Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (no spoilers)

This is a version of a review airing on ABC Radio across regional Victoria on May 12, 2022.

(M) ★★★½

Director: Sam Raimi.

Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Ooh, red stuff.

With every addition to the MCU, a growing number of critics ask the question of when the Marvel bubble will burst. 

Everything ends, after all, and the departure of figurehead characters Iron Man and Captain America has made many wonder if the end is nigh. 

The strangely flat The Eternals helped spur this line, though the massive success of Spider-Man: No Way Home gave pause for thought. That could be dismissed as an aberration due to the webslinger’s inbuilt popularity and the film’s audacious “multiverse” plot line, which tied together two decades of character legacy in a beautifully satisfying way. 

But this second solo outing for Marvel's Sorcerer Supreme is likely to spark further discussions about how much fuel the MCU has in the tank. The film is good without being great, and while it's daring in some ways and does a few tonal things not previously seen in the franchise, it will ultimately be remembered for its fan-service cameos rather than its remarkable plotting or character development.

The film finds Dr Strange (Cumberbatch) troubled by nightmares in which he fails to save a young girl (Gomez). When that girl appears in real life fleeing from a many-tentacled demon, Strange is sucked into an interdimensional battle that sees him flung across the multiverse and battling alternate versions of himself.

The much-heralded return of Sam Raimi to the Marvel fold has its upsides - namely a sporadic horror bent that keeps Multiverse Of Madness feeling fresh. Whether it be a rotting corpse rising from the dead or a baddie limping down a dimly lit corridor like a zombie, the movie stands out from the other previous 27 MCU instalments when Raimi lets his inner Evil Dead out to play.

Outside the horror and the occasional sense of dread, the rest of the film is merely okay. The biggest disappointment lies in Gomez's America Chavez - not through any fault of Gomez's, but due to the script. Chavez is reduced to little more than her multiversal powers. She basically becomes the movie's MacGuffin, her arc is left unresolved, and her biggest impact on the film is to help humanise and test Strange, rather than truly grow as a person, beyond a horribly cliched and predictable final showdown.

While it leaves Chavez frustratingly undeveloped, her presence helps shape Strange's journey and amplifies the film's themes about morality. So much of the story is predicated on the definitions of right and wrong, of the greater good vs the necessary sacrifice, of the choices we make, and the murky spaces in between. This stuff is fascinating, and also helps give us a villain whose motivations are understandable and occasionally truly frightening. 

Ultimately this film's genuinely surprising guest spots and Raimi's dalliances with his dark past are the most memorable bits. The rest serves as solid development for the increasingly heroic Stephen Strange, played with growing ease by the perfectly cast Cumberbatch, in between some so-so moments. 

Multiverse Of Madness gives good villain but disappointing sidekick, throws up some interesting ideas about choices and morals, and tries admirably to introduce some new flavours to the infinite stew that is the MCU. Will it be enough to keep Kevin Fiege's pot bubbling? More than likely for now.