Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2022) - Film review by Kadmon

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2022)
image © Marvel (Disney)

Article updated: 2022.11.03

The Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) is a contemporary fantasy adventure film. The movie was reviewed by Kadmon.

Product: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2022)

Original title: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Series: Marvel Cinematic Universe: Doctor Strange

Previous entries in the series: Doctor Strange (2016), Spider-Man 3: No Way Home (2021)

Other adaptations of the story: ?

Setting: alternate fantasy Earth (Marvel Universe - Marvel Cinematic Universe)

Product type: Film, Genre: contemporary fantasy adventure, Style: fantasy, contemporary fantasy, horror, action, adventure, super-human abilities

Release: Premiere: 2022.05.02 (Hollywood, California), Release: 2022.05.04

Watched: very recent (2022.05), first time

Rating: Good (2+ out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Average (2 out of 3 points)

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This is my review of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, a contemporary fantasy adventure movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe from 2022. It's about a wizard trying to save the world from falling into the wrong hands. The Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness film is interesting, I recommend it to fans of the genre.

If you'd like to be surprised by the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness film, I don't recommend you to watch the trailer beyond 0:48, because it starts to give away parts of the plot.

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Review (spoiler-free) - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, movie (2022)

I knew that the movie is coming, as it was advertised for a couple of years now, but I was surprised when it actually came out. I was not thrilled by the first movie, but No Way Home was okay, so I was interested to see where will they take the story. Although I didn't watch the trailer, I've seen enough parts of it in YouTube videos about movies that I have a good idea of what was in it.

The Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness movie is about a wizard trying to save the world from falling into the wrong hands.

The story was watchable, but nothing impressive. The consistency was mostly okay, although sometimes it slipped from fantasy action to straight horror, then slapstick comedy. Many "twists" were built on surprising those member of the audience who have previous knowledge of other movies, instead of twists in the actual story. There were no proper character arcs for the protagonist, I've felt that the changes just happened. I didn't find major logical problems.

The cinematography was good, often reminiscent of horror classics (specifically The Evil Dead series). It really felt that the shots were designed and they were intentional. The scenes were visually interesting, especially the alien vistas of the other realities of the Multiverse. The special effects were good. There's violence in the movie, and some gore. Some people found some scenes scary.

The characters were okay, but we didn't really get to know them. There were many new characters, and we didn't get introductions to them. Their portrayal by the actors was acceptable.

The music (by Danny Elfman) is good, it's fits the story fine.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is an interesting contemporary fantasy adventure, I think fans of the genre will enjoy it.

My experience

I was mostly satisfied with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). I like fantasy stories with interesting plots, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness delivered just that.

Rating: Good (2+ out of 3 points). Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a well-made film.

Enjoyment: Average (2 out of 3 points). Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is watchable, I liked the action scenes and the vistas.

Rewatchability: Average. If you liked it for the first time, you'll probably like to watch it multiple times.

Chance of watching it again: Unlikely. Although the vistas were great, those are probably the only parts that I would watch again.

Chance of watching a sequel: I know I'll watch it.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2022)
image © Marvel (Disney)

Will you enjoy this?

If you cannot miss any release related to the Marvel Universe, you'll watch this anyway.

If you like supernatural or fantasy movies, you might like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

If you like horror or action thriller movies (The Evil Dead, A Nightmare on Elm Street), you might like the film, although there are not that many scary action scenes in the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness movie.

If you'd like to get comedic moments in your movies, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness might disappoint you, as it's more serious than the regular MCU film, although there are a couple of light-hearted scenes.

If you like jump scare horror stories, you might find this Doctor Strange instalment to your liking, as there were people who talked about jump scare moments they've liked (although I can't recall any).

If you can get through the first half hour of the movie still interested, the rest of the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness movie will be something similar.

If you enjoyed the Doctor Strange (2016), you might be interested in this story.

If you prefer visuals over story, you'll likely enjoy the Multiverse of Madness.

