Magic-laden stories can be problematic.
Rules must be established, or else conflict becomes pointless. J.K. Rowling was quite careful, in her Harry Potter books, to ensure well-established strengths and weaknesses on both sides; evil occasionally triumphed, sometimes resulting in the death of beloved characters. Suspense and emotional involvement were maintained throughout the series.
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| On the run from an opponent who can't be stopped by anything, our heroes — from left, America (Xochitl Gomez), Wong (Benedict Wong) and Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) — pause to consider their next move. |
Michael Waldron, sad to say, is a sloppy writer.
We should’ve expected as much, given his involvement as creator, executive producer and occasional writer of television’s Loki miniseries, which — despite a promising start — quickly devolved into utter incomprehensibility. The final few episodes were the worst example of random, kitchen-sink scripting I’ve seen in years.
Waldron’s approach to this Doctor Strange sequel is no different, and he repeatedly succumbs to the sloppy cliché that is the death of narrative tension: Every character is only as strong, or weak, as s/he needs to be, in order to triumph — or fail — at a given moment. Lather, rinse, repeat. Ad infinitum.
This builds to an utterly ludicrous deus ex machina moment during the climax: the equivalent of Dorothy suddenly being told that she always had the means to return to Kansas. I mean, seriously?
So:
Events begin quietly, as Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) attends the wedding of Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams), a former lover who — wisely — chose a different path. The ceremony is interrupted by the sudden appearance of a massive, one-eyed octopoid galumphing through New York’s streets, in tentacled pursuit of America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez).
(For those who haven’t kept up with their comic books, Chavez debuted in 2011, as an alternative universe Marvel character.)
The creature is defeated by Strange and his “sorcerer supreme” mentor, Wong (Benedict Wong), after which they pepper America with the obvious who/what/why questions. Turns out she has the power to create star-shaped holes in reality, which grant access to other realities in the multiverse (something Strange helped Peter Parker mess with, in the most recent Spider-Man entry).
This creature, along with the horrifying dreams Strange recently has suffered, represent dark magic run amok. Hoping to enlist an ally familiar with such things, he visits Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), more notoriously known as the Scarlet Witch.
Alas, this proves an alarming chat. She’s actually the Big Bad responsible for the mounting chaos: the dark entity who wants America’s multiverse-spanning talent, because it’s one ability Wanda lacks. Her goal: to find a universe where the “family” she fabricated — in 2021’s brilliantly clever TV miniseries, WandaVision — is a reality.
If bleeding this gift from America will kill the girl, that is of no consequence to the Scarlet Witch; that she’d similarly destroy an alternate universe’s Wanda, should her search prove successful, also is of no consequence.
This rather flies in the face of Wanda’s oft-repeated insistence that “I’m not a monster,” a line poor Olsen can’t begin to deliver with whatever emotion Waldron had in mind.
Not a monster? That’s a joke, since she indulges in quite a lot of monstrous behavior — including mayhem and several quite gruesome murders — before this tedious, magic-laden slugfest concludes.
The point — I guess — is that Wanda, so desperate to mother the cute boys she magicked in her reality, has gone insane. She can’t see the forest for the trees, in her monomaniacal pursuit.
(Anybody assuming that Strange and Wanda will fight together against some other foe, as this film’s poster art suggests, is destined for serious disappointment.)
The tedious bursts of magical energy knocking folks asunder notwithstanding, the various multiverses are captivating, eye-popping settings for these skirmishes. Production designer Charles Wood and a veritable army of SFX folks deliver a wildly chaotic blend of futuristic cityscapes, Inception’s building-bending landscapes, and the swirling, color-saturated, inter-dimensional badlands lifted right from Ditko’s long-ago comic book artwork (which was quite trippy stuff, for its time).
One lengthy stop offers alternate versions of familiar Marvel superheroes — not identified here, as that’d spoil the fun — a few of whom benefit from cheeky stunt casting. This universe also offers an alternate Christine; could this be an opportunity for Stephen to re-write his failed love life? (I’ll not tell.)
Cumberbatch certainly knows how to flaunt Strange’s distinctive garb; to his credit, he delivers Waldron’s overly florid dialogue as seriously as possible. He and Wong also know how to handle the occasional mordant one-liner; this film doesn’t lack humor, but it tends to be overwhelmed.
Gomez is appropriately teen-like as the overwhelmed America; she’s nonetheless a plucky, resourceful and brave warrior.
McAdam’s reappearance as the alternate Christine is a welcome relief during the otherwise dog-nuts third act; her warmth and humanity bring recognizable emotion to increasingly silly events. The always regal Chiwetel Ejiofor returns as Karl Mordo, whose allegiance is as vague as it was in 2016’s first Doctor Strange film.
Director Sam Raimi is best known for sheer momentum; he and editors Bob Murawski and Tia Nolan do their best to conceal Waldron’s script deficiencies by moving things along at a staccato clip. Danny Elfman’s furiously energetic score also makes the film seem more exciting than it actually is.
Superhero films need not be dumb. Compare this noisy fracas to the thoughtful, carefully plotted script and measured character development in 2018’s Black Panther; in contrast, the characters and events here are one-dimensional trivialities.
There’s plenty of visual razzle-dazzle, but no soul; it isn’t even possible for the “tragedy” of Wanda’s quest to resonate, because her behavior is so despicable.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is slipping a bit; coming on the heels of Eternals, this newest entry also leaves much to be desired. (The far more successful Spider-Man: No Way Home, although technically part of the MCU, came from Sony/Columbia, not Disney.)
Doctor Strange deserves better. We deserve better.
Your assessment is dead on. I somewhat enjoyed the movie, but I was definitely disappointed as well, especially by the random nature of so much of the magic involved. Thank you!
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