Following the Endgame, it felt difficult to fathom a world without the Avengers until now. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is back with its 28th film, not long after the latest Spiderman installment. “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” released over the weekend, giving the audiences a push to go to the theaters. The cast of this film includes a few original characters along with the introduction of several new ones. We have Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Stephen Strange, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez, Rachel McAdams as Dr. Christine Palmer, and Benedict Wong as Wong, directed by Sam Raimi who is back with a movie after 9 years.
Stephen is now old and is not shy to show off his gray beard. He has been saving multiple universes from several alien creatures since the endgame. Christine has married someone else and Strange is alone in his life, with nothing on the horizon. This film gives us a glance into the personal aftermath for a few characters. Wanda, separated from Vision, has lost the purpose of life and is trying to find something she can hook her motivation on to. The film begins at a slower pace but catches up in the second half, managing to keep the attention of the audiences somehow.
The script by Michael Waldron gives us a story to dig our teeth into but not crisp enough to enjoy to the core. Although the concept of multiverse is new, and to be expected in a Marvel movie, it is slightly more confusing and less engaging as compared to the rest of the movies. America Chavez is a new character and seems to have a lot of potential for the future. Wanda is one of the most beautifully written characters in Marvel and Olsen as Wanda is purely phenomenal. The depiction of pain through her acting and her gaze is just too real for you to not feel it. Both Chavez and Olsen have a key role in holding the plot of the film together.
Cumberbatch as Strange is a strong character right from the very beginning with his fire circles and witty comebacks. He is in the multiverse of madness as the protagonist of the film. With a good storyline and a powerful creator, this film also has some great visuals paired with dark moments and light-hearted banter. Apart from this, Danny Elfman’s music is worth mentioning as it pairs up with scenes perfectly. The visuals of Kamar Taaj and some beautiful New York buildings are pleasing to the eyes, as always.
This film is made up of 3 broken hearts, separated from their loved ones but the script does not focus on their individual journey much. It focuses more on the madness and how they are going to find an escape. It stretches a bit on time and there is a lack of a strong grip that holds the audiences’ attention like other Marvel films. Since this is a part of the franchise, it does not make sense to skip this one. Not as a whole, but for certain parts, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” is a good watch. One can definitely watch it for Scarlet Witch and her quest for purpose that she finds in children.
The best bits of the film are certain action sequences with those visuals. And, we also get to see a few of the original avengers which is just a cherry on top of the cake.
“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” is now streaming in theatres near you.