If you hate zombies, you might dislike one of the side-plots, but I don't think that would destroy the movie for you.

If you hate acts of violence, you should probably avoid Marvel movies.

If you hate blood and gore, this movie is not for you.

Do you need to see the other films in the series to enjoy this?

There's enough explanation that you'll understand what's going on without seeing the previous film. Although watching Doctor Strange (2016) will certainly give more information about the main character. Watching Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) or WandaVision (2021) will also help you understand the Scarlet Witch better.

Also, if you have seen X-Men (2000), The Inhumans (2017), Captain Marvel (2019), What If...? S1 E1: What If... Captain Carter Were the First Avenger? (2021), you'll probably appreciate some scenes more than those who haven't seen these.

Watching for plot points

If you are interested in fantasy stories, especially those about travelling between alternate realities, I think it's worth watching the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness movie for the plot points.

Should you watch this on your own screen at home, or is it worth going to the cinema?

The visuals definitely look better if you watch it in cinema.

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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2022)
image © Marvel (Disney)

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Review with spoilers - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, movie (2022)

I mostly liked the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness movie.

Cover

The covers of the movie are okay, they don't say much, but they also don't spoil the movie, while giving us a glimpse of the fractured realities through the broken mirror shards.

The trailer

The trailer is okay, although it spoils some minor parts of the movie.

Promise of the first scene

There's a wizard fighting against a demon, and the wizard is willing to sacrifice a girl in order to defeat the demon. Then he wakes up, it was just a dream. I assume the wizard will face some unwinnable situation where he'll have to decide on what's right.

Execution: Exactly the same situation happened at the end of the story, and he decides that he doesn't sacrifice the girl. While this doesn't provide a twist, at least the promise was kept.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2022)
image © Marvel (Disney)

Plot summary / Synopsis

Prelude reality: A wizard (Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Stephen Strange) and his partner girl (Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez) try to defeat a demon. When the wizard is injured, he is ready to steal the life force of his partner girl to get strength to defeat the demon.

Original reality: Then the wizard wakes up in his home, it was just a dream.

The wizard goes to the wedding of his former girlfriend (Rachel McAdams as Dr. Christine Palmer). Suddenly, there are some strange events on the street, cars getting crushed by an invisible force. The wizard reveals that it's a tentacled monster (Gargantos). While fighting the monster, he meets with his partner girl from his dream. A fellow wizard (Benedict Wong as Wong) arrives, helping him out. After they defeat the creature, the girl escapes from the them, stealing the ring of the wizard. They convince her that they won't hurt her. The girl reveals that she comes from another reality, and that she is able to travel between the realities of the Multiverse, if she is afraid. Her enemies want to take her ability so they could gain more power. The girl takes them to the body of the dead wizard, who came through to this reality with her, so they would believe her. The wizard buries the body into the wall of a building, then they go to find a witch, as they think the creature was using witchery.

We see a witch (Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / the Scarlet Witch), dreaming about a family she could have had. Then she wakes up. The wizard visits her. It turns out that the witch is also after the girl's power. She threatens the wizard that if they don't give her the girl, she will take her by force. It also turns out that it was the witch who summoned the tentacle monster at the prelude reality to get the power of the girl.

The wizards take the girl to the wizard school (Kamar-Taj), and they start to fortify that, preparing for the assault of the witch.

The witch attacks the wizard school, and breaks through the defences. When she starts stealing the power of the girl, a reality gate opens, and the girl and the wizard fall through that.

Other reality: They go the the main wizard (Chiwetel Ejiofor as Karl Mordo) of this reality, but the local wizard makes them sleep with magic.

