Director Sam Raimi returns to the superhero genre to deliver one of the MCU’s boldest, most visually creative, refreshingly creepy, and unabashedly ambitious outings yet, though in a structurally messy fashion. For a film that smashes together fan beloved Marvel comic book stories such as House of M and New Avengers: Illuminati, there is just so much stuff going on, and for the most part, it is a fever dream of applause and cheer inducing nergasms, especially for those familiar with some of the source material. Benedict Cumberbatch is on top of his game as usual but the real MVP here is Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/scarlet Witch. While I cannot discuss her specific role in the movie all I will say is that we finally get the most badass and powerful version of Wanda, and I highly suggest watching WandaVision prior to this movie, as there are very important plot threads that carry over. The newcomer America Chavez acts sort of as a plot device to progress the story, and her banter with Strange was rather well played, even if she was just there to get the audience from point A to point Z. Raimi’s touch is beautifully felt, with lots of wild moving camera shots, zoom-in closeups and all kinds of detailed gore that we haven’t seen much of in the MCU. There are surprise cameos in this movie, we all know that, but I recommend doing two things. One: Keep your expectations reasonable for them. Two: Don’t get it spoiled because the excitingly visceral moments of collective cheer and applause would be dampened. As a huge Marvel fan and film buff, there’s so much to say about this movie, and I really had a great time all things considered. Overall, while Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness may crumble under the weight of its lofty ambitions at times and rushes through aspects that could’ve used an extra 20-30 mins to flesh out certain things that are better explained in the comics, the movie overcomes these flaws thanks to the assured direction of the legendary Sam Raimi, who delivers a roller coaster ride of multiversal horror and thrills to kick off the summer movie season.
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