Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (2022) Movie Review
Dr. Strange has always been my least favorite superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His magic abilities always seem unclearly defined and he is a generally unlikable character. The best part of this movie is that Rachel McAdams reprises her role as Strange’s love interest, Christine. Strange attends her wedding but during the celebration, an invisible entity begins attacking folks in the city. While fighting the monster Strange reconnects with Wong (Benedict Wong) and is introduced to America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), who can travel between the multiverses. She tells Strange that someone has been hunting her for her powers and abilities.
When he spots signs of witchcraft, Strange goes to see Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) for guidance. As it turns out, Wanda is the one who sent demons after Chavez. She has turned into the Scarlet Witch and longs to use the multiverse to reunite with her sons Billy and Tommy. The rest of the movie involves Strange and Chavez trying to defeat the Scarlet Witch and protect the multiverse. Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness is somewhat convoluted, jumping between many universes. The introduction of Chavez is okay and Gomez does a decent job with her portrayal. Cumberbatch is very reliable as Strange, grappling with his failures as a person and trying to find peace with his choices. There was a fun cross-over in another universe where Strange talks to some of the X-Men including Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), Reed Richards (John Krasinksi) from the Fantastic Four and there’s even an appearance from Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell). This crossover is short lived however so don’t get your hopes up.
The worst part of this movie is the lack of character development for my favorite character, Wanda. If you’ve watched WandaVision you’ll know about her backstory which is why her quick transition to evil makes literally no sense. There is no buildup or development to her character and all of the progress she seemingly made at the end of WandaVision has been undone completely. This feels particularly lackluster as WandaVision brought Wanda’s story so much clarity and provided helpful backstory. It feels like a missed opportunity for her character.
Other than that, Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness sticks to the MCU formula and doesn’t do anything novel. Strange’s character is given a bit of redemption and Chavez is a fun addition to the MCU. This movie doesn’t add anything inherently great to the universe other than some epic battle scenes with CGI monsters.
You’ll like this movie if:
1. You are a fan of Dr. Strange
2. You want to see more multiverse craziness
3. You like Scarlet Witch as a villain