Original reality: Meanwhile, the witch uses a spell to project her mind into this reality, and gains control of her counterpart. The fellow wizard got captured by the witch. Another wizard sacrifices herself to destroy the evil book the witch uses. This gets the witch out of the mind of her counterpart in the other reality. When the witch threatens to kill some wizards, the fellow wizard reveals to her that the evil book was a copy of the spells carved in the walls of a dangerous mountain. The witch takes the fellow wizard to get those spells. They get to the place, where they find it out that creatures were already waiting for them, ready to be the servants of the witch. Then the witch tosses the fellow wizard off a cliff, and goes to possess her counterpart in the other reality again.

Other reality: The wizard and the girl wake up trapped in cells. The counterpart of the former girlfriend of the wizard explains that they are in those cells so they could examine if they have some kind of radiation or infection that could endanger this reality. The wizard is taken to the leaders of the world. It's the local wizard, a female super-soldier (Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter / Captain Carter), the king of the Inhumans (Anson Mount as Blackagar Boltagon / Black Bolt), a female superhero (Lashana Lynch as Maria Rambeau / Captain Marvel), the most clever man of the world (John Krasinski as Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic), and a guy in a wheelchair (Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier / Professor X).

They reveal to him that in this reality, Doctor Strange accidentally destroyed a reality, while looking for ways to defeat Thanos. For this, he had been executed after defeating Thanos.

When the witch attacks them, they release the wizard to defend the girl.

The leaders try to defeat the witch, but she kills the king, then the most clever man, the female super-soldier, and the female super-hero. The wheelchair guy tries to stop her with his telepathic abilities, and by the time she kills him, the girl is able to escape from her cell.

Meanwhile, the local wizard attacks the wizard, but the wizard is able to escape. He meets with the girl and his former girlfriend, while they try to escape from the witch. They find the secret place where the wizard's counterpart had hidden the most powerful magic book. When the wizard takes the magic book, the witch arrives and captures them. The witch makes the girl afraid, opening a reality gate, that the witch uses to send the wizard and the former girlfriend through. Then she makes her open a portal to the original reality, pushing the girl through, and transferring her mind to the original witch, leaving the counterpart she possessed at the secret place. When they leave, it turns out that the counterpart of the witch is also a witch.

Another reality: This reality seems to be collapsing, so the wizard and the former girlfriend go to find a local wizard. The local counterpart of the wizard, who has a third eye on his forehead, has the evil book, but doesn't want to give it up without a fight, so the wizard kills him, and takes the book. He uses the book to project his mind into the body of his dead counterpart in the original reality.

Original reality: The fellow wizard survived the fall, and climbs up the mountain. The dead wizard also goes to the mountain. They attack the witch, but they are almost defeated, when the girl is finally able to control her powers, and defeats the witch. The witch realises that she was wrong, and decides to sacrifice herself to destroy the mountain, and the evil book, in every reality. The girl and the fellow wizard gate into another reality, then they get the wizard and the former girlfriend into their own realities.

We see that the girl is being taught magic in the wizard school.

The wizard goes home, but suddenly a third eye grows from his forehead. A woman (Charlize Theron as Clea) arrives, asking for his help.

The setting

Contemporary alternate Earth, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

There is magic, super-heroes, and aliens.

The dreams of people are supposedly glimpses into the lives of their counterparts in other realities.

Plot points of interests

The were a couple of additions to the setting and characters.

New characters

America Chavez: She is able to open star shaped reality gates when she is scared. She doesn't have any counterparts in any other realities. Her parents were sucked into a reality gate she opened. She is irresponsible, and prefers to steal stuff instead of paying for them. She also reveals to have super-strength. At the end of the story, she starts training to be a wizard in Kamar-Taj.

Characters

Wanda Maximoff / the Scarlet Witch: She has the Darkhold. She is able to easily break through the defences of the wizard school, even when it was maintained by every single wizard. She is able to project her mind into a person in another reality to control that person.

Characters in the prelude reality

Doctor Stephen Strange: He tried to get the book of Vishanti, before getting deadly injured by Gargantos. His body ended up on the original reality, and it was used by Doctor Strange.

