Dolo Flicks: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — Sam Raimi Adds His Touch To The Marvel Cinematic Universe

“You Break The Rules And Become A Hero. I Do It And Become The Enemy. That Doesn’t Seem Fair”

— The Scarlet Witch

The 28th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), as part of its Phase Four timeline, brings back one of the most prominent filmmakers of the comic book genre to produce one of the top-tier movies of the franchise.

Making his return after almost a decade out of the director’s chair is Sam Raimi, one of the premier filmmakers since the early 1980s. Some of his well-known and highly acclaimed films include the Evil Dead Franchise, the original Spider-Man trilogy, and Dark Man. Raimi last directed 2013's fantasy adventure Oz The Great and Powerful and hasn’t been part of the comic-book genre since 2007's Spider-Man 3.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a sequel to 2016s Doctor Strange, following the Master of the Mystic Arts through the multiverse as he attempts to save newcomer America Chavez from the Scarlet Witch. The latter is trying to steal her powers in order to reunite with her children.

Initially, the film was to be directed by Scott Derrickson, who directed the original Doctor Strange; however, creative differences led him to leave directorial duties in January 2020. It was surprising when it was first announced that Raimi would be taking over as the film’s director. His last entry in the superhero world was met with negativity due to studio interference, leaving the film feeling overstuffed.

Michael Waldron took over writing duties, best known as a television writer who has worked on shows like Community, Rick and Morty, and Marvel’s Loki. With the number of delays that the film encountered from initially set to be released before 2021s Spider-Man: No Way Home, the number of reshoots and delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fact that the film works so well speaks highly of Waldron and Raimi. Although at times it can be messy or feel off-kilter.

One of the criticisms of the MCU is that many of the films are more of a collaboration of the studio and writers, with the director becoming secondary. Thus, many of the movies feel voiceless. One of the reasons the Guardians of the Galaxy films stand out is because they are written and directed by James Gunn. They do fit within the set Marvel frame but can also stand on their own as singular films without needed connections.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is at its best when Raimi is allowed to fully embrace his horror roots and campiness. The film’s beginning comes off as your standard MCU movie with familiar comedic elements. It isn’t until the introduction of the film’s villain that Raimi’s presence is felt.

As with almost every MCU movie, the acting in the film is well done. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Dr. Stephen Strange and portrays three alternate character variations to significant effect. Chiwetel Ejiofor (Karl Mordo), Benedict Wong (Wong), and Rachel McAdams (Christine Palmer) all reprise their roles from Doctor Strange. Playing the newest hero and the film’s MacGuffin is Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez, who has the ability to travel through different universes. However, the absolute star of the movie is Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff and the Scarlet Witch.

As the film’s villain, most of the emotional weight is carried by Olsen. The movie’s horror elements are brought to life through Olsen, who has undoubtedly the best sequences in the entire film, from her first attack on the Kamar-Taj, taking over the body of an alternate universe’s Wanda, and her rampage through Earth-838.

Her performance as the Scarlet Witch puts her right at the top as one of the best villains in the 28-film franchise. The only negative regarding the character, which isn’t the film’s fault, is that Wanda’s motivation to be fully understood, one would have to have seen Disney Plus’s Wanda Vision. The film does its best to make her motivations obvious, understandable, and relatable, but Marvel’s continued reliance on having its audience view all of its content is detrimental.

Watching the film leaves you satisfied with what it delivers, but there is a sense that there could have been more to live up to the Multiverse of Madness title. Although there is a scene where Doctor Strange and America Chavez are going through a multitude of different universes, including one made entirely of paint, the vast majority of the movie is spent in three universes. Earlier this year, another film that used the idea of the multiverse, Everything Everywhere All At Once, was able to showcase multiple universes without feeling overly cramped.

The visual sequences included are stellar and brought to a higher plateau with Raimi’s camera work, as he is one of the few directors who moves the camera, enhancing aspects of the scene. Finding out that the film’s original cut was much longer is disheartening, as the film’s highlights are when Raimi’s influence is felt the most.

“Well, the first cut was… I actually don’t remember the length of it,” Sam Raimi stated in an interview with Collider. “It was probably like two hours and 40 minutes, and it slowly came down even though we did the reshoots. We took out material even though the reshoots went in. So, it slowly got down to about two hours and five minutes is the total.”

Longtime Raimi collaborator Bruce Campbell, who has a hilarious cameo in the film, brought to light some of the complications the process of completing reshoots brought to the movie.

“The Marvel guys, they make eight of these movies at the same time, so they’re always updating storylines.” Campbell said in an interview with Game Informer. “So, my buddy Sam has had to add scenes that Marvel told him to shoot, and he’s removed scenes that no longer apply.”

Before the film’s release, there were rampant Internet rumors about the number of cameos that would be in the Doctor Strange sequel-ranging from Tom Cruise as Iron Man to Tobey Maguire once again returning as Spider-Man. The movie does feature cameos from the group, The Illuminati, which includes Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), Captain Carter (Peggy Atwell), Captain Marvel (Lashana Lynch), Black Bolt (Anson Mount), and Reed Richards (John Krasinski). The group is utilized more to showcase the threat that is the Scarlet Witch, more so than to set up more movies in the future.

The film’s final act features a fight between two versions of Doctor Strange that features music notes. Somewhat of an Evil Dead homage with Strange using the corpse of an alternate version of himself to battle Wanda is Raimi at its best, and the closest the MCU will get to having a horror film.

However, one aspect that is often overlooked within Raimi’s films is the emotion shown by the characters. The Scarlet Witch isn’t defeated by a new or stronger power learned by a character, but instead, she is shown the error of her ways by having her children see her plan in action.

The romance between Doctor Strange and Christine Palmer has a satisfying conclusion without being played up for comedy and left to linger on as a love never meant to last in any universe.

Not to be forgotten is longtime Raimi collaborator Danny Elfman, who provides the film’s score. After working on various projects together, Elfman once again produces an excellent musical arrangement that is arguably the best of the MCU.

Overall, with Marvel allowing Sam Raimi to put his footprint and voice on large portions of the film, an outstanding performance from Elizabeth Olsen, and striking visuals, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness should be considered one of the most exceptional of all the films in the MCU.

Hopefully, the next time Raimi gets an opportunity to direct, he is given the wheels of control as the film’s downfall is that there isn’t more of his influence throughout.

3.5/5****

(Featured Image: Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Originally published at http://frontproofmedia.com on May 21, 2022.