Doctor Strange Multiverse Madness review: Benedict Cumberbatch is delightfully crazy

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within two hours of Doctor Strange in a multiverse of madnessMarvel is testing its theory of how much you can toss and stick to a wall.

That is, unless the wall is hanging in the air, magically folding in half, or opening into a magical portal. The arrogant and slightly arrogant, but deeply likable Benedict Cumberbatch, Dr. One of the delightful characters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Stephen Strange faces multiple versions of himself, his loved ones, and his foes on this new, changing journey.

start when dr. A stranger rescues a teenager, America Chavez (Zochitel Gomez), from the claws of a one-eyed animal on the city streets. It soon becomes clear that this is no ordinary teen: She has the rare power to open portals and travel through the multiverse, an endless array of alternate realities, from primitive to futuristic to cartoonish.

The power of America is coveted by the dark forces that pursue it, along with two powerful mystical masterpieces that serve as chips for the power of the other: The Book of Vishanti and The Dark Castle.

The latter is a seductive form of evil that allows its users to manipulate different universes and threatens to completely collapse their truths. A chase through the universe soon followed, with Dr. Strange constantly falls by the wayside as he learns how little he knows about his “other” personality who inhabits the world – and sometimes spoils it.

The film is packed with impressive fantasy action sequences – witness the magician lift notes from a page of sheet classical music to use as magical weapons; In another image, a sinister red mist hides an all-white dreamscape of exotic beauty.

With her over-the-top magical lore and a swallow of esoteric lines (“Illumi-what-y?” Cumberbatch chimes smugly at one point.), she’s on the verge of downright stupidity at times. But Elizabeth Olsen—who reprises her role as the morally mysterious Scarlet Witch—does well as the film’s emotional core, with a tragic backstory that actually matches her malevolent impulses.

Directed by Master of Horror and Ex Spider Man Director Sam Raimi, the film also seeks to create true mayhem, jumping back and forth between cheerful grotesque and downright hockey on numerous occasions. It especially shines when it goes into the darkness of magic, summoning the souls of the damned into a black tattered cloud of evil, resurrecting corpses in a cheeky nod to horror movies from the past, tearing the innocent to shreds of paper or shreds. their heads in a hateful glee.

As Dr. Strange and his compatriots – including his mentor Wong (Benedict Wong), estranged girlfriend Kristen (Rachel McAdams), and former enemy Mordo (Chewitle Ejivor) – encounter strange new realities in the multiverse, they also learn what it means to fight for themselves. Sometimes literally.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness arrives in theaters Thursday

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