Gargantos: A giant, one eyed, tentacled monster, controlled by Wanda to get America Chavez, so she could gain her power. It followed America Chavez to another reality, where it was probably killed by Doctor Strange and Wong.

Characters in the other reality

Blackagar Boltagon / Black Bolt: The king of the Inhumans. A member of the Illuminati. He was killed by Wanda.

Charles Xavier / Professor X: A guy in a wheelchair. He has telepathic abilities. A member of the Illuminati. He was killed by Wanda.

Karl Mordo: He is the Sorcerer Supreme since the death of Doctor Strange. A member of the Illuminati.

Maria Rambeau / Captain Marvel: A female superhero with cosmic powers. A member of the Illuminati. She was killed by Wanda.

Peggy Carter / Captain Carter: She is able to run totally silently. A member of the Illuminati. She was killed by Wanda.

Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic: The most clever man of the world. A member of the Illuminati and the Fantastic Four. He was killed by Wanda.

Doctor Stephen Strange: He helped to defeat Thanos, then he was executed by Black Bolt. A former member of the Illuminati. The people think that he gave his life to defeat Thanos.

Characters in the another reality

Doctor Stephen Strange: He experimented with his own world until it was destroyed. He has a bad habit of killing his counterparts in other realities. He was killed by Doctor Strange, so he could take his magic book.

Changes to characters

Wanda Maximoff / the Scarlet Witch: She realises that she is a monster, and to prevent herself - or others - using the Darkhold, she sacrifices herself to destroy all copies of the book.

Characters killed

Blackagar Boltagon / Black Bolt [Other reality]: Wanda shut his mouth, so when he talked, he blew his own brain.

Charles Xavier / Professor X [Other reality]: Killed by Wanda.

Gargantos [Prelude reality]: It was probably killed by Doctor Strange and Wong.

Maria Rambeau / Captain Marvel [Other reality]: Crushed to death by Wanda.

Peggy Carter / Captain Carter [Other reality]: Cut in half by Wanda.

Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic [Other reality]: Disassembled by Wanda.

Doctor Stephen Strange [Another reality]: Killed by Doctor Strange.

Doctor Stephen Strange [Prelude reality]: Killed by Gargantos.

Wanda Maximoff / the Scarlet Witch: She probably died at the end.

Technology

The Darkhold: An evil magic book, that holds the runes that were copied into it from the walls of Mount Wundragore. The book corrupts its users. It also makes their fingertips black. By the end of the movie, all copies from all realities were destroyed by Wanda.

The Book of Vishanti: A magic book, that holds spells that could be used to fight against the powers of the Darkhold.

Technology of the other reality

Memory projecting: The user steps on a sensor, and it projects memories.

Anti-magic bracelets: It prevents the user from using spells. The Sands of Ashanti was used to make them.

Powers

Opening a gate between realities: A star shaped gate appears, connecting two realities. Only America Chavez seems to have this power.

Extract power: The user can take a power from super-powered being, and make it theirs. It seems that both Doctor Strange and Wanda is able to use it, so I assume, many wizards and witches also have this power.

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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2022)
image © Marvel (Disney)

Analysis of the story - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, movie (2022)

I mostly liked the story, I didn't find problems that would have prevented me from enjoying Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

The message of the story

"Don't sacrifice kids in order to gain more power" ? "Don't murder people in order to find happiness" ? Something like this.

And a question: "Are you happy?"

The structure of the story

The scenes of the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness film are played in sequence, following the same storyline.

There's no single viewpoint character.

It has the usual arc of the dramatic structure - introduction, action, resolution. The movie ends in a soft cliffhanger.

Fan-service

The are some scenes and elements from previous films:

The Evil Dead (1981)

• Doors shutting, while the camera angles are changing
• The use of Bruce Campbell
• Bruce Campbell getting hit by his own possessed hand, as noticed by Ryan Arey.
• Character staring into a reflecting window, while being possessed
• Arms breaking out from under the ground
• Practical effect looks for the ghosts

X-Men animated series (1992)

• The theme music is used when introducing Xavier.

