Rating: ☆☆☆☆

With the recent success Marvel has accumulated this year,  “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'' or DSINMOM was surely meant to be the next big hit on the silver screen… right? 

Starring fan-favorite characters like Wanda Maximoff, Wong, and Doctor Strange, fans were bubbling in excitement when the trailer came out in all of its glory. With magic galore, wacky monsters, and the sarcastic main character fans fell in love with 6 years ago the first look felt like the start of a new direction in Marvel. 

At least that’s what it felt like. When it hit theatres on May 6, an eccentric, zany movie turned out to be a letdown to many fans. Many were upset over the portrayal of Doctor Strange for making him lovesick for his previous love interest Christine, as seen in his first stand-alone movie. Fans went even further calling the plot unorganized, lazy, and unimaginative. Overall fans hated this movie. Well, only some of them. 

Personally, I loved this movie. I saw it twice. It encompassed all that I’d thought it would be. A cosmic-horror superhero movie embedded with witchcraft and deep sarcasm. What self-possessed teenage marvel fan wouldn’t love it? 

The movie went more in-depth into the multiverse first introduced in WandaVision and Loki, two previous Marvel tv-shows. The movie displayed a new side of the Doctor- a side resembling his comic self. 

An arrogant former surgeon who traveled the multiverse, bringing down all who caused harm to it. Yes, Disney is Disney, and put in the cringey dialogue and the damsel in distress trope but what isn’t new. 

There is one unsavory review I do somewhat agree with, however. That it is a glorified horror movie. It’s wrong of course but I think it’s funny and at least somewhat logical so I’m going to correct it.  It’s a superhero with horror-themed subgenres. A mix of different influences within an overarching money-making machine. Definitely not a glorified horror movie. 

The reason one may think this is the case is because of the witchcraft element and other aspects I will not mention because I am a benevolent reviewer and refuse to spoil. :) However one thing remains to be true, Wanda Maximoff or The Scarlet Witch is the best part of the movie. 

She plays the role of the antagonist which is not a spoiler as seen in the trailer. She is heartbroken and set on a mission. Mix that with the amount of power she holds and voila a villain everyone loves. 

Marvel has taken a new direction with their movies. In phase 4 this has paid off, for the most part. (I’m looking at you, ¨Eternals.”) Moving away from that train wreck I could see a change in one where the characters are actually their comics, not a ploy to get some big checks by slapping a famous person with a well-known superhero name and sparkly costume. Whether it’s a move in the right direction only time will tell. 

I admit you have to be invested in Marvel, the plot, and the characters to like it but I thought it was an amazing change of pace and something Marvel hasn’t done before. I must warn viewers, though, that it gets trippy, but in my opinion, it only added to the madness.