You either loved Multiverse of Madness or you hated it. There was probably no in-between.
I, for one, fall into the former category. While the film did feel like a bit too much, it made a lot of sense in the context of the MCU’s fourth phase. From excellent storylines like WandaVision to disappointing VFX messes like Black Widow, Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was a breath of fresh air in this fluctuating and slightly inconsistent phase.
MoM was also unlike a lot of other marvel films ? which is maybe why it didn’t sit well with a lot of viewers. It was more violent, gory and creepy, but in my opinion, that intensified the seriousness of MCU’s upcoming production plans.
All the action scenes were remarkable and most of the jumpscare moments came at the right time during the film, instead of being placed randomly throughout it. The movie started with a bang, diving right into the plot with a thrilling action sequence. Towards the second half of the film, Dr. Strange’s dreamwalk scenes add more elements of thrill and gore. Well thought out conflict scenes such as the music note fight scene between Dr. Strange and his darkhold-corrupted self intensify the plot while creatively keeping the audience engaged.
Wanda’s evil side, and her encounters with certain central characters from the comics (if you’ve seen the film, you know what I’m talking about), beautifully accentuate the control she has gained over her power, arguably making her the strongest Marvel character I have come across. This new, more powerful side to Wanda, and a more extensive look into the Scarlet Witch, was definitely an intriguing experience.
One thing that I wasn’t particularly a big fan of was America Chavez’s limited role. Though Chavez was basically present throughout the entire film and was even imperative to the plot, I would have liked to know more about her. But perhaps that’s what Marvel was trying to do: tease viewers and make them curious about this new character that they didn’t market as extensively beforehand.
The post-credit scene of MoM opened up a lot of avenues. It was also open-ended, which can be frustrating. Perhaps waiting and watching will help.
The misleading trailer was another element that played an integral role in shaping the movie experience. Thirty minutes into the film, the audience stood corrected about who the real villain was and the entire plot took an interesting turn from thereon. To me, this was a rather clever trick on Marvel’s part and I am looking forward to being proved wrong in the future.
A recurring thought that I had throughout the film was that ‘What If…’ wasn’t as random as we presumed it to be. What fans initially thought was a light marvel production, held deeper significance and made so much sense in MoM. It reminded MCU fans that almost nothing is random and I cannot wait for movies where everything ties up into a glorious ‘aha’ moment.
Whether or not you’re a hardcore MCU fan, you’re in for a ride. I’d definitely encourage everyone to watch it – after all, there’s not a lot that can go wrong with a Sam Raimi film.
Prakriti Panwar is a Freshman Journalism major who is currently lost in the Multiverse. They can be reached at [email protected].