Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness review

Yes, it’s still a Marvel blockbuster that fulfils the requirements of a Marvel blockbuster, and which expects its viewers to have a working knowledge of all of the Marvel blockbusters that went before it. But it’s also as gleefully outlandish as any independent cult movie – and there is no way Raimi could have made anything like it without Marvel’s footing the bill and laying the groundwork. Some people will dismiss the film as nonsense, and they could have a point. But Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a huge amount of fun. Read full review…

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Review

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness probably won’t earn any new fans for the MCU, and it may even turn some moviegoers off as it’s definitely a harder, more violent, and macabre outing than we’ve seen from Marvel to date. It also doesn’t always land right; it’s shaggy and occasionally jumps its own tracks. But it will please the legions of established fans by embracing the comic book weirdness of it all with vigor and abandon, as Sam Raimi creates possibly the MCU’s most off-the-wall entry yet. Ironic that it would take such a crazily unsteady but rich movie to help steady the Marvel ship. Read full review…

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness review: “Enough crowd-pleasing moments to reward the faithful”

For all the potential complexity of the multiverse, the plotting is fairly straightforward: motivations are clear, and the various timelines economically navigated. You don’t need to be a neurosurgeon to keep up, although being a Marvel aficionado certainly helps, not least for surprises and callbacks set to delight the faithful. But there being so much going on means some characters and strands are underserved: Chiwetel Ejiofor draws a short straw, given limited time to unpack Karl Mordo further, but Rachel McAdams gets to explore another side of Christine Palmer, while Olsen continues a journey begun in WandaVision. Read full review…

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness review – one for diehard Marvel fans

Self-referential in the extreme, this latest outing for dimension-hopping Benedict Cumberbatch is a largely joyless affair. Read full review…

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Review

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

By the time that “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” was pulling out the universe-bending scenes that will probably be spoiled by Friday afternoon, I started to wonder if there’s a breaking point to these CGI orgies that serve so many other properties they forget to be interesting on their own. There have been complaints about MCU properties that feel like they exist merely to get people interested in the next movie or TV show, but it’s never felt so much like a snake eating its own tail as it does here. Or at least the spell has worn off for me. Read full review…