Elizabeth Olsen definitely steals the show here - but the show is worthy of her, and all the other actors seem complicit in its emphasis on her performance. My second viewing really made me appreciate Benedict Cumberbatch and his choice to be more subtle as a reflection of Doctor Strange's sadness, but even this makes Olsen feel more formidable. The movie is worth watching for her alone.
Like the new Batman, Multiverse of Madness contains exciting horror elements. Like Raimi's Spider-Man Trilogy, his new venture has a touch of whackiness as well that would've been sorely missed had another director managed the project. The action sequences feel dangerous and... well, strange, but there are other fun horror tropes interspersed with the superhero ones. These are necessary anchors as Doctor Strange journeys through impressive alternate realities and meets some other Marvel characters who are given unexpectedly violent treatments.
The Multiverse really is mad, as is the tortured Scarlet Witch. She's scary, her dialogue is scary, and the plot is surprisingly twisted. It still has a lot of heart, and its focus on loneliness certainly has cultural relevance. It's directly emotional but never sappy, and Danny Elfman's great soundtrack never compromises this. I suppose I would've appreciated some more memorable leitmotifs, like the ones he contributed to Tim Burton's Batman duology.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' title still makes sense to me. It still follows the titular character, and it feels comic booky. I could see the title sequence translating to an actual comic book story arc. It's just right for Raimi's style, which I thoght worked extremely well throughout the colorful film, especially given that this has a much faster pace than his Spider-Man films.
I guess that it's tough to market a horror-superhero-action-comedy-drama or whatever you'd call this, and I'm not sure what people were expecting from it. I certainly enjoyed it in all its tragic glory, and I'm grateful that Raimi never compromised his style for the sake of the MCU. I hope he continues to make comic book films - I'm still a fan.
Like the new Batman, Multiverse of Madness contains exciting horror elements. Like Raimi's Spider-Man Trilogy, his new venture has a touch of whackiness as well that would've been sorely missed had another director managed the project. The action sequences feel dangerous and... well, strange, but there are other fun horror tropes interspersed with the superhero ones. These are necessary anchors as Doctor Strange journeys through impressive alternate realities and meets some other Marvel characters who are given unexpectedly violent treatments.
The Multiverse really is mad, as is the tortured Scarlet Witch. She's scary, her dialogue is scary, and the plot is surprisingly twisted. It still has a lot of heart, and its focus on loneliness certainly has cultural relevance. It's directly emotional but never sappy, and Danny Elfman's great soundtrack never compromises this. I suppose I would've appreciated some more memorable leitmotifs, like the ones he contributed to Tim Burton's Batman duology.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' title still makes sense to me. It still follows the titular character, and it feels comic booky. I could see the title sequence translating to an actual comic book story arc. It's just right for Raimi's style, which I thoght worked extremely well throughout the colorful film, especially given that this has a much faster pace than his Spider-Man films.
I guess that it's tough to market a horror-superhero-action-comedy-drama or whatever you'd call this, and I'm not sure what people were expecting from it. I certainly enjoyed it in all its tragic glory, and I'm grateful that Raimi never compromised his style for the sake of the MCU. I hope he continues to make comic book films - I'm still a fan.