Review - Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness

Dr Strange 2 follows the titular wizard as he tries to protect a dimension hopping teenager from a powerful villain.

CONVOLUDED
A lot of people conflate the MCU as being one long story, which I disagree with; it’s a series of smaller franchises that share a universe and occasionally cameo.
Dr Strange 2 however feels a lot harder for new people; it references multiple movies and shows while trying to be a direct sequel to its previous movie. Being more selective with what to bring up and what to omit would have been a huge help, but that’s only half the problems I have with the movie.
Dr Strange’s arc feels somewhat confused about what’s it’s trying to be; is he a man trying to get over his ex, or a hero struggling with the fact that his alternate selves all seem to lose their way in one way or another. Picking and focusing on one arc would have really helped the flow of the movie; it’s a little over 2 hours but feels much longer.
It would also help to tie his story much closer to the villain as well as the new hero, America Chavez; it would make it feel like a much more like a solid movie than a bunch of sup-plots happening at once.

VILLAIN
The villain is much better handled; equal parts tragic and downright terrifying.
Especially terrifying!
The director, Sam Raimi is best known for his horror movies and this puts him right into his element, more so than his Spider-Man trilogy.
Unlike Strange, the villain is much more consistant in their goals and arc.

ACTION
The action is comparatively tamer than the previous movie, with more grounded set pieces which feel more typical super-hero.
The only real stand out is a battle where both sides use the soundtrack against each other, and that is not an exaggeration or a euphemism. Wish there were more moments like that.
Its does deliver on the visuals however; it shows what creative steps can be taken with CGI, with a lot of striking visuals that really stand out, debatably more so than the first movie and with a much more horror feel to them.

CONCLUSION
It’s a messy movie in dire need of a second draft, but it’s distinctive visuals and compelling villain make it a very enjoyable movie.

I’m interested to see how this feels to an audience new to the MCU; a movie should be accessible, no matter if it’s the second instalment or the twentieth, and I’m not sure if this one is.
It’s not a good entry point to the MCU, but it’s certainly not one you’ll forget, for better or worse.

Review - Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange follows Stephen Strange; an egotistical surgeon who loses the use of his hands and finds a new purpose as a sorcerer who protects the world.

PROTAGONIST
As to be expected with a Marvel Studios movie, the best part is the lead.
Benedict Cumberbatch brings a snarky arrogance to the role but also balances it with the tragedy of a man who loses everything. His performance swings from a cocky swagger to a desperate and angry man, with a heavy emphasis on drama that makes this feel like a more mature action movie.
His basic story is not exactly new for a superhero, but the presentation is more of a spiritual discovery than of a hero fighting crime, making for a much more mature character-focused experience.

VILLAIN
A lot of criticism is placed on the villain, played by Mads Mikkelsen, but I feel like this is unfair; rather than approaching the character as a typical supervillain, he’s just a high functioning henchman for the larger threat, Dormomu.
The villain isn’t going to win any awards, but they function perfectly well as a central threat to move the plot along.

ACTION
The action is a definite highlight; combining martial arts with creative CG effects.
It has some interesting setups too; Dr Strange fights someone in spirit form while his body is undergoing surgery, one takes place on a building that’s in the process of folding over, and my personal favourite is a fight in a destroyed street that is fixing itself in reverse.
It’s a really unique action style, even outside of superhero movies; like if Inception was more creative in its setups.

CONCLUSION
It’s not the best of the Marvel movies in terms of quality, but it excels so hard with its characterisation and visuals that it’s one of my favourites.

Think Harry Potter meets Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, while tripping on acid.
It’s a well led movie that combines creative action with a really strong lead, and it’s a solid recommendation from me.