this one. Without really spoiling the movie, lets just say this is the first
major horror tinged comic book movie. Be ready to see some PG 13 rated gore and
violence along with some creatively shocking moments.
However, its not just about the horror elements. What Raimi brings
to the table are fascinating visuals like early 2000’s guitar riffs, slow
motion scenes, creepy music, moody montages, slow transitions and yes…a sweet
Bruce Campbell cameo. The Raimi touch itself makes the movie worth watching for a fan
like me. There are certain scenes which are cut so brilliantly well, that the
violence and shock comes from the movement on screen and not through actual gore.
The third act battle much like his Spiderman movies is less about two superpowered beings just putting spells on each other and more about helping people realize
the consequences of their actions. That is the central theme of the movie and
it does a great job of sticking to it.
THE MEDIOCRITY
Although, the journey
through the multiverse is stunning, it is limited. For a movie titled Multiverse of
Madness, there isn’t much of the Strange-ness (yes. Intended as always) of that
concept being explored. We do get a lot of spell casting and magic but the
multiverse aspect could have been explored better.
Another issue is the pacing. It’s a bit rushed at times and
the movie could have done a better job of establishing some concepts or
character motives. There are closures to certain character arcs in the climax
that feel very abrupt. There are also certain concepts that could have been
established better. (sorry I have to mildly spoil this – but the ‘music as
magic’ concept is brilliant and has relevance to the ways mantras are actually supposed
to work. Some establishment of this concept would have been fantastic when the
battle actually happens). There is a battle in the middle, where we finally get
some VERY LOOOOOOONG awaited Marvel comic book characters finally showing up in
the MCU....but they die 5 minutes later for some very stupid reasons. A cheap
death to some really awaited characters felt a bit disappointing to the comic
book nerd inside me.
Reportedly the original cut is 2 hours and 20 minutes which
Disney cut down to 2 hours. (nothing new). This is hoping against hope but the
original cut may have some better fleshing out of characters and themes and hopefully
we get to see it one day.
THE MAGIC
However, having said all that- Do you understand how much of
a relief it is to not see every character crack some dumb joke every time
something serious happens? The humor is so well timed and actually makes you
chuckle at least. The movie though having its horror elements manages to strike a
balance with its comic book side…which again Raimi is the master of. I mean He basically
invented the genre to begin with. He knows how to balance character moments and spectacle.
This phase of Marvel movies is perhaps the best phase. They
have finally reached that level of popularity where they don’t have to worry
about losing an audience. They are doing movies like The Eternals and fantastic
TV shows like The Moonknight (seriously go watch it on Hotstar. Its one of the
best shows about a superhero with a split personality). They are taking more
risks and am loving it! Basically they are doing what DC was supposed to do and
am not complaining at all. Directors with their unique style like Raimi or Gunn
(even if I don’t like his style at times) need to be introduced more into the
MCU instead of cookie cutter directors like Peyton Reed (Antman movies).
What this movie has also done is made Dr. Strange the axis
of the MCU. It was Tony Stark during the Infinity saga. Dr. Strange showing up
in No Way Home and his power and choices affecting the multiverse is one thing.
But more than that he is becoming the emotional spine of the MCU and also one
of my favourite characters. It would be great to see where we go from here.
Also, please give Sam Raimi more comic book movies to direct!
The movie is Total Timepass!
PS- They showed the Avatar 2 trailer before the movie and….I
think James Cameron is gonna rule the box office again!
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