Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: Sam Raimi is BACK baby

To a guy named Stephen Strange, the former Sorcerer Supreme is actually a pretty normal person with at least some normal problems: he’s bad at relationships and only a little bit better with kids, and he’s kind of a jerk. As we noted in our spoiler-free review of the film, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness doesn’t really aim to change viewers’ opinions of the guy. Like its comic book counterpart, Doctor Strange is used more effectively as a guide to places and creatures that would not or could not exist in any other story.

Multiverse of Madness is fairly successful in that regard, but its focus on strange new worlds ultimately means there are two stars competing for attention Multiverse of Madness, and none of them are Doctor Strange. First is the Marvel Cinematic Universe itself and the puzzle piece arrangement that fans get expanded access to each time Marvel adds a new movie to its blockbuster tapestry. The second is director Sam Raimi, who is returning from cinema after a nearly decade absence to deliver the scariest movie in the MCU. There’s nothing wrong with viewers showing up for Multiverse of Madness For the former reason, to continue the MCU story and see what it offers this time. But Raimi is the star that really makes the film shine.

[Ed. note: Basic plot setup spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness follow, but one of those plot setup elements goes beyond what’s seen in the trailers.]

Raimi’s much-loved, hugely successful Spider-Man trilogy films are by far the most popular entries in his filmography. But before he helped invent the modern era of superhero cinema, Raimi’s calling card was horror. His Evil Dead trilogy and his 2009 review drag me to hell notes his unique sensibility as a director with an ingenuity and visual panache that feels simultaneously vintage and new, and the films themselves are a fun mix of gritty, witty and just the right amount of meanness. But in a career spanning more than 40 years, Raimi’s horror styling has been largely limited to low-budget fare. He’s never had the opportunity to translate his take on horror cinema into a blockbuster, or get his hands on a blockbuster horror budget. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessand the Marvel Cinematic Universe it’s set in might be the most unlikely place to look for Raimi-style gonzo horror, but it’s absolutely here.

Marketing has masked the real villain Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but after about 20 minutes of rapid build-up, the film’s real menace becomes clear: Wanda Maximoff, who now fully embraces her role as the Scarlet Witch. Based on the events of the Disney Plus MCU series WandaVision, Wanda has received the Darkhold, a grimoire of dark magic, and intends to use it to travel to a universe where her children – fiction conjured by her grief WandaVision – are real. To do this, she wants to steal the power of America Chavez, a girl from another universe with the unique ability to travel the entire multiverse. The problem is that she can’t control it, and for the most part Multiverse of MadnessDoctor Strange and America are on the run through other universes with Wanda in pursuit.

Turning Wanda into a multiversal boogeyman is where the Sam Raimi of it all shines through, as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness becomes one of the most visually exciting films in the MCU. Raimi’s trademarks ooze onto screen: disembodied hands appear from unlikely places, the camera takes on the perspective of ghostly specters, the dead walk again, and ghouls stalk our hero.

The scenes that fully exploit Raimi are a powerful reminder of just how much fun the Marvel Cinematic Universe can be when the quirks of its filmmakers are allowed to shine through. Multiverse of Madness is not a full Sam Raimi film – Michael Waldron’s screenplay is much of MCU lore, and there’s still more scenes of magical lasers firing at each other than horror fans like. But the stylistic flair that Raimi brings offers a break from all the flying CG blasts of magic in a way that establishes the characters. Capable of not only crimson energy beams and mass illusion, Wanda Maximoff truly wields the most disturbing forces in the multiverse. Not only does Doctor Strange summon orange versions of physical weapons, he uses forbidden, arguably immoral, powers to try to save the day.

Doctor Strange in the multiverse of madness is ultimately too fast and flat a film to wrestle with the implications of Wanda’s powers. The substance of Doctor Strange’s conflict with her is why her use of forbidden arts is vicious while necessary, but the film loses interest in that question the moment it asks it. Still, Raimi’s portrayal of these forces, and the forces that rise in response, makes it one of the most exciting comic-style endeavors in the MCU. It’s weird, colorful, and spooky enough to scare kids the way a budding comics fan might be scared of a comic they didn’t know they weren’t ready for.

None of this is intended to detract from the fun multiversal twists in store for the story, but all the cameos and revelations are ultimately cotton candy. It’s delightful to see every guest appearance Multiverse of Madness has in store, but the film also has a built-in exit for every surprise that pops up on screen. Except for America Chavez, nothing Multiverse of Madness introduces windings to be used in a way clearly intended to be carried over into the future of the MCU. Anyone approaching this film from the perspective that it’s meant to be a monumental, status quo-shattering continuation of the MCU megastory may be disappointed.

On the other hand, anyone who’s just here to see Raimi turn his usual spooky haunted shows and light-hearted body horror into a big-budget spectacle will get the reward they’ve been waiting for. The madness is the important part here, not the multiverse. And we’re so lucky that that’s the part where Sam Raimi excels.

Doctor Strange in the multiverse of madness is now in cinemas.