Movie Review: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - Multiverse Theory's a Witch

 

Coming off the heels of "Spider-Man: No Way Home", there's a lot of hype for the Doctor Strange sequel as it continues to explore the concept of the multiverse within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As "Multiverse of Madness" attempts to both continue Strange's character journey and build up the inevitable multiversal war, the film does succeed but not without faltering somewhat along the way.

In terms of Strange's arc in the film, Benedict Cumberbatch does a good job at conveying his internal conflict as the character wrestles with the choices he's made across the movies, both personal and for the "greater good". As he learns of different versions of himself, it really raises questions about his morality and based on the ending, one of them will be if it will only go so far.
Without spoiling too much, the Scarlet Witch is the main villain of the film as Wanda officially breaks bad. Elizabeth Olsen outdoes herself from "WandaVision" as her character's story seems to come to its natural conclusion. It creates a nice parallel with Strange's story about how far one would go to achieve their goals, again, whether they be personal or for the "greater good". That being said, "Multiverse of Madness" was the first real test for Marvel about whether one truly needs to view the Disney+ series when their plot elements eventually spill over into the films to grasp the story better (taking into account that not everyone has Disney+). Sadly, it fails with this instance. While the film does discuss the events of "WandaVision", you'll have a deeper appreciation of the story and understanding of Wanda's motivation after having watched it since it's without a doubt the most crucial part of her character journey.
The rest of the main cast is rounded out well by Benedict Wong once again killing it as Wong, Xochitl Gomez carving out her place in the MCU's next generation as America Chavez, and Rachel McAdams having a more prominent role as Christine Palmer compared to the first film.

Director Sam Raimi is known for his work on the original Spider-Man trilogy and the Evil Dead series. With "Multiverse of Madness", he's able to bring both his lighthearted and demonic touches to the film resulting in some of the most creative imagery seen in an MCU film, especially on the latter category. Marvel succeeds in what they wanted to be their first horror film, with it at times being very graphic, unsettling, and packed with so many jump-scares that they seem bent on giving you a heart attack.

Of course, the main draw and most hype toward this movie was the multiverse aspect as the rumor mill for this movie had people speculating on what new characters would be introduced and what former non-MCU Marvel stars would be returning. It does seem that after seeing all the big screen Spider-Men together in "No Way Home", people were expecting a smorgasbord of cameos; I won't deny I had some thoughts on the matter myself (particularly of the Deadpool variety). My point is, please temper your expectations. With what we do get though, I felt very satisfied with who does end up appearing, but not so much with what happens to them; if anything, it at least opens up sacred timeline versions for some of these characters to appear later on.
Going off that though, I'm a little disappointed that Chiwetel Ejiofor's return as Mordo is that of a variant and not the one from the first film. It seems implied Strange did battle with his version off screen, but it leaves the set-up from the post-credits scene still without any real payoff. Which is what brings me to the main issue I feel with "Multiverse of Madness". While it continues Strange's story, it doesn't feel like a continuation of the first film whereas the hype of the multiverse will disappoint those expecting more. While I feel the film does succeed in what it wanted to do and have it both ways, one could see one aspect overshadowing the other.

Overall, "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" is a very entertaining and bloodcurdling film bolstered by Strange and Wanda's storylines and another taste of the MCU multiverse. The only advice I can give going in is not to expect another "Endgame" level film just yet.

TV Review: Moon Knight - Split meets The Mummy

 

While the previous Marvel Disney+ series have focused on those could consider side characters in the bigger films, "Moon Knight" marks the first where the main protagonist is being introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From a first glance, Moon Knight has been compared to Batman, but dressed in white and with even deeper mental issues. He's a very complex but cool character, so it makes sense that his Disney+ series matches up.

The best way to describe "Moon Knight" is a mix of psychological character study and treasure hunting adventure with supernatural elements. While the latter is done well (if a bit slow at times) and adds more to the MCU's mythos, it's the former where the series truly shines thanks to the lead, Oscar Isaac. For a character with split personality, Isaac does a brilliant job bringing both Marc Spector and Steven Grant to life in such a way that I sometimes forget it's the same actor even when they share the screen at the same time; and in that regard, I have to give props to the special effects team for making said scenes seamless. As the two personalities conflict early in the season, I found myself siding with both at different times where I'm either going "Marc, stop messing with Steven's life" or "Steven, don't get in Marc's way". It's very rewarding by the time they get on the same page, becoming like brothers, and after we learn of their complex and heartbreaking backstory while still leaving some mystery about the character.

Strangely enough, I actually found the series to have similar plot elements to Iron Fist, specifically the second season. Both leads are chosen guardians given powers to carry out a grand mission having to battle an antagonist with similar goals but more brutal methods along with a love interest who may be better suited for the job than the protagonist. In regard to the love interest, I really enjoyed May Calamawy as Layla, who's a strong character in her own right while also having good chemistry with Isaac as both Marc and Steven. The Steven interactions are most enjoyable as it's like watching her fall in love with her husband all over again. As for our lead villain in Arthur Harrow, Ethan Hawke gives a very charismatic performance as a religious zealot who can even fool the likes of gods.

While the series is at its best with its character moments, the action stuff that is present is nothing to scoff at. The best examples that stand out are the car chase in episode one and the final battle in episode six. And when it comes to the show's use of CGI, it's literally 50/50 with the second half of episodes clearly better than the first. Obviously the second half definitely had more need of it, it's a little disheartening to see corners cut when these MCU Disney+ series are supposed to have the same budgets as the films.

All in all, while I don't really hold it in high regard as some may think, "Moon Knight" is still a very solid stand-alone entry for the Marvel Cinematic Universe thanks in large part to Oscar Isaac and I look forward to where Marc, Steven, and company go next.