Movie Review: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
from Nils Ahrensmeier 
on May 05, 2022, 10:00 am | Write a comment
With Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness After the first part from 2016 there is a successor to the popular Marvel superhero. We watched the film for you.
Last year, Marvel opened up a whole new dimension for their MCU with the "Multiverse" and won a famous director in Sam Raimi. But can he squeeze his fondness for horror with the superheroes of the MCU into a round 2-hour package?
A short sentence for the FSK release of 12 years. I don't want to be a spoilsport, but the film probably isn't for most 12-year-olds. The film gets down to business at times, which is why I would recommend it for ages 14-15 and older.
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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: The Critique
We protry to make our film review as spoiler-free as possible, but this is very difficult with the plot of the film. Therefore, the rough content is very brief.
strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is brought out of his almost boring everyday life in New York. After Endgame, where he saved the world from Thanos, he is celebrated as a superhero. Except for the wedding of his ex-girlfriend Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams), a monster the newly cast America Chavez (xochitl gomez) hunts through New York. Strange and his friend Wong (Benedict Wong) save them from him, which also gives them the background of the fight. Chavez is mysteriously able to travel the multiverse in fear, but because of this she is sought out by a dark force. She wants to use this power for herself and is willing to do anything for it.
It quickly becomes apparent: It is best to read at least WandaVision and the first Dr. seen Strange to really understand the film. Because the only character that is really reintroduced, but gets little backstory, is America Chavez. But Strange "takes her by the hand" a lot, which is why she gets a lot of screen time, but you don't get much experience. Despite this, she is convincing as an actor, which is why we hope for further appearances.
The three main characters have to go through a personal development in the film. (Image: Disney)
The three main characters (Strange, Wanda and America Chavez) go through a strong personal development in the film. They make groundbreaking decisions, experience romantic and disappointing moments and also have to admit mistakes. All this wrapped up in a completely new "Marvel Movie". While the new Spider-Man trilogy attempts a more "funny approach", director Sam Raimi in particular chooses a rather dark approach. Some colleagues even speak of the "first Marvel horror film". I wouldn't go that far, but I definitely agree that the film is very dark. But there are always elements of horror to be found again. So much is played with the music, which already hints at or announces some events. There are some undead creatures and monsters that are literally impaled. All of this works really well, it sometimes becomes very brutal for the otherwise rather "loving comic book adaptations" of the MCU.
Where are the multiverses?
But what I didn't like so much is the poor implementation of the "multiverse". Because there are exactly *two* changes in the dimensions in the film. Here you really wasted potential, because you have already presented really well with Spider-Man. Instead of incorporating characters, which still play a central role in the course of the film, placeholder heroes were sometimes implemented, which will no longer play any further role after 20 minutes. Only one performance managed to stay in my memory, unfortunately that was it again.
Elizabeth Olsen convinces once again with Wanda. (Image: Disney)
Still, I'm glad the film made somethingprobeers. The Marvel comes out of the "youth comfort zone" and sometimes goes a little more into the spooky. The whole thing is rounded off with a fantastic Elizabeth Olsen, who convinced as Wanda across the board. As always with a Marvel film, stay seated after the credits roll. There are two more scenes, one of which is of great importance for the future of the Strange movies. The other doesn't have much relevance, but makes for a laugh at the end.
The conclusion
With Multiverse of Madness, the MCU gets a whole new style. With surprisingly hard violence and elements of horror, the 2-hour long film has its own place in the MCU. However, the "Multiverse of Madness" is committed more in the dark fight than in the colorful universe change, in an entertaining film for young and adult Marvel fans.
