Review of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) by Bananabutt — 09 May 2022

Spoiler-free.

All around just a really great movie, though it does have its flaws and I understand why some people don't like it. It really does stumble a bit under the giant that is the Mcu, but manages to stand out quite nicely through the unique directorial style of Raimi. It truly is a Sam Raimi film inside of the Mcu, and for that I absolutely love it. I think that some people aren't liking this movie because they are disappointed that it's not cameo-paluza, but you don't need cameos to make a great movie. As long as you go in with your expectations checked in the cameos you will have a great time. Spoilers.

I'm gonna do some diving here so strap in. Here are the things I'll be discussing.

1. How great of a villain Wanda is.

2. How cool the Illuminati is.

3. Strange's character arc.

The Scarlet Witch truly is a definitive villain as she started as one. I've seen a lot of people giving Wanda too much credit when it comes to her bad deeds, but they seem to forget that she started as a villain in Age of Ultron and has killed innocent people in the past, even if it was by accident. She truly is a tragic villian, which makes her even more compelling. I can't necessarily sympathize with her, but I believe many others can. This is not my idea, I got it from the YouTube channel "Sean Chandler Talks About" but he makes a great point in saying that her quest for her kids is like addiction. It gives you a narrow view of what is right and wrong and causes you to rationalize everything you are doing wrong that you otherwise would not. She is addicted to finding her kids, and she does many evil things to fulfill this addiction, just like many addicts might. I suppose you could relate to her if you were a mother as well, but I guess it's not the same since her children are a delusion. Okay, I know a lot of people disliked the Illuminati scene, but I thought it was near-perfect. My only honest complaint would be that Captain Marvel is the fiery ball from the trailer and not someone cool like Human Torch or Superior Iron Man. I freaked when I saw John Krasinski as Mr. Fantastic and loved seeing Black Bolt + Professor X. Captain Carter was pretty cool too I guess, but I mostly just kind of like the balls Marvel has to kill them 5 minutes after introducing them. It was a great way to show what Wanda is truly capable of and a great way to pump some more Sam Raimi horror out. Of course, if Krasinski is not officially cast as Mr. Fantastic in the main Mcu timeline I will absolutely hate the scenes with the Illuminati, but if not they are so sick. OK, last, but certainly not least, Strange's character arc. I think his character arc in this movie might be the single-most compelling across one movie in the entire Mcu (except maybe Iron Man's in his first movie). In Avengers: Infinity War Strange looks into hundreds of millions of alternate timelines to see which one they win. He finds the one and makes the call to save Tony's life and giving up an infinity stone in return. He then says "It was the only way." In the cold open of this movie with Defender Strange, he basically says the same thing before he's about to kill America. He says, "This is the only way" I believe. This sort of highlights the overwhelming arrogance that every Stephen Strange in every reality shares. They truly believe they know best. In the very next scene Strange talks to a man who asks him if there was any other way, since the man had lost his brother (and 2 cats) during the blip, in which he had disappeared. Strange is stumped by this. Christine, when they are talking, then tells him that it never would have worked between them because Strange always had to be holding the knife, which basically means he had to make all the tough decisions. This all comes to a head at the end of the movie when Strange is faced with a choice. Do things as he's always done them, believing that his way is the only way, and kill America Chavez, or let her decide her own fate. It would have been easier to kill America and waaay less risky, and she even asks him to kill her, but he doesn't because he realizes that there is another way, and that way is not for him to find, but for her. Though this leads him there, I think what truly proves that Strange is a changed, more competent and less arrogant man is when he bows to Wong, the sorcerer supreme, like he is supposed to. It closes out his arc perfectly in my opinion and leaves us with perhaps one of the greatest Mcu characters at this point. I know this is long, but I love this movie and I didn't know where else to share this. I am only giving it a 9/10 and not a 10/10 because of its flaws. If I were rating this out of pure enjoyment, I would give it a 10/10 because it was thoroughly entertaining.