X-Men (2000)

• Professor Xavier is part of the story, with the same actor reprising the part.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

• Steve Rogers's " I can do this all day" catchphrase is said by Captain Carter.

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

• As noticed by Ryan Arey, Wanda uses telepathic influence, visualised by an imaginary Wanda whispering into the ear of the victim.

Doctor Strange (2016)

• There are many references to the events of the movie.

The Inhumans (2017)

• Black Bolt is part of the story, with the same actor reprising the part.

WandaVision (2021)

• The events of the series are referenced.
• The kids from the series are shown.
• Maria Rambeau is seen as Captain Marvel.

What If...? S1 E1: What If... Captain Carter Were the First Avenger? (2021)

• Captain Carter is part of this story.

Spider-Man 3: No Way Home (2021)

• Spider-Man is referenced
• the events that happened are referenced

Things I liked

• I liked the otherworldly dimensions.
• I liked it that they bring it up that the reality travellers could bring dangerous contamination with them.
• It was interesting to see Doctor Strange use the body of his dead counterpart.

Problematic elements

The title: What is the "Multiverse of Madness" referred to in the title? We got to see a multiverse, but it was far from being mad. It was quite tame, actually. Those "mad" realities were only shown in glimpses, while they were travelling through them.

The fight with the tentacle monster: While the wizards are fighting the creature, people are still travelling along the road. Even though fights like this might be an everyday occurence, I assume people would still actively try to avoid them.

The tentacle monster: Although it's not Disney's fault, the cyclops tentacle monster fight was done to death in The Suicide Squad (2021). I would have preferred something more original.

Witchcraft specialist: There's a whole wizard school out there, with multiple people who probably specialise in their own subjects. How come there's not a single witchcraft specialist among them? Why does Strange need to go to Wanda for consultation, who is a well-known villain?

Strange visiting Wanda: Why didn't strange cast a detect witchery spell on the area before entering? Why is he so relaxed about Wanda keeping a city hostage? Why did Strange - even though he didn't completely trust Wanda - tell her where they keep the girl?

Wanda's kids in other realities: How come that the kids in all those other realities look exactly alike? Even though they might have had different fathers, because in the other reality, there was no Vision? And we have seen in Spider-Man 3: No Way Home (2021), that even with the same genetics, people can look totally different. Also, why don't we see a father around?

Wanda's plans: As the Critical Drinker points out, if Wanda was in love with Vision, and she is grieving his loss, why doesn't she try to find a reality where Vision is still alive?

Preparing for the battle: It was very similar to the preparation scene in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), they could have changed it a little bit. Even the architecture is similar. Or they could have used the same place they had in Shang-Chi, making the similarities non-coincidental.

Wizard school battle: As we don't know the capabilities of the wizards or the witch, there's no tension in the fight, the whole action is plot-driven, based on the whims of the creators.

Putting a spell on the pizza vendor: Strange hurts a mostly innocent guy intentionally, just to take revenge for a brief inconvenience. It shows how irresponsible Doctor Strange is, and America isn't any better as she doesn't convince him that this is bad. They should have learnt that they should respect others, respect the opinions of others, and they should be especially careful when they've just entered a reality not of their own.

The Illuminati: Introducing a whole set of new characters, then killing them off quickly was probably a bad choice. Either use some variants of existing characters, or just lose the whole thing, as they didn't really have any impact on the plot itself, beside being padding time.

The Illuminati fighting Wanda: Why do they prepare for the fight without their own wizard? Why is Mordo missing from the group? What important thing holds him back? (Yes, I know he can't be there, because otherwise he couldn't have a fight with Strange, so he could free him.)

Black Bolt killing himself: When he realises that his mouth is shut, it was a very stupid move on his part to still try to use a sonic attack. Although I'd think that if the inside of his mouth is protected from the sonic attack, the back of his mouth should be also protected, so it shouldn't kill him.

