Movie Review: Dr. Strange is a Trippy, Horror-lit Adventure

Moving Pictures by Mo Burford

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (Sam Rami, 2022)

I have watched darn near every Marvel movie that has come out in the last 11 years, and I have to be honest, I’m quite sick of them.

On the whole, I find them to be blandly directed, with repetitive plot structures and unbearably large doses of CGI. There’s nothing terribly unique about this opinion except for the fact that, as a child, all I wanted were more Star Wars movies and superhero movies and, specifically, movies about Marvel superheroes. I read comics for years (I was an X-men kid, obviously), and dreamt of a day when there would be movies about all my favorite characters. And now, I catch myself constantly saying to friends how utterly tired I am of these films.

I don’t think this is just because I am a jaded 35-year-old dork. Probably. 

However, I’m happy to report that Doctor Strangle and the Multiverse of Madness was (mostly) a happy departure from the norms of the MCU, and that I genuinely enjoyed watching it.

That being said, it was also a bit disappointing. With Sam Raimi at the helm (director of such splendidly odd films as Evil Dead 2, Darkman, Army of Darkness, Quick and the Dead, and Drag me to Hell), I’d hoped for the film to be a lot weirder. And while we got glimpses of it (which thrilled me), the film was still weighed down by the sogginess of the Marvel machine. There is a certain consistency to these movies that is part of what makes them appealing, yet also really keeps them from soaring. And so at best they have moments of brightness, but they are only that—moments. However, I don’t want to be too hard on Dr. Strange, as it was still gory, horror-flecked and, dare I say, strange in ways I found immensely satisfying and joyful.

I really can’t say much about the plot without getting into spoiler territory, but here’s the basic premise: In Doctor Strangle and the Multiverse of Madness, we find Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) helping to protect America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), a young woman with mysterious powers from another universe. They have to travel through multiple universes to avoid The Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). What unfolds is a slightly trippy, horror-lite adventure across parts of the Marvel universe we have yet to see.

I don’t want to damn Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness with faint praise, but it really is a lot more fun than most of the other Marvel movies. (I have a feeling hardcore fans of the MCU will disagree with me.)  I appreciate, for example, the spectacle and sheer amount of work that went into bringing all the previous movies to bear on Avengers: Endgame, but I don’t think it’s a terribly good film, or appealing to rewatch. And while I don’t need every moment to be bright colors and jokes (Thor: Ragnarok), I also can’t really handle them being a dreary slog (The Batman) or a milquetoast spectacle (Spider-man: Far From Home).

But Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness is a different kind of beast. This movie did its best not to trade in the high melodrama of most other superhero films (or even the most recent Spider-man: No Way Home, which I liked fine, but didn’t love). Instead, it tried to tell a smaller and more focused story, something equal parts horror, weirdness and adventure. And it was about a superhero protecting a single person, not the fate of all humanity. Also, we see perhaps our first on-screen queer couple in a Marvel film, even if they are unnamed peripheral characters only seen in a flashback — but it’s something! (These movies  have a long way to go in a lot of respects.) 

When the movie does dip its toes into high melodrama, it suffers in the way all these superhero movies do: the world of fun and color and wacky quips cannot really bear the weight of the stakes it has created. That is, the pain of the loss or sorrow of heartbreak just can’t be supported by these candy-colored, cape-wearing folks. Despite all my gripes, I really did have fun and liked the experience of watching it. I just wish the movie environment we all swim in was a little more conducive to giving its directors ample space to follow their vision rather than simply making a buck (even if it is a billion bucks).

All that being said, there’s a lot here to love, especially for fans of Raimi's weird and slightly horrific vision. There are amazing visual effects that are absolutely affective, fun action sequences, and quips that even worked on me. As Martin Scorsese (in)famously said about superhero films, “Honestly, the closest I can think of them, as well made as they are, with actors doing the best they can under the circumstances, is theme parks. It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.” And while I agree with him completely (do yourself a favor and watch Scorsese’s The Irishman), if Dr. Strange is just a roller coaster, it’s a really fun one. One that was shocking and funny and grotesque in ways I really got a kick out of. And hey, there’s nothing wrong with roller coasters, right?

★ ★ ★ 1/2 

(Three and a half stars) 

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now showing at Columbia Cinemas and Hood River Cinemas.

Questions, comments, movie suggestions? Email Mo at movingpicturesccc@gmail.com

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