For the first time since “Spider-Man 3,” acclaimed director Sam Raimi has returned to the world of Marvel for “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.”
The brand new sequel was written by Michael Waldron (“Loki”) and produced by Kevin Feige, serving as the 28th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), as well as the fifth film in Phase Four.
The film — which stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Rachel McAdams – is obviously highly anticipated by fans, but what are the critics saying?
David Ehrlich of IndieWire praised the film, writing that it is “a violent, wacky, drag-me-to-several-different-hells at once funhouse of a film that nudges the franchise somewhere actually new.”
Hollywood Reporter’s John DeFore had a few issues with the film, but overall enjoyed the experience, stating that “though unsatisfying in some respects, the film is enough fun to make one wish for a portal to a variant universe in which Marvel movies spent more time exploiting their own strengths and less time trying to make you want more Marvel movies.”
Many critics are praising Sam Raimi’s direction, including Pete Hammond of Deadline, who wrote that the film “feels like the most auteur-driven Marvel movie yet… not afraid to deviate from the expected MCU marching orders, but also quite faithful to the comic book bible in keeping the story in line with the overall arc of these intertwined things.”
David Fear of Rolling Stone stated that “if anything, this sequel to Strange’s original 2016 solo joint seems to have liberated Raimi to do what he does best, while still sticking to the predetermined marks he’s gotta hit for however many installments this sets up.”
Variety’s Owen Gleiberman enjoyed the film overall but acknowledged “The Multiverse of Madness” can be a bit too much to take in at times. “It’s a ride, a head trip, a CGI horror jam, a what-is-reality Marvel brainteaser and, at moments, a bit of an ordeal. It’s a somewhat engaging mess, but a mess all the same,” he wrote.
However, not everyone was impressed with Marvel’s latest entry. One of the critics who weren’t too keen on the superhero adventure is Susana Polo of Polygon, who wrote that the film “is simply leaning on the same cross-referential thrill-of-recognition joy-button that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been frantically pressing for more than a decade now…”
“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” is set a few months after the events of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and follows Dr. Stephen Strange, with the help of both old and new mystical allies, who travels into the multiverse to face a mysterious new adversary.
“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” is out on May 6.
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