Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
directed by Sam Raimi
★★★★☆*
The first Doctor Strange was a good introduction to the character and his bizarre powers. We’ve seen him do his magic in Avengers: Infinity War/Endgame and Spider-Man: No Way Home, but this is his first “standalone” sequel.
I put “standalone” in quotation marks (and an asterisk by my rating) because there is a steep and unexpected prerequisite. Not only should you see the first movie before this one in order to understand the character and his relationships, but you also need to have watched all of the WandaVision series on Disney+ (which, of course, requires a subscription) to have any clue what’s going on with Wanda/Scarlet Witch.
The movie starts out rather generically as an epic battle between good and evil over a MacGuffin with devastating powers. By the second act, however, it takes an unexpected turn that leads to an emotional rollercoaster of self-discovery for both the heroes and villains. There are also quite a few surprises in store as characters find themselves in alternate universes with both new and familiar versions of characters we’ve seen in previous Marvel movies.
If you have seen Infinity War, Endgame, and WandaVision, you’ll understand Wanda’s motivations and maybe even sympathize with her, making the story and finale all the more impactful. Unfortunately, if you haven’t, you’ll probably be extremely confused as to how an Avenger who helped defeat both Ultron and Thanos became a villain. The movie makes no attempt to explain or reference what happened in that show, nor to let viewers know that they even should have watched it first, so I feel bad for anybody who only sees the movies and went to see this one because they’d be completely lost. Frankly, if Marvel is going to require audiences to know all of this history across 15-20 years and various mediums, they really ought to have one of those “Previously on…” introductions for the people who either didn’t watch whatever obscure tie-in it refers to, or just doesn’t remember.
*So for me, someone who luckily had seen all of the prerequisite movies and shows, this was a thoroughly entertaining next chapter in the overarching MCU story. Your mileage may vary, however, and if you have not, cannot, or just don’t want to consume the aforementioned several hours of Marvel media, you may not find nearly as much enjoyment here.
