Doctor Strange 2 Works Better As A Collection Of Moments Than A Cohesive Story

gamerant.com:

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Marvel’s latest superhero epic, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, has finally arrived in theaters. The universe-hopping sequel has been warmly embraced by fans and mostly praised by critics. Reviews for Sam Raimi’s return to the comic book genre have hailed his direction, Danny Elfman’s music, the visual effects, the performances of the cast, John Mathieson’s cinematography, the action sequences, the horror sequences – the list goes on. Just about the only aspect of the film that hasn’t been universally well-received is its screenplay.

Credited to Loki’s head writer Michael Waldron, this was always going to be a tricky script to pull off. The movie’s U.S.P. was the promise of sending the would-be Sorcerer Supreme across a wide variety of parallel universes with interdimensional superhero America Chavez. Waldron’s job was to channel that tantalizing premise into a singular, focused narrative that didn’t make a gimmick out of the inherently gimmicky concept of interdimensional travel. The storytelling in Multiverse of Madness is perfectly fine. The plot has clearly defined stakes, and Waldron does a great job of turning Wanda Maximoff into a full-blown villain and creating a father-daughter dynamic between Strange and Chavez. But, as a whole, the movie never really finds a compelling way to tie everything together.

Sam Raimi Had The Mandate To Introduce Horror To Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness

The plotting is episodic, jumping from multiversal vignette to multiversal vignette without much concern for the overarching storylines. From the moment Chavez arrives on Earth-616 with an octopus demon in tow, Waldron’s script sets a rapid