YNOT at the Movies

By now, any attempt to keep track of the movies adapted from Marvel Comics must be a foolish and senseless exercise. Besides the known characters jumping from movies to movies, now they also travel in the multiverse. The director Sam Raimi's latest addition to this overly crowded bunch even characterizes this crazy phenomenon in its title, "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" (USA 2022 | 126 min.). Even though the concept is already mind-boggling, this film reasonably succeeds in telling an absurd narrative while nicely blending in with the expected usual special effects.

It's hard to figure out a fixed point from which to examine the multiverse. So the film begins with a space in the sky with floating cloud-like objects. Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) are fighting some forces with sharp lights and fire. That's also where they can enter a universe in the multiverse (other than when they dream). And the fighting gets to sprawls over to the streets of New York City in one of the universes.

It turns out the fighting is related to the teenager America Chavez's ability to travel between universes. The Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) wants to obtain America Chavez's power so she can travel to another universe to be the mom of her two adorable sons.

But that attempt will cause a lot more damage in the multiverse, and Dr. Strange is trying to be the savior to some of the universes with help from his friend Wong (Benedict Wong) and his girlfriend Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams) from another universe.

As the characters travel among the universes, the film also plays out across different genres. It jumps freely from a comedy to a horror flick, then to a zombie movie. It's playful and energetic, but never serious about anything.

Quite often, the madness in the multiverse can be easily labeled as multiple personalities in our world (or universe). Benedict Cumberbatch plays Dr. Strange in at least three universes, if you don't lose your count. Despite his best effort, it's quite challenging to figure out who is who sometimes.

By the end of the movie, you may wonder what's the point of so many Marvel Comic movies getting made, besides the perceived box office appeal. How much will this multiverse expand? It will probably never be over.

"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" opens on Friday, May 6, 2022.