Disassembling Reed: It takes some time for Wanda to completely kill him. Why does the Illuminati just idly stand around, waiting for her to finish him? It looks to me that if they starts to attack her, it might have disrupted her spell. And they have a wizard in their team, so they should have known things like this.

" I can do this all day": This was the catchphrase of Steve Rogers, used by him when he became Captain America. However, Captain Carter uses it, as if the super-serum would make the recipients say this phrase. If this Captain Carter is the one we've seen in What If, then there was no Captain America from whom she could have learned this phrase.

Mordo attacking Strange: How did Mordo become the Sorcerer Supreme of that reality, if he can't even able to control himself when taunted by a restrained man? Yes, you might say that in this reality, stupid people are allowed to become world leaders, but that would be just lazy writing.

Waiting for Wanda to arrive: When the team is in a hurry to reach the Book of Vishanti, why do they just stop under the river? First, stopping seems conflicting with their goal, and also, the tunnel under the water is probably the worst place to have a rest.

Destroying the Darkhold: This made Wanda take a detour, but she got the spells again, continuing where she left. The whole "going to the mountain" part was unnecessary for the plot.

Revealing that the Darkhold was a copy: This was a really stupid decision. At first I hoped it's some clever plan to defeat the witch, but it turns out he was just telling the truth.

Mount Wundragore: The place looks like something out of The Lord of the Rings. I can't remember how it looked in the comics, but I think that the concept artists could have worked a little bit more to make it look distinct enough.

Proving the identity: As Doctor Jordan Breeding* points it out, when Doctor Strange cites his childhood event, there's only a very slim chance that the same thing happened in this reality. And worse, both of them know about this, as they are pretty well versed in the structure of the Multiverse.

* not an actual doctor

Musical fight: This was a fun scene, but I don't think it fits the movie.

Wanda's plan with the wizard: When the wizard falls off the cliff, did she intentionally left him alive? What was her plan with him? If she wanted him dead, why didn't she made sure that he is dead?

The whole multiverse: It's also one of my main problems with the comics - the existence of the multiverse, especially as it's being used by the writers, takes any tension out of dangerous situations and character deaths. Just in this movie, we see three counterparts of Doctor Strange die, but it doesn't mean anything now, as there could be an infinite number of copies of him out there who could be used as a substitute.

America Chavez: Although she is one of the main characters, we basically don't get to know anything about her, beyond the fact that she doesn't mind stealing from people.

Unanswered questions

• Where did Gargantos come from? Was it summoned from the Astral plane? Was it already in this reality, just invisible?
• What will happen to the other reality, now that most of its leaders are gone?
• What happened to the Mordo of the other reality? Is he okay?
• What happened to Wanda? Is she dead?
• What happened to Mount Wundragore? Are the runes destroyed? Or are they just covered with rocks, so any wizard could just lift them off?

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Possibilities of improvement

• Finding a way to cut the part after Wanda is taken out of the counterpart body, until she gains control again.
• Cutting out the Illuminati parts.

How it could have been better?

Focus on the Darkhold: The end of the story was the destruction of the Darkhold - the whole story with Wanda, America Chavez, the Multiverse, and the Illuminati just distracted us from the main plot.

Add the path to darkness: As RedLetterMedia points it out, it would have been interesting, if Wanda were not the antagonist at the beginning of the story, but after she got to know about the existence of someone who could open a portal between realities, we could have seen her getting more and more into the thought of obtaining that power, as her mind is corrupted by the Darkhold.

Change the magic: The Closer Look has a video about this, with plenty of ideas on how to improve on the magic in the movie.

Corruption of the body: We see that the fingertips of Wanda turn black due to her use of the Darkhold's magic. It could be just the beginning, and her whole body start to die away, as the life-force is sucked out of her by the Darkhold. In the end, she could look like a withered zombie.

