Here’s how it goes: horror-movie-style piano string hit as a villain enters frame, and a super imaginative Raimi-classic camera move, then 20 minutes of formulaic dull Marvel bullshit.

Repeat for 2 hours.

Some think its amazing having renowned and visually distinguished directors on board for the newest Marvel outting, and thats great - all the power to you guys. For me, it just makes it even more frustrating when each beat, each scene just comes crashing back to the usual stuff.

To be clear, Raimi’s mark *is* present here, but just.. not enough? I loved seeing POV shots of demons up in Rachel McAdams face; I loved using a dead body to fight; I loved pulling out a monsters eyeball; I loved the ultra cheesy fade through montage at the halfway point. But what is it all for if the film it’s in is just.. dull? 20% Raimi magic 80% Marvel cruise control is not a fun time for me. And the push and pull between “lets have Raimi fun” and “lets tell a serious Marvel story” is so incredibly annoying. This thing needed to go all out on the wild cheesy Raimi fun tone.

The character work is so dull. So uninspired. The MULTIVERSE stuff (you know, that thing in the *title*) is on the whole, incredibly unimaginative? Cool you’re in a world where traffic lights mean the opposite and dr strange has a pony tail, nice? It’s getting so tiring watching Marvel give themselves permission to do such fun and wild shit, and then just settling for a slightly reskinned version of everything we’ve already seen? You’ve got a multiverse AND Sam Raimi here. This should have been absolutely nuts.

Other thoughts: I hate Wanda’s “kids”. In fact, Wanda’s whole arc in this film is just wholly eye rolling (even if Olsen does a fine job performance wise). Doctor Strange is legitimately weird about Rachel McAdams in this film? Maybe wait til sometime that *isn’t* her wedding to be a little weirdo? Why was everyone at the wedding so chill about the huge ass tentacle thing climbing the building? Also the macguffins are so stooopid here even for Marvel standards. I laughed *out loud* at America discovering her powers and banishing her parents over a bee sting. Doctor Strange looks legitimately fucking hilarious at all times with that stupid hair. I loved the Bruce Campbell cameo.