Ayden The NinjaPirateBear’s review published on Letterboxd:
2022 Ranked
Directors Ranked: Sam Raimi
Ranked: Marvel Cinematic Universe
2022 Cinema Visits
A Multiverse of Marathon: Film #28
Previous: Spider-Man: No Way Home
I have to be honest; I was really, really worried that this was gonna end up being a "look who else popped up" type movie and really not feel like a Doctor Strange film. Kinda like Civil War for Cap, but with multiverse shit. However, that isn't the case, with the cameos all basically being limited to one short sequence.
As for the cameos, I dug them. I won't spoil them but I think the 'big one' was super cool to see. But I liked all of them. And I liked the scene as a whole, with Wanda...
Now, whether you liked this movie or not, I think it could lead to some bigger things for the MCU as a whole. Because I think it's fair to say that this did indeed feel like a Sam Raimi movie. And I would go as far as saying the only other director who can say they've done a movie "in their style" in the entire franchise is Taika Waititi. But Kevin Feige is apparently trying to hook more big-time directors who he doesn't have to supervise on set and is just gonna let them do their things. I think that is a pretty big deal as it might end the formulaic feel of the MCU.
I think the small amount of horror elements in this movie are pretty fucking cool too. The action sequences are pretty creative, with Strange getting a really cool 'suit up' moment ala Tony Stark in a bunch of movies. I liked the introducton of America Chavez, with Xochitl Gomez's performance being pretty good. Of course, Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen steal the show here though, especially the latter, who is great in her role.
I think where this movie gets let down, and it could become a problem for certain MCU films, is that if you haven't watched WandaVision, then you might not understand what the fuck is going on. It's hard enough doing a marathon for each new movie (or at least for the first new movie of each year) but adding in shows as well? Nah man. Although I understand I am one of a few that do marathons of these.
My other issue is that I feel the pacing was quite a bit off. There are definitely sequences that really drag. And I also wish we actually saw more of the multiverses, rather than just the basically two we see.
Overall, this is pretty solid. Honestly, better than I thought it was going to be.
