Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Movie Review — Sucharita Tyagi
Chaotic. Excessive. Exhausting.
The 28th film in the MCU, phase 4. Like a self-fulfilling prophecy, khud hi yeh filmein aur show itney timelines mein bant gayi hai, I’m so tired.
Hey y’all! My name is Sucharita, you’re reading a movie review and today we’re going to be reviewing ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’. There will be no spoilers.
Despite the fact ki saaaaaare possible spoilers, barring perhaps one, are already out there. Literal clips from the film are floating on the internet, the many many trailer have given away nearly all the guest appearances, aur Wikipedia pe toh SAB hi kuch likha hai.
Seriously. Do not go to Wikipedia.
Post the events of the ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, Dr. Stephen Strange is trying to get back to his life of…I assume underground studies of the mystic arts, and overground social events, because have you seen those cheekbones?
Until inter-dimensional creatures disrupt this routine, only for him to find out ki 3 tarah ke Peter Parker ke alava, 600 tarah ke Doctor Strange bhi ghoom rahey hain, ab nipto. Also, Wanda Maximoff has gone fully unhinged and is now The Scarlett Witch, desperate to travel to a different timelines for reasons which might be spoiler-y toh I won’t tell.
Yes, about that. ‘Doctor Stranger in the Multiverse of Madness’ ko theek se samajhney ke liye, it’s not just enough for you to have watched its sequel, Strange’s subsequent appearances in the various ‘Avengers’ movies, ‘Spiderman’, but it demands you to have closely watched and followed the ‘Wanda Vision’ series. As a requirement, it's not crazy, because that show was deeply unique and wildly entertaining. But must it be…a must?
As one might have guessed from the multi-trailers, the multi-verse is rather disorderly, aur usko ek coherent screenplay mein daalne ke challenge par toh kharey utar gaye director Sam Raimi, lekin uss chakkar mein movie ka emotional core kho gaya.
Dekhiye multiverse action ab hum takreeban ek-saal se toh dekh rahey hain marvel mein.‘ Into the Spiderverse’, ‘Spider-man No Way Home’, Loki series, What if in the series, inter-dimensional travel has become too rampant, koi bhi uncle aakar alternate timeline mein chaley jaate hain, its too easy.
So now, let's bring Sam Raimi on board, who gave the first superhero blockbuster movies, with a live, beating heart, oh the drama of Willem Defoe’s bi-polar, the love triangle between Kirsten Dunst, Tobey McGuire, James Franco, saving the city and braving the media attention was secondary. ‘No Way Home’ worked for me because it played into that nostalgia, and to a huge extent, ‘Wanda Vision’ also works for the same reason. Childhood sitcoms, storylines.
Lekin uske alav bhi, Kathryn Hahn’s big reveal, “it was Agatha all along”, so refreshing, too great, instant hit! Even the first Doctor Strange movie itself, had drama at its core, a surgeon going through an existential crisis, Tilda Swinton, Mads Mikkelsen, love, and betrayal.
But instead of Sam Raimi of Spider-Man 2002, we get Sam Raimi of ‘the Evil Dead’. There’s a zombie action, and jump scares, chase sequences like a horror movie. Most of the heavy lifting to switch into this genre is left to Elisabeth Olsen to do, and she is incredible, even if her attempt at bringing back Wanda’s Sokovian accent isn’t so much.
The Scarlett Witch is very exciting to watch, as her mania gradually takes over. But around this very good acting performance, everything is just a bit silly, and I found myself struggling to take any of it seriously on any level.
Xochitl Gomez plays America Chavez, a gay Latin-American female superhero with a shit ton of power. Her inclusion in the movies is a very welcome move forward for inclusion and diversity, but her character sadly is reduced to less than spider man in civil war. Mostly used for exposition, America Chavez is a sadly underutilized character.
Another thing ‘Multiverse Of Madness’ attempts to do, is to be creepy. See above, jump scares, sudden shadow to light reveal Falana dhimkana, but its just too frivolous to attach any significant importance to. Alternate reality ki talaash mein kiss kism ke log hotey hain? Ya toh curious scientist type, ya toh aise wretched insaan jinki current life ko woh har haalat mein khatm kar dena chaahte hain, its almost a suicidal feeling, explored via sci-fi.
Do you know which show did a GREAT job of this inter-dimension travel/creepily/sadly looking for another life where you might not be so miserable? ‘The OA’ on Netflix. Which is also today’s Relation Mein Recommendation chalo. 2 seasons ke baad na-jaane woh show waapas kyun nahi aaya, par usko dekho aap.
Bringing Sam Raimi into the MCU was perhaps an attempt to do this only, make this film more real, and relatable. We get a sudden, half-baked past romantic angle brought back to life, a zombie much like one of the Strange’s himself. These movies, while still rather enjoyable, are too bright, too colorful, and too big budget, too much of a show, to move me in any way anymore. I’ve seen this before, I’ve enjoyed this before, and I can easily spot idhar green screen, udhar stunt double. Ho gaya na thoda abhi?
So, on a scale of 1 to 10…….yes I’M BRINGING THIS BACK……on a scale of 1 to 10,‘ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ is…4 Dr. Strange I counted on screen, yaani 4 dimesnsions mein toh gaya. Did I miss any? Bataao comments mein.
And subscribe karein channel ko, tomorrow evening we’re talking about Netflix ki ‘Thar’.