Focus on specific spells: In the movie, they use a different magic for every different problem. If they would use a limited set of spells in creative ways to overcome that problem, instead of coming up with a new spell every time, it would make a more interesting story to watch.

Limiting Wanda's powers: Wanda can basically do everything she wants, and if the writers were consistent with this, the movie would end quickly with Wanda's victory. If there were a limit on her powers, it would make the fights more interesting, and it could create less questions in the audience why doesn't she use a very useful power again?

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How does it compare to the other works of the creators?

I haven't seen any other works of the writer (Michael Waldron). This movie was not outstanding, but watchable, so I won't be afraid of his other movies.

From the director (Sam Raimi), I've seen a couple of movies. Within the Woods (1978), The Evil Dead (1981), and Spider-Man 3 (2007) were mediocre but watchable. Evil Dead II (1987), and Spider-Man 2 (2004) were okay. Army of Darkness (1992), and Spider-Man (2002) were good. The story of this movie was not good, but the direction was fun.

How does it compare to the original source?

I'm not entirely sure if there's an original source.

How does it compare to the other films in the series?

I have to admit that I don't really remember the first Doctor Strange movie. According to my notes, I've found that a mediocre story, while this one was fine. So, that seems like an improvement.

The story is also similar in using parallel realities to both Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), and Spider-Man 3: No Way Home (2021). Out of these stories, Into the Spider-Verse is easily the best. If you liked Multiverse of Madness, and haven't seen those movies, it's worth your time to watch them.

The story is also similar in being epic to both Eternals (2021), and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021). Out of these stories, Shang-Chi and the Multiverse of Madness is similarly fun, while Eternals was just confusing. If you liked Multiverse of Madness, but you haven't seen those two, you don't miss a thing by avoiding them, though.

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Behind the scenes

 

Thoughts about the reviews of others

The parents of America Chavez: Many reviewer seem to think that America had a lesbian couple for parents. However, we can't be sure, as we don't know anything about her reality. They could have been a heterosexual pair, with a feminine male father.

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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2022)
image © Marvel (Disney)

Uses for the film - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, movie (2022)

Plot

• Set in a contemporary fantasy setting.
• Characters are travelling between alternate realities.
• The antagonist (a witch) wants to open a gate to another reality to bring back his loved ones (imaginary kids).

Scenes

• The scenes set in the other realities are great to depict alternate realities.
• The fight with Gargantos in the prelude is a good scene to depict a magical fight in a fantasy dimension.
• The fight with Gargantos in the city is a good scene to depict a fight in an urban setting between wizards and a tentacled monster.
• When Wanda assaults the wizard school, it's a good scene to show a magical siege.

Designs

 

Scenario ideas - Role-playing game scenario ideas

 

Scenario ideas - Wargame scenario ideas

Island battle: There are multiple islands. There's a fortified island in the middle, with an objective (artifact). There are also traps on the island, damaging everyone who tries to enter. One side tries to get the item, to use against their enemy - they win if they can get to that objective. The other side chooses one of the enemy leaders, they want to capture that - they win if they capture the leader.

Street fight: There's a busy urban environment, with several groups of bystanders. The team of defenders is deployed in the middle. The attacker snuck in the playing area unnoticed, and they are revealed before the game begins - deploy them anywhere outside of the middle third. The defenders have to protect the bystanders, while trying to defeat the attackers. The attackers choose one of the enemy leaders, they want to capture that.

Breaking the defences: There's a place with multiple defenders. If 90% of the defenders are active, they can defend any attack. The attacker has to pick them off one by one, until the defence collapses.

Siege: The attacker wants to capture a character. The defenders want to prevent this. The defender sets up the playing area, with a fortification in the middle. The defender writes it down in secret in which area have they hidden the character. When an attacker unit enters the area, the character is revealed, deployed anywhere in the area by the defender. The attacker wins if they capture the character and bring the model out of the playing area, or kill every defender. The defenders win if they prevent the capture of the character, while they still retain more than half of their models.

