One of Marvel Studios most recent films, Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, will leave a sour taste in your mouth. Despite being directed by the acclaimed Sam Raimi, it’s shocking how bad this movie feels. Multiverse of Madness has the feeling of a rushed movie that undermines plot for a high budget and somewhat interesting visuals. With a Metacritic score of 60%, clearly most Marvel fans agree.

Multiverse of Madness tries to focus on a more horror and trippy feel. While the film had more jump scares than other Marvel productions, not once did the movie actually feel scary.  The film makes an effort to make the audience sympathize with several characters throughout the movie, but consistently fails. The movie also tries to introduce the idea of multiverses to the Marvel universe, and introduce new characters through that, but unfortunately it just makes it more confusing than it has to be.

Multiverse of Madness seeks to please a superhero loving demographic, tossing out a good plot in exchange for something more generic and bland. This serves as a great detriment to the fear factor as it takes away from the effort to frighten the audience. Every character feels more like a means to an end rather than a fleshed out character with a life. The problem with the newly introduced character America Chavez (portrayed by Xochitl Gomez) is that the writers intended to make her a character with a real story and feelings, but she ends up feeling like a plot device instead of a meaningful part of the story. This character flaw spreads through many of the different characters in Multiverse of Madness. These new characters are added just for excitement and not to give a meaning or purpose in the movie. As Dr. Strange and his new companion find a safe universe, it introduces new characters, but fails to succeed at giving it an interesting part in the film as instead of giving a satisfying payoff to these characters, their personality is put aside for a quick burst of excitement. 

Multiverse of Madness disappoints as well in its incorporation of the multiverse. The concept of multiple universes in this movie teases the viewer with only a taste of what could have been provided. The way universes are used, leaves people feeling like the objective of the movie, feel uninspired, uninteresting, and frankly a little convoluted. As the movie progresses villains are introduced, but none of them end up feeling like a threat, as there is no background to them. The exposition and explanation of their actions feel rushed, leaving a confused and disappointed audience.

Even though Multiverse of Madness had a very large budget of $200 million, it only pays off within its visuals. The visuals give it a more gory feel than previous Marvel movies, a welcome change, as the movie leans into a horror feel. Unfortunately, the directing and filming style that Sam Raimi tried to implement holds back what could have been some more interesting dynamic scenes. The cinematography makes it feel like it’s cheaper and more artsy than it should be, which takes away from the movie as a whole.

Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness serves as a warning to its watchers for what’s to come in the future for Marvel movies. With a disappointing plot and general vibe, it feels like this could be the direction Marvel is taking its films. The movie could have been very good, with the hype surrounding it and such a well renowned director, yet the film just fails to provide an enjoyable experience thus leaving the movie as a whole with a low rating.