Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Film Review

Released on the 4^th of May in the UK and the 6^th of May in the US, ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ is a superhero film based on the Marvel Comics featuring the character Doctor Strange. The film is produced by Marvel Studios, distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, and directed by Sam Raimi, who is famous for directing the Spider-Man trilogy (2002-2007), the Evil Dead franchise, and many more. This is the sequel to ‘Doctor Strange’ (2016) and is the 28^th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Read on for a full review of the film and what you can expect if you have not watched it already – no spoilers!

The film was directed by Sam Raimi and written by Michael Waldron about Doctor Strange protecting America Chavez, who is a teenager capable of travelling the multiverse, from Wanda Maximoff. The cast is as follows:

• Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange
• Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch
• Chiwetel Ejiofor
• Benedict Wong
• Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez
• Michael Stuhlbarg
• Rachel McAdams

Watch the trailer below:

The film premiered at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on the 2^nd of May 2022 and was released on the 4^th in the UK and the 6^th of May in the US. ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ is a part of Phase Four of the MCU and grossed at $450 million worldwide, making it the third highest-grossing film of 2022 so far, receiving generally positive reviews from critics all praising Sam Raimi’s direction, the visual effects, musical score, and the performances of the entire cast, in particular Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, and Xochitl Gomez. However, the pacing in the film overall ended up receiving some criticism.

Since the title announcement of ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’, I had been very excited to see what film will be all about, particularly after the release of ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, as that had opened a lot of question about the multiverse. Whilst watching the film however, I found myself asking more questions about it so I felt that this film does not give all the answers I was looking for, nevertheless, the film gives a lot of other information about the multiverse that I did not expect which was satisfying enough for a film that had a lot going on.

The cast and the idea of the story was great, but I felt the pacing could have been better to make the entire film a great storytelling and introduction of the multiverse. My favourite actress was definitely Xochitl Gomez, as her introduction into the MCU was very realistic in terms of how she joined the world or the reality out of all the other alternative realities available. If you are looking to understand what more happened since where we left off from ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, then this is a fantastic continuing with its many themes of mystery, comedy, horror, action, and fantasy. Sam Raimi did a great job, as did the cast!