Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Movie Review 

Mashnoov Chowdhury ’24 

Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange), Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda Maximoff) and newcomer Xochitl Gomez (America Chavez) star in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” the newest movie of the award-winning Marvel Cinematic Universe.

      Doctor Strange encounters America Chavez as she is being chased by a magical monster, proceeding to save her life before helping her figure out why she is being attacked, ultimately leading to an adventure into the multiverse full of action, horror and an extraordinarily large cast of brand new characters.

      Ultimately the film brings the average MCU experience full of the same magical and multi-earth jargon of previous movies, although its darker emotional moments and Sam Raimi’s attempts to change the formula manage to bring some light to the predominantly Marvel-focused film. Olsen and Cumberbatch definitely shined with some of the best acting of the entire film, primarily attributed to the emotional development Sam Raimi carefully crafts throughout the film. This was especially exemplified by Olsen, whose verbal and nonverbal acting managed to successfully convey intense emotions, even during the quietest of scenes.  

     However, the new additions to the film were not always well done, with many of the new multiversal characters being given much less screen time than they deserved, especially considering their comic book roots.

By far the largest issue was the film’s strict adherence to the classic superhero formula, with long action sequences that were often unrealistic and a plot that was not too special. 

      “8/10. In certain action-packed scenes the characters weren’t the smartest or logical,” said William Bolster ’24. 

However, Raimi’s attempts to sway from the formula succeeded marvelously, with great (yet very sparse) unabashed comedy alongside jumpscares and expertly-crafted suspense that was rarely seen in previous MCU movies, proving that his unrusted comedy-horror roots from directing the Evil Dead could work in the PG-13 setting of the MCU.

     Last but not least, the film allows for Doctor Strange to finally get closer to concluding the problems of his personal life, as he delves deeper into his emotional connections. “8.5/10, The doctor went through some cool character development,” said Patrick Karl ’24. Hopefully, creative directors like Sam Raimi can shift the MCU towards the original direction that the first Doctor Strange film brought, as the latest movie makes it clear that Raimi’s new additions failed to dominate the age-old formula the MCU has been pushing for years now. Its lower ratings than its predecessor are a warning call, but the performance, action, and its new connections to Marvel comics will still have long-term fans jumping with glee.