Dr. Strange In the Multiverse of Madness

Release Date: May 2, 2022
Director: Sam Raimi
Starring:
Benedict Cumberbatch,
Elizabeth Olsen,
and Benedict Wong
Mister Marquee Says:
LEGENDARY
Number: 5/5
Dr. Strange is taken on a whirlwind ride through the multiverse to save a teenager with the power to hop universes.
MCU (Marvel Commic Universe) movies, especially post-Avengers, have increasingly depended on their audience doing homework and seeing previous movies to catch up. This trend is only deepening as to really understand Multiverse of Madness, you have to see the first Dr. Strange, the Avengers movies, and now TV shows. WandaVision on Disney-plus is required viewing for this, and What If? wouldn’t hurt either.
Sam Raimi brings his distinctive flair to Multiverse of Madness with scenes and visuals very reminiscent of his classics like Evil Dead and Drag Me to Hell. There are some really creepy scenes, and both Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen get their chance to shine in the circus funhouse way only Raimi can make happen.
At its core, Strange 2 is rooted in its characters as are all good MCU movies. Marvel is very good about being consistent with its characters, and though some will argue the ending of WandaVision contradicts some of Wanda’s behavior here, the progression makes sense to me.
Marvel assumes everyone who sees these movies has seen at least the broad strokes of the others and the TV shows. For any other franchise that’s a big risk, but considering each of these movies makes $1 billion (even the filler movies), this audience probably has done its homework. Multiverse of Madness is a fun ride and a big moment in this storied franchise.