Six years after the first film, Marvel Studios has released a sequel to the 2016 superhero film Doctor Strange, with this one being even more bizarre and unique then the first one. 

Plot:

Taking place right after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home and WandaVision, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness tells the story of Dr. Stephen Strange on a new, bizarre expedition through the multiverse. In this film, Strange encounters a girl named America, who had the ability to travel through multiple universes and travels with her to multiple universes in order to save America from Wanda Maximoff, or the Scarlet Witch, who wants to steal America’s power to travel to a universe where she can be with her children from WandaVision. 

Pros:

I must say, the top aspect of this movie is how extraordinary its direction is. Sam Raimi, the director of the original three Spider-Man movies, returns to the superhero genre here by giving this film uncannily realistic visual effects and top notch action sequences. Although instead of using comedic elements in this film, like most marvel movies do, Raimi instead chooses to use horror elements to fill the audience with chilled spines. It can also be said that the actors really give it their all with their performances, especially Benedict Cumberbatch, who is not just playing the common Doctor Strange but also playing numerous versions of himself throughout the multiverse, some of which are evil. Elizabteh Olsen also does a great job playing a now rogue and deranged Wanda Waximoff that wants to escape to a perfect reality after going into hiding after the events of WandaVision, where Wanda hypnotizes a whole town and creates a perfect life for herself, Vision and her two children as if her life was a sitcom. 

Cons:

The main problem with this movie is its somewhat uneven pacing. Some elements of the film happen extremely quickly and aren’t explained thoroughly. Another problem with this film is that it was intentionally misleading. From the posters and trailers it is implied that the film is about Strange unleashing beings from the multiverse into Earth’s realm and must work with Wanda to save the planet from these threats. Really this film is about Strange trying to save a multiverse traveling girl. Also, the film will be confusing to viewers who have not watched WandaVision.

Overall Response: 

Overall, I really enjoyed Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. It was thrilling, suspenseful, and all-in-all entertaining and proves that Sam Raimi hasn’t lost his ability to keep viewers engaged after a fifteen year hiatus from the superhero genre.