Spoiler-Free Movie Review: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Released in theaters on May 6, there were very high hopes for “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”. 

I was able to see this movie the day it premiered and decided to write an honest, spoiler-free review on what I thought about the movie. I also included a list of Marvel movies and shows that I recommend seeing before hitting the theaters! 

Overview:

My first thought when watching this movie was that non-Marvel fans will be very confused if they have not seen previous MCU films. 

As a Marvel fan myself, I even found myself confused at the beginning. The plot is very ambitious and has an extensive exposition, but as the movie progresses it becomes more clear.

The storytelling was good overall, but I feel like it could have been better explained at certain points. 

With the intricate storyline, there was less of the classic Marvel humor but it was still present.  

Wanda Maximoff’s story was the best part of the film in my opinion, but the addition of Xochitl Gomez’s new character was also very interesting (in a good way) to me. 

Overall, if you are debating on seeing this movie in theaters, I would recommend seeing it if you are up-to-date on Marvel’s recent shows and movies because I did enjoy it! 

Otherwise, I would advise taking time to watch the recommended shows and movies I list at the end of this article before seeing the new film. 

Sam Raimi: 

Next, let’s talk about Sam Raimi’s directing style in this movie, which differs a lot from past MCU films.

Superhero movies are not new to Raimi since he directed the first three Spider-Man films with Tobey Maguire, but his directing experience goes way beyond that. 

Most of Raimi’s film discography is in the horror genre, including “Evil Dead” and “Army of Darkness”, which is very apparent in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”. 

Raimi’s signature visual style is very present in this movie, with various horror elements and a couple of jump scares throughout the film.

There were certain scenes that I was surprised to see made it into the MCU since past movies were a little tamer in terms of gruesome scenes. 

The horror elements and gore really separates “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” from other Marvel movies in my opinion. 

Though horror elements aren’t for everyone, I liked this movie and thought this was a nice change of pace from past MCU movies. But if you are seeing it with kids, I will warn you that some scenes might scare them. 

What You Definitely Need to Watch Before Seeing it:

• “Doctor Strange” (2016)
• “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018)
• “Avengers: Endgame” (2019)
• “WandaVision” (2021) TV series
• “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (2021) 

Optional Recommendations that will Help You Understand the Movie Better: 

• “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015)
• “What If…?” (2021) – Specifically episodes one and four 
• “Loki” (2021) TV series