This article contains spoilers forDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of MadnessThe long wait forDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesshas finally come to an end, now that the film has hit theaters and is making waves in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fans and critics have been giving the movie mixed reviews, however director Sam Raimi certainly delivered on his promise to makeDoctor Strange 2the first horror-inspired Marvel project.
The visual effects throughout the duration of the film were stunning and Raimi definitely brought a new level of creepy to the MCU. Wanda Maximoff takes center stage for a lot of the film, becoming one of the most powerful Marvel villains the franchise has ever seen. Raimi’s creative decisions in combination withElizabeth Olsen’sstellar performance made the Scarlet Witch a beautifully entertaining nightmare, who definitely stole the show.
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Near the beginning of the film, Scarlet Witch crawls out of a mirror and attacks Strange and his crew, jerking, twitching and cracking her way through the glass. She appears out of a red mist to snap Professor X’s neck, she half-runs, half-stumbles her way through an underground tunnel during a particularly harrowing chase scene, and she manifests from nowhere in the darkness with glowing red eyes. All of these moments clearly drew inspiration from classic horror tropes, and every jump scare worked great in the film, because it helped to show how the Scarlet Witch differs from Wanda Maximoff.
Sam Raimiincluded multiple, wide-shot scenes to fully encapsulate the settings when characters traveled to different worlds across the multiverse, while also featuring shots where one storyline physically blended into another. Even when characters weren’t in the same reality, their actions were all deeply linked to one another, which Raimi depicted by having various scenes fade into another, offering side-by-side glimpses at each separate subplot happening within the movie.
Paying homage to the originalblast through the multiverseStrange went on during his 2016 debut,Multiverse of Madnessbrings even more mind-bending, psychological chaos, thanks to Raimi’s imagination. Strange and newcomer America Chavez are catapulted through multiple realities while trying to flee Wanda’s attacks, which offered some more creative opportunities for Raimi. While traveling the multiverse in the sequel, the heroes go through worlds with strange creatures, entirely animated planets, and even fly briefly through a universe where everything is made of paint.
Regardless of the criticismsDoctor Strange 2has received in terms of its plot, the film still delivers an immense “wow factor,” because of Raimi’s creative directorial decisions. Even when the plot elements became a bit clumsy, the movie maintained a strong visual appeal from start to finish. Raimi’s unique directorial style fit the tone ofDoctor Strange 2,because he was able to capture the different sides of each character through his various camera shots and aesthetic decisions.
Scenes, for example, like the one where Wanda whispers in the ears of a sorcerer and convinces him to run contrast excellently with the film’s end, where a Wanda variant faces adefeated Scarlet Witchand tells her Billy and Tommy will be loved. Raimi also called back to an earlier portrayal of Wanda when she infiltrated the sorcerer’s mind, much like she did to the Avengers in 2015 duringAge of Ultron. These small details Raimi included helped viewers see just how drastically Wanda has changed over the years, once again proving how well Olsen and Raimi worked together to bring the Scarlet Witch to life.
Given the outrageous nature of theDoctor Strangestoryline, Marvel could benefit from keeping Raimi on board for any future installments of the series. The film’s post-credit scene confirmed that Doctor Strange will return, most likely in a third sorcerer-centric film, to keep in line with Marvel’s three-part solo film recipe that’s worked for the heroes thus far.
Multiverse of Madnesswas definitely different from anything the MCU has released before, largely due to the impact Raimi had on the film. Allowing him to continue experimenting with new territory for the franchise would not only suit the Doctor Strange image, but keep Marvel’s films feeling fresh.Doctor Strange 2touched on various genres, like the MCU’s classic action and adventure, while also showing fans aglimpse of horrorand dark fantasy in the Marvel universe for the first time.
Raimi has received a lot of praise for his newest film, even from the fans and critics who were slightly disappointed with the final outcome. AlthoughMultiverse of Madnesswas over the top and a bit messy, Raimi’s work onDoctor Strange 2is still some of the most compelling content the MCU has seen in years. The fact that fans still enjoyed the movie, even with its imperfections, serve as a huge testament to the positive impact Raimi made onthe Marvel Universe.
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