Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: A Wild Ride Through Familiar Tropes
Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) awakens from a nightmare: he’s saving a young girl from a monster, only to die in the process. Shaking off the cold sweat, Stephen dons a tuxedo and heads to his ex’s wedding as if nothing happened. But amidst the awkwardness of seeing the love of his life, the surgeon must once again don his cloak to save the city from dark forces. While fending off a one-eyed demon, he encounters the girl from his dream: America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), the future Miss America, who hasn’t yet mastered her superpowers. It turns out Strange’s nightmare wasn’t a nightmare at all, but a window into a multiverse where evil reigns supreme. America opens portals herself, but how remains a mystery. One thing she knows for sure: a far more experienced sorceress, Wanda, aka the Scarlet Witch (the incomparable Elizabeth Olsen), is hunting her and her power. The latter desperately needs to reach a dimension where she has children and lives a better life, free from trauma and grief. Doctor Strange, naturally, must intervene, preventing the Scarlet Witch from killing America Chavez and restoring order to the multiverse.
The sequel to “Doctor Strange” had a complicated journey. Scott Derrickson, the director of the previous film, worked on the script, but the pandemic intervened, followed by creative differences with the studio. When Scott left the project, Sam Raimi – creator of the beloved “Spider-Man” trilogy with Tobey Maguire and a specialist in the living dead (“Evil Dead,” “Drag Me to Hell”) – stepped in. The psychedelic setting shifted towards horror motifs, but never fully evolved into a horror film, remaining family-friendly. Sam Raimi understood the assignment, fitting into the space between “WandaVision” and the latest “Spider-Man.” However, those who haven’t kept up with the Marvel content stream might struggle to grasp the Scarlet Witch’s frustration as she tears through universes to reunite with her fictional children.
Family Values and Familiar Clichés
Surprisingly, the film’s narrative promotes family values, something pop culture seemed to abandon around 2014. Wanda, the most powerful witch and an otherwise promising individual, literally destroys everything in her path for the fleeting chance to sit at home with her children and read them bedtime stories. The anti-heroine, capable of crushing the Illuminati and potentially becoming one of cinema’s greatest villains, is confined to the trope of a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown. It seems that while Sam Raimi was resurrecting corpses in the film, he accidentally unearthed a grave of old clichés – which, to put it mildly, doesn’t benefit the film. Doctor Strange, also a great magician and quite self-sufficient, believes he cannot find happiness without his beloved. Despite the numerous films in recent years that have broken the spell of Disney and 90s rom-coms about the healing power of phantom love, Sam Raimi decided to regress and bet on old songs about what matters most.
Multiversal Mayhem: A Missed Opportunity?
Regarding the captivating journey through the multiverse, it’s surprising how a $200 million blockbuster can be outshone by the modest indie film “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” whose budget is ten times smaller than Strange’s adventures. The Daniels (Kwan and Scheinert) managed to create a far more engaging and terrifying exploration of the multiverse within the confines of a stuffy tax office and laundromat, bringing audiences to tears and prompting them to reconsider their relationships with their parents. In contrast, the sprawling blockbuster offers only a quickly forgotten spectacle, demolishing New York for the thousandth time.
A Treat for Marvel Fans
Nevertheless, Marvel fans and admirers of Sam Raimi’s work will likely be satisfied. The studio knows its target audience and always strives to please them. “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” offers a plethora of fan service: squeal-inducing cameos, blood-pumping Easter eggs, intriguing post-credit scenes, and references to the work of the invited star director. It’s one big, fun rollercoaster ride through the multiverse, leading to collective ecstasy – if, of course, you’re deeply immersed in the context of Marvel films. If not, catch up, because this universe continues to grow at an enormous rate, and it’s unlikely anything will stop it.