Review: Gave us exhilarating 'Wanda' moments inspite of too much 'madness' in the multiverse

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

One of the most apt things about Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is the title itself. The fact that it showcases multiverse and the 'madness'. But that's the tricky thing about interpretation - madness can be interpreted in multiple ways.

This review isn't going to be as puzzling as Doctor Strange attempts to be in more ways than one. In the second installment, we have Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) hopping around in multiple universes not to find a suitable place for life (like in Interstellar) but instead trying to save a 16 year old kid America (Xochtil Gomez) who has the special power of traveling through multiple universes. And the reason they are playing this cat-and-mouse chase is because Wanda aka Scarlett Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) is hell-bent on chasing them - why? You need to see the movie for that.

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Scarlett Witch - The 'Bad Guy' We Need

It is so fascinating to see your favourite superheroes pirouette to the dark side and make it delicious enough to still love them. Wanda aka Scarlett Witch does that with gratifying ease. Her motives might be Bollywood-esque and doesn't connect the way it has intended to but Olsen's fantastic portrayal of multiple shades makes it thoroughly entertaining. Give me Wanda, give me Scarlett and give me Olsen playing the character for umpteen years - I would still love it.

Simplified Universe Travel Saga

There is a common assumption that when movies about time travel or multiple universes are made, they are tricky to understand. That is definitely not the case with Doctor Strange here. On paper, it seems as simple as a story can be. Even the actual universe-hopping never seems overwhelming. This is a good choice from the makers in an attempt to keep things breezy yet complex enough.

Lacks Motive

That's the funny thing here. Even though the new bad guy has a motive here and every actor present in the film is trying their earnest best but horror maestro Sam Raimi's return to direction seems rather confused. Raimi seems to be in a dilemma between trying to please the MCU fans and also focusing with the story idea in hand. Even though there is a motive but the script seems to still lack it and doesn't have the same emotional connect that MCU movies are usually known for.

Raimi's Ode To Horror

It is no secret that Raimi is a horror genius and the director, who returns to film direction after nine years doesn't miss out on including his signature touches. There are some decent jump scares and fine background score that makes a few scenes a lot of fun.

The Cameos Aren't Enough

As mentioned earlier, there obviously are cameos, and plenty of them. They raise that level of excitement and hoots as intended but it isn't enough to save an otherwise predictable screenplay. There are two post-credit scenes instead of one and make sure you wait for both of them.

Thank For Wong & McAdams & of course Benedict Cumberbatch

Even though Rachel McAdams as Christine might not have received the best-written character but the actor is an absolute delight everything she pops up, in any universe. Benedict Wong is brilliant as the sidekick to Strange where their banter is fun as usual but Wong is so much more than that and he proves.

And of course, everything rests on the able shoulders of Benedict Cumberbatch. The actor is as reliable as ever and as earnest as ever. He doesn't miss a beat playing out in front of a green screen for almost the entire film (yes, almost entirely). Strange in multiverses might be twisted but Cumberbatch as the OG Strange isn't.

The Verdict

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness lives up to its title promising madness in multiverses but it is the horror that stands out making it probably the first Marvel film to incorporate horror in an effective way. It's magical spell is imbalanced but that doesn't rule out an entertaining watching.

Rating - ***1/2 (3.5/5)

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