Many fans headed into Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness with high expectations, and I think it’s safe to say the movie did not live up to the high expectations.

This is the master sorcerer’s second major movie, with the first one being 2016’s Doctor Strange, and is once again played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Cumberbatch is the perfect fit for the role of Doctor Strange as he is able to portray a mysterious and sarcastic character.

The movie had a staggering box office of $134 million in its opening weekend. This high total is most likely due to the fan traffic and the excitement from the fans. The box office had dropped 67% since that opening week, making only $61 million in its second week.

In the movie, Doctor Strange is trying to protect America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) whose powers are being sought after. She has the ability to travel through multiverses by opening portals. The thing is that she doesn’t know how to use her power. Doctor Strange eventually finds out that the person who is going after America is none other than Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). Doctor Strange does everything in his power to protect America for the rest of the movie, even traveling through universes with America to avoid Scarlet Witch. 

Anyone who is unfamiliar with the MCU would find this movie very confusing. Doctor Strange:Multiverse of Madness is the 28th feature film in the Marvel Universe. The way the MCU movies work is that there is a certain order to watch the movies in. This timeline order of movies helps the movie viewer understand more of what is happening, and enhances the experience for the movie viewer. 

One thing I found interesting about this movie is the introduction of the Dark Hold, which is a book of evil spells.

Elizabeth Olsen is reprising her role as Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch). She is another great character fit as she is able to perfectly portray the character of Scarlet Witch. This is her best performance, and was one of the brighter spots of the disappointing film.

Xochitl Gomez is making her major movie debut, starring as a main character named America Chavez. She does fine in the movie, although I wish that they had used a more experienced actor for such an important and anticipated movie. This is a tough role for a first time actor, considering how little personality goes into the character.

Director Sam Raimi has worked in the MCU before, directing all three Spiderman movies starring Tobey Maguire. Raimi is most notably known for his Evil Dead series, which is his first movie as a director. Producer Kevin Feige has helped in almost every MCU movie, whether it was as producer, or as an actor/extra. Feige has helped in every MCU movie since 2005.

Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness explores the theory of the multiverse and how it works. The characters in the movie seem to think that when you dream, you are watching yourself in another universe. The characters go through different universes throughout the duration of the movie. There are many different universes the characters go through. An example of a universe they fall through is one where everything is in black and white. 

Some of my complaints about the movie is how often they use the theory of the multiverse to cover up plot holes, and it gets confusing. The use of the multiverse overcomplicates the movie. The dialogue and character actions are also questionable, as the movie drags on longer than it should, a little over 2 hours.

The Scarlet Witch has an awful motive to do what she is doing. She murders hundreds of innocent people, just because she missed her “kids” that were only a fiction of her imagination. There is also a boring love story between Doctor Strange and his old girlfriend Christine, that plays out too long and affects the movie too much.

Despite my complaints, there are many positives about the movie. Doctor Strange:Multiverse of Madness has amazing visuals that never fail to impress me. Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen are both exceptional in their roles. The movie also finally shows just how powerful Scarlet Witch is, as she has the ability to shift reality with her witchcraft.

The movie is given a Rotten Tomatoes score of 74% and an audience score of 86%. Many of the reviews from this website talk about how dull and underwhelming the movie ended up being, which I agree with.