Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Movie Review

In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness there's plenty of CGI-heavy action to love, but the picture doesn't seem essential wa...

In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness there's plenty of CGI-heavy action to love, but the picture doesn't seem essential watching for anyone other than die-hard Marvel fans for a while. Following on from the events of WandaVision and the Disney+ television series What If...?, it's difficult to see why it wasn't also a Disney Plus television series. However, the film gradually becomes stranger, sillier, more emotional, and inventive, with more ludicrous jokes and yet more gruesome shocks. To put it another way, it becomes clear that it is directed by Sam Raimi.

Michael Waldron, the screenplay, deserves credit for weaving together an enormously convoluted yet fairly understandable dimension-jumping plot.He has given McAdams and Wong far more to do in this film than they did in the previous Doctor Strange film, and he has inserted many significant surprises that the studio has managed to keep hidden. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, on the other hand, feels very much like a Raimi effort. It's possible that it's the Raimi project. His passion of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's superhero comics shined through in his Spider-Man trilogy starring Tobey Maguire, and same nerdy enthusiasm shows brighter than ever here. Of course, he directed The Evil Dead trilogy and Drag Me to Hell, and he's no stranger to cartoonish horror-comedy scares.

Related: Benedict Cumberbatch talked about Tom Cruise Iron Man

The film concludes with a strange journey involving tender-hearted zombies, a green-furred minotaur, a cloak composed of the souls of the damned, and a musical note duel. Raimi hasn't released a new film since 2013's Oz the Great and Powerful, so it's possible he crammed all of his wildest ideas into this one.

Related: Moon Knight writers teases Thor 4 tie in Finale

Yes, it's still a Marvel blockbuster that meets all of the criteria for a Marvel blockbuster and expects its audience to be familiar with all of the previous Marvel blockbusters.But it's also as gleefully ridiculous as any indie cult film, and Raimi wouldn't have been able to make it without Marvel footing the cash and laying the groundwork. Some may dismiss the movie as foolishness, and they may be correct. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, on the other hand, is a lot of fun.

Related: Zac Efron wants to Join Marvel Universe 

Besides, it's not entirely dependent on the director's contagious zeal for genre thrills. The prickly Strange and the doleful Wanda can be found beneath the giant walking statues and alien squids, glimpsing different realities where they are happier and wondering if they will ever experience such happiness in their own reality.

Related: Kevin Feige Revealed ten years plan for MCU

Cumberbatch and Olsen's performances in the quieter passages are so moving that you care about the individuals caught in the middle of all those synthetic effects. Raimi and his team have created their own form of wizardry.

Related: Chris Hamsworth reveals his future after Thor: Love and Thunder

Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness will be released on May 5th in the United Kingdom and May 6th in the United States and India.

Related: Wolverine is returning to Marvel Studios