Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Doctor Strange thought he was done with the multiverse. But the multiverse isn't done with him. Get ready to see why in his newest movie, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. It's a sequel to Disney Plus's WandaVision series, so ...

Previously On WandaVision:

Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) conjured up her own sitcom world in the town of Westview. She and her husband, the android Vision (Paul Bettany), had twins, Billy and Tommy. A lot of weirdness ensued, and Wanda is forced to cancel her sitcom world. But she misses her twins, despite them being imaginary, and consults the evil Darkhold tome.

This time on Doctor Strange:

Wanda, now the Scarlet Witch, discovers a multiversal girl named America Chavez (Xochtil Gomez). She wants her verse jumping powers to find and supplant an alternate her with a real set of her fake twins. The good Doctor (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his allies come to the rescue. But their stronghold of Kamar-Taj falls to Wanda and Strange soon goes verse jumping with America. They find a verse with superheroes worried that all that verse jumping will destroy everything. Not that it concerns Wanda ...

It sounds like a lot to take in. A lot of it can be explained with a "that's how it's there" mentality. It's most apparent with the other heroes, the Illuminati, whose members include MCU newcomers Mr. Fantastic (John Krasinski) and Professor X (Patrick Stewart). If anything, you'll just have to familiarize yourself with WandaVision and Doctor Strange 1 to get the big picture. Perhaps the biggest misstep in all this is wasting Baron Mordo's (Chiwetel Ejiofor) start of darkness. It's the Illuminati's Mordo, essentially a different character, who antagonizes Strange here. Speaking of which, the climax hinges on the fact that Wanda's alternate twins are not hers. It's a well-acted heel realization.

Sam Raimi's technical Marvels deliver on the title. We have moments like the battle with the one-eyed Gargantos and Wanda's rampage through the Illuminati that make one question the PG-13 rating. A few cinematographic flourishes and creepy ghosts aren't that out of place in The Evil Dead. America and Strange getting drugged by Mordo is splendidly disorienting; you'll think the screen got bigger. America's spectacular verse jumping abilities are highlighted when she and Strange go through many verses in rapid succession. The multiverse is visually stunning, even the post-apocalyptic one, and Danny Elfman's score gives it a grand tone.

Cumberbatch is good as Strange and his alternate selves. The best of those alternates is "Sinister" Strange, a variant maddened by his accidentally causing an apocalypse. Olsen is perfectly menacing as Wanda and sympathetic as the alternate her caught up in the mess. Gomez is quite likable as America Chavez; she maybe a living MacGuffin, but here's hoping she'll be more next time. Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer gets a bigger and better role than the last film gave her. Benedict Wong (Wong) and Ejiofor are as impressive as they were last time. Of course, Raimi's number one guy, Bruce Campbell gets an amusing cameo and the last line of the film.

It's quite a jarring experience to see this so soon after Everything, Everywhere, All at Once. It's not as delightfully gonzo as the other film but it's still a visual marvel. You'll be fine as long as you focus on the big picture. Otherwise, you'll get thrown off by minute things like the unexplained minotaur in Kamar-Taj (his name's Rintrah) or the cameo in the mid-credits scene. I'm sure a lot of it will be explained in a Doctor Strange 3 or the next time he co-stars in another film. I'll be here waiting eagerly for whatever comes.