Medical Marvel
DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS
Cert 12A ★★ In cinemas now
Marvel’s move into the “multiverse” gains pace here with a baffling second solo movie for Benedict Cumberbatch’s grumpy goatee-bearded wizard.
As in the last Spider-Man movie, Doctor Strange has to save the world by travelling to alternate realities and clashing with new incarnations of the franchise’s most popular superheroes.
That’s great news for the marketing department but casual moviegoers will wish their popcorn had come with a magic see-in-the-dark manual to help them keep tabs on who’s who and what’s happening. Doctor Strange is an uncomfortable guest at the wedding of his ex-girlfriend Christine (Rachel McAdams) who you may half remember from the Doctor Strange movie that came out six years ago.
He’s sat next to an old character without superpowers played by the great Michael Stuhlbarg, who berates Strange for something he did in Avengers: Endgame.
This clunky reminiscing is interrupted by a giant CGI octopus chasing a dimension-hopping teenager (spin-off series pending) called America (Xochitl Gomez) through the streets of New York.
Though he knocks off the cephalopod, America is still in trouble, so Strange seeks help from superheroic witch Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen). She’s haunted by visions of the life she could have had as a suburban mum to two little boys.
“They don’t exist,” Strange reminds her.
But Wanda’s TV backstory of bitter childlessness and imaginary motherhood will play a huge part in this latest instalment.
What follows is two hours of digitally enhanced action scenes, cameos and surprisingly earnest (and very unMarvel) dialogue.
It’s not a complete washout. Evil Dead director Sam Raimi gives the film a manic energy and the occasional spark of B-movie horror. But franchise obligations weigh heavily. Raimi sparked the modern superhero craze with his widely popular 2002 Spider-Man film. This time, the comic studio has set him a less ambitious task – to keep the money-making machine running.
‘‘ It’s a baffling second solo movie for Benedict Cumberbatch’s grumpy wizard