Fight in the tunnel: The battle happens in a tunnel system. The combatants have explosive weapons that could easily defeat their enemies, but every explosion has a chance of collapsing the tunnel on them. A collapsing tunnel destroys every model in that part of the playing area. For extra danger, the tunnels can be underwater. A breached tunnel destroys every model between the nearest bulkhead doors.

The duel: There are artifacts on the playing area that can be used as weapons. The defender is a lot stronger than the attacker. The attacker can use the artifacts to attack the defenders or defend themselves from the defenders attacks. The winner is the side that defeats the other side.

The sanctuary: An attacking team is chasing the defender. The attackers are stronger than the defenders. Set up a playing area, with one edge of entry, and the objective building at the opposite edge. First, the defender player deploys the defenders on the entry edge, and makes a movement. Then, the attackers are deployed at the entry edge, trying to catch up with the defenders. If the defender reaches an objective, they get reinforcements, making them stronger than the attackers. The attacker wins if they capture the leader of the defenders. The defender wins if they defeat the attackers.

Miniatures - 1/50-1/60 (28-32mm scale)

Civilians: Human-sized (S3) modern (advanced) human female / male civilian.

Gargantos: Ultra-Giant one eyed, tentacled monster.

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Similar stories - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, movie (2022)

Short stories

 

Novels

 

Graphic novels

 

Movies

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018): In a contemporary fantasy setting (Marvel Universe), the antagonist (Kingpin) wants to open a gate to another reality to bring back his loved ones (wife and kid).

TV series & episodes

 

Computer games

 

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Frequently asked questions - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, movie (2022)

Is the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness film based on a book or comics?

No, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is not based on either books or comics, although the character is based on the Marvel Comics series.

The aspect when Wanda kills off the Illuminati is similar to the Avengers Disassembled storyline, when Wanda turned against the Avengers.

Is the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness film a remake or reboot?

No, the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness film is neither a remake nor a reboot.

Is there a post credit scene in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness? Does Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness have end credit scenes? Does Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness have a post credit scene?

Yes, there are post credit scenes in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Where can I see Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness? What is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness playing on? What streaming service is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on? Where can I watch Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness online? Where can I stream Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness? Is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness available on Netflix? Is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on Amazon?

As of 2022.05.06, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is not available online. However, it will be available on Disney+, then later on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu and YouTube.

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Resources - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, movie (2022)

Official

Marvel: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: Official article.

Information

IMDB: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022): Database article.

WikiPedia: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: Database article.

Letterboxd: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness 2022: Database article.

Rotten Tomatoes: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness 2022: Database article.

TVTropes: Film / Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: Database article.

Creation

: Concept art article.¤

Reviews with no spoilers - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness film (2022)

: Review video about the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness film with no spoilers.¤

Reviews with spoilers - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness film (2022)

Mike and Jay (for RedLetterMedia): Half in the Bag: Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness: Review video of the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness movie, with spoilers.Ł

The Critical Drinker: Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness - It's A Bit Of A Mess: Review video of the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness movie, with spoilers. Includes a very detailed plot summary.Ł

Analysis - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness movie (2022)

Ryan Arey (for ScreenCrush): DOCTOR STRANGE in the Multiverse of Madness: EASTER EGGS and Breakdown: Every Marvel Cameo: Analysis video, explaining the elements of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.Ł

Ryan George (for Pitch Meeting): Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Pitch Meeting:  Analysis video, explaining some problems with the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.Ł

The Closer Look: How To Fail At Magic — Dr Strange 2: Analysis video, about the problems of the movie, and some ways that would have created a better story.¤

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Buying the product - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, movie (2022)

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Have you seen the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness film for the Marvel Cinematic Universe? How do you like the movie? Would you recommend it to others? Do you know reviews or resources you'd like to add? What further thoughts do you have about it? Tell your opinion in the comments!