If you’re a Marvel movie fan, seeing the new “Doctor Strange" film is a must. Otherwise, you can definitely skip this one. This film felt very different from any Marvel movie we’ve seen and I still can’t decide if it's in a good way or a bad way.
Synopsis
Doctor Strange casts a spell that is forbidden and opens a portal to the multiverse. However, the threat that emerges may be too massive for him to handle alone. The movie stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, Benedict Wong as Wong, and Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer.
What I loved
I like this movie because all the characters invoke some type of emotion in me. I think Doctor Strange is hilarious. I really enjoyed the addition of America Chavez (though I wish we got more information on her), and all the other characters just make the movie enjoyable. I think if you simply enjoy Doctor Strange and the characters his movie brings, you’ll enjoy this movie for that fact at least.
I enjoyed the movie visually. I think a difficult thing to achieve in a movie with heavy CGI and effects is making the movie look believable, and I think this one does. While traveling to different multiverses with different scenery throughout, I think each one was enjoyable and visually appealing.
The movie took a different genre approach that I enjoyed. While this movie had the typical funny Marvel movie parts, it leapt into the horror genre as well. I think that while it was surprising to me to go into the movie expecting a typical Marvel movie and then getting jump scared, I sort of enjoyed the change of pace.
What I didn't love
I did not particularly enjoy how the sense of time and information moved throughout the movie. We somehow get a lot of information, while at the same time we get no information about the things that are genuinely relevant and we want to know. We get introduced to a new character (America Chavez) and the trailer honestly has as much information as you get in the movie about her. I feel like this movie lacked the critical information we needed, and felt unlike a Marvel movie in that aspect.
Now as much as I like the horror aspect of this movie and I felt it changed up the typical Marvel arc, I despised how graphic the movie was. How this movie was PG-13 was beyond me, at some points it got very horror movie-esque and I was truly not expecting that. I'm a fan of horror, but not gore, and this movie got a little too gory for my taste.
Verdict
I want to love this movie so bad, but it just doesn't do it for me. Something feels like it's lacking in the plot of the film, and I'm missing that emotional connection to the storyline. I should have at least some type of outward emotion besides a chuckle, but I sat straight-faced most of the time.
If you’re a Marvel movie fan, I recommend seeing this movie, but you can probably wait until it's on Disney +.
I give "Doctor Strange Multiverse of Madness” a 3.5 out of 5.
