{"id":14781,"date":"2022-05-04T10:01:41","date_gmt":"2022-05-04T08:01:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1637388"},"modified":"2022-05-04T10:23:09","modified_gmt":"2022-05-04T08:23:09","slug":"doctor-strange-in-the-multiverse-of-madness-review-does-it-top-no-way-home","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/doctor-strange-in-the-multiverse-of-madness-review-does-it-top-no-way-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness review: Does it top No Way Home?"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Huw Fullerton\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 04 May 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Multiverses are everywhere right now.<\/p>\n

From Rick and Morty to the newly-released\/upcoming (depending on where you live) Everything Everywhere All At Once, the upcoming Flash movie to (of course) the various Marvel projects (Loki, Spider-Man: No Way Home, What If\u2026?, Morbius) that have dabbled in parallel realities, it seems like we can\u2019t get enough of variants, alternative worlds and What-Ifs.<\/p>\n

Maybe it speaks to a wider societal malaise. Maybe it\u2019s just like that period in 2016 when all the superhero movies were about heroes bickering and slapping each other. Whatever the reason, it\u2019s an intriguing context for the arrival of the most multiversal of all multiverse stories from Marvel \u2013 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness<\/a>, directed by Sam Raimi and starring Benedict Cumberbatch (among others).<\/p>

This superhero sequel is an entertaining, watchable film with some cool action sequences and crowd-pleasing cameos. But despite the reality-shaking stakes, it feels light and inconsequential \u2013 and surprisingly, it doesn\u2019t have much to say about its titular concept. While the film does see Doctor Strange and his allies travelling the multiverse to escape a nefarious threat and protect a young girl called America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), this isn\u2019t done in a particularly interesting or (barring one sequence) innovative way.<\/p>\n

Most of the film revolves around Strange and America striding about looking for one of two magic books that will solve all their problems, mooning about their lost loved ones, or having a big battle scene. A brief scene teases an animated dimension or one where everything is made of liquid paint, but they\u2019re swiftly moved on for more straightforward trips into the Funny Hat and Fan-Pleasing Cameo dimension.<\/p>\n

It was hard not to make comparisons with the new Daniels film Everything Everywhere All At Once, which stars Michelle Yeoh as a woman who jumps between realities and also learns from her alternate selves. That film is largely set in a tax office and a laundrette but still manages to find emotion, excitement and vast scale in a multiversal story.<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Rachel McAdams, Benedict Cumberbatch and Xochitl Gomez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness<\/span><\/figcaption> Marvel Studios<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Doctor Strange, by comparison, mostly uses parallel realities to pop in a half-dozen alternative versions of familiar characters, played by recognisable actors (some of whom have already been revealed, but I\u2019ll avoid mentioning them just in case). These make for some fun cameos, though they don\u2019t add much to the plot and it\u2019s hard to consider them anything except fan service.<\/p>\n

When I saw Spider-Man: No Way Home I was struck by the fact that what could have been a nakedly cynical, soulless exercise in corporate synergy \u2013 the return of two ex-Spider-Men, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield \u2013 was actually the heart and soul of the film, and made for some of the most engaging scenes. The cameos in Doctor Strange 2 are more what I would have expected \u2013 fun and frothy, without too much relevance to the main story.<\/p>\n

Of the non-secret cast, Cumberbatch clearly has some fun playing alternative versions of himself (though, as other characters note, all the Doctors Strange are actually pretty similar), while poor old Benedict Wong is thrown into countless walls, pits and floors as the new Sorceror Supreme Wong. Relative newcomer Gomez is appealing but underwritten, while the returning Chiwetel Ejiofor is mainly there to deliver some key introductions and exposition.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s more for Elizabeth Olsen\u2019s Scarlet Witch\/Wanda Maximoff to get her teeth into, though her storyline \u2013 which picks up fairly closely after the events of her Disney Plus series WandaVision \u2013 goes in some slightly extreme directions that may divide fans. And the film bends over backwards to find some new directions for Rachel McAdams\u2019 Christine to go in, with mixed success. Overall this film doesn\u2019t make enough use of a great cast \u2013 especially considering how many different variants of them there could be at any one time.<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness<\/span><\/figcaption> Marvel Studios<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

I may be coming across as too negative, and to be clear there is a lot to like about this film. Much has been made of horror-maestro director Sam Raimi indulging some of his old stylings, and the film does have some entertainingly creepy and gory moments. As noted, one sequence where Strange and America tumble through the multiverse also hints at the level of imagination this film could have included, while a magical battle with musical notes as weapons livens up what could be a repetitive series of CGI energy skirmishes.<\/p>\n

Also, you know, it\u2019s a Marvel movie. At a base level, this is a slick, well-put-together film that ticks a lot of boxes for a lot of people. There are exhilarating battles, smart Easter Eggs, and a couple of post-credits scenes for people to breathlessly whisper explanations to each other about in the darkened cinema.<\/p>\n

Yet, overall, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a little underwhelming. I thought this film could be a big next step for Marvel, but it feels smaller than Spider-Man: No Way Home, Eternals or even Shang-Chi, despite stuffing a lot into a slightly overloaded script.<\/p>\n

Maybe in another universe, cut or script draft this was the terrifying, offbeat and huge movie that fans had been hoping for. In our universe? It\u2019s just another OK Marvel movie. The madness, creativity and imagination must have escaped to a different dimension.<\/p>\n