An important piece of information to note about “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” before you watch it is that, however many multiverses you expect to see in the movie, ditch the presumption.
While it is a fun ride, it’s a movie not a series, so in case you think you will get to see numerous new corners of the MCU, its a lot less than one might think.
That being said, the movie is still a wonderful experience. Director Sam Raimi delivers on taking audiences through a fun and sometimes edge-of-seat-gripping experience, while also having you feel enthralled by its scope.
There are so many moments in the film but all of which were great because I got to experience it the cinema. There are numerous surprises and appearances that will have you cheering and gasping, and for that very reason, avoid spoilers for as long as you can.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness“ is first entry in the MCU where viewers will need information they previously acquired from WandaVision to understand where we find our characters.
In other words, this is not a movie you can just watch without having seen other pieces of MCU content. You will be more than a little perplexed.
While the promotional material has done its best to ignore the obvious, viewers have long ago deduced Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) is the villain of the movie. Her motivations having already been established in the WandaVision TV show to be that of finding her children.
One part where the movie faults, or maybe the fault should be attributed to the show, is that Wanda starts off the movie being bad but we are not shown her journey to how she got her there.
We know her motivations, but aren’t sure how it drives her to become villainous.
The movies also goes relies on the “power of a mother’s love” trope, as Wanda is on a desperate search for her children. While understandable, it does ignore the elephant in room - Vision.
I anticipated that Wanda’s one true love, Vision, would appear, but he does not and his omission does hurt her characterisation.
While Wanda doesn’t know that a version of her partner exists, the viewers do, and leaving that out does hurt the story.
Vision’s absence aside the movie is still a wonderful experience, with Benedict Cumberbatch delivering his best work as our titular hero, Dr Stephen Strange.
We see different iterations of his character in the movie, which will not be new to dedicated MCU fans, but seeing him deliver variations of our lead character in live action is wonderful.
We also get to see him grow as a character, and while there are enough moments of his character’s growth, the movie does make you wish that there were more.
Viewers also have already seen him play a parental figure in “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, but this time he is a parental figure to a new character, America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez).
Their dynamic is wonderful and honestly the movies’ biggest asset and strength. They are a wonderful pairing and manage to assist each other when it counts.
There are also numerous other gasp-worthy moments in the film, but this is best to be experienced in the cinema.
Overall, for MCU lovers, this is a can’t miss entry as it will have many talking and theorising for months to come.
Marvel delivers another great movie in the MCU, and one that will definitely leave its mark on the fictional work, and viewers.
Rating: 7/10
IOL