Nothing dates a
movie quite like bad CGI. Take Peter Jackson’s Hobbit films as
an example: Released at the very beginning of the twenty-first
century, their precursor, The Lord of the Rings trilogy,
easily holds up under the scrutiny of eyes that are now twenty years older.
The Hobbit films, on the other hand, were pretty ugly to begin
with despite coming out much later. Much of this has to do with the
timelessness of practical effects over special effects, as one is as good
looking as its ever going to get while the other is constantly improving.
Sometimes, however, a story is so batcrap crazy and so indistinguishable from
the real world that CGI is the only option. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse
of Madness is one such film. Frenetic, trippy, and a joy to look at,
the Doctor’s latest adventure is a scarily good time despite a few notable
flaws.
As
part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Multiverse of Madness is
a sequel to not only 2016’s Doctor Strange, but also to Avengers:
Endgame and Disney+’s WandaVision. If you are already a
fan of the MCU, you will be happy to know that Disney/Marvel Studio’s streak of
decent to exceptional content is unbroken. If you are not a fan, then
you will have absolutely no reason to watch this movie, as the continuity
lockout is severe at this point in the franchise. If you can remember the
basics of what came before it, however, Multiverse of Madness will
be a mostly satisfying experience. Benedict Cumberbatch is back as the master
of the mystic arts, and he is as good as ever. He is joined once again by
Rachel McAdams (who has slightly more to do in this movie than the last but is
still mostly wasted), Benedict Wong, and talented newcomer Xochitl Gomez, but
it is Elizabeth Olsen who thoroughly steals the show this time around as the
broken, ticking timebomb that is Wanda Maximoff. Taking over director duties is
horror and superhero movie legend Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead trilogy,
Toby Maguire’s Spider-Man trilogy), who brings a delightfully scary
yet endearingly corny touch that is perfect for Doctor Strange’s corner of the MCU.
It is his signature style of filmmaking that makes Multiverse of
Madness stand out more than anything else, and it’s nice to see that
the Disney/Marvel juggernaut still has room for individual flair.
Multiverse
of Madness definitely has its flaws. The soundtrack by the
illustrious Danny Elfman is surprisingly generic and rarely noticeable, and
while the unabashed weirdness of Multiverse of Madness works
more often than not, some of the weirdness occasionally comes across as simply
dumb. This is also the case with the dialogue, which ranges from satisfactory
to cringy, as well as the ever-present CGI that will constantly remind you that
you that yes, you are watching a movie filmed almost entirely in front of a
green screen and no, none of this is something that can conceivably happen in
the real world.
But Doctor
Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is still a treat for those who
have sunk so much time into a universe that skipping any entry would be
tantamount to heresy. With a good many thrills, a few scares, and a
cheer-inducing cameo or two, it might be just what the doctor ordered.
Sorry,
I was dying to get that phrase in there somewhere.
Doctor
Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now available exclusively in
theaters.
This review was first published in The Keizertimes on May 13th, 2022. Visit at http://keizertimes.com/
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