Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

When I first learned about this movie coming out I was a little hesitant because many times new parts of a movie do not live up to the first one. Also when it comes to what is going on in the Marvel universe I will admit that I am a bit behind because I do not have Disney+ so I wasn't aware of what all they had done in WandaVision. The one thing I was wondering about was how were they going to bring in America Chavez.

The overall plot of this movie is that Doctor Strange is trying to keep Wanda from getting her hands on America so that she can still her powers (killing her in the process, so that she can then go to another place in the multiverse where a Wanda has kids and take that Wanda's place. It was said that they had to make Wanda into such a destroyed creature. I would have liked to have seen her as a more positive character in the films. At the same time we do get to see different versions of Doctor Strange and one is even a zombie(ish). We also get to see some other faces from the marvel universe pop up and die in different ways. 

The movie had some good special effects. How Wanda's magic was depicted was beautiful. The different parts of the multiverse were also depicted in really cool ways. Everything from a weird blockish world to one where the characters are made of paint. I wish they would have played around with this a bit more instead of just showing them quickly sliding through the different parts of the multiverse. 

The Positives: I really do enjoy the interactions between Doctor Strange and Wong. I hope if there is a Doctor Strange 3 that they have them team up more directly so they could have more complex interactions. The monsters that are being sent after America were also well done and interesting. There was some humor built into the movie, like you can't even take Doctor Strange to a wedding without him stealing the show (although based on the info from the movie the groom didn't mind). It was also good that they finally linked in Professor Xavier and the X-Men more into the main Marvel movies past the Dead Pool movies. The most creative part of the movie was the music fight.

The Disappointments. First off I didn't like where they took the overall storyline and how they ended the main plot (trying not to give spoilers). It just seemed to tragic and just a way to kick off another female character from movies that are still mostly driven by male characters. They turned Wanda in to the destroyed woman when she could have been so much more. I also didn't like how they used America Chavez. I think that Xochitl Gomez did as good of a job as she could with the script, but I didn't like how they wrote the character for the film. In the comics she is very confident in herself, but not in her powers. In this movie they just made her all around a not confident character and she even seemed to be very weak in personality which America was not in the comics. In the comics her personality was very strong and defiant. 

Then there was the end scene where we get to see Doctor Strange being recruited to help repair the multiverse. As an end scene for a Marvel movie it didn't have any impact and was kind of boring. There was nothing catchy or would make you want to see the next movie. It needed to be more of a statement piece or maybe have been slightly longer so they could have fit something in.

Overall I would give this movie 3 stars out of 5 or a C. 

As a last little side note, the Mann Chinese theater was advertising for a special popcorn bucket that was to be priced at $24.99 to help celebrate the movie, but when I asked about it they said that they hadn't received any. It really annoys me when places advertise for things they do not have. At the same time, paying $24.99 for a bucket of popcorn is a massive rip off even if you get to keep the container. During the holidays you can get a tub of popcorn in a metal tin at Walmart for under $6 so I know it's not the materials that cost that much. They just like charging people a ton of money.

Picture 1 From: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9419884/

Picture 2 From: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/doctor-strange-2-box-office-opening-day-overseas-1235141300/

Picture 3 From: https://www.tvacute.com/who-is-america-chavez-in-doctor-strange-2-are-her-parents-alive-explained/

Picture block world: https://filmyhype.com/doctor-strange-2-who-will-be-the-villain-of-the-theories-after-the-release-of-the-new-trailer/

Picture paint world: https://screenrant.com/best-universes-doctor-strange-multiverse-madness-mephisto/

Picture of monster: https://nerdist.com/article/doctor-strange-multiverse-of-madness-teaser-trailer-variants-scarlet-witch/

Picture of America: https://sportshub.cbsistatic.com/i/2022/04/09/84f7ea46-d44b-4583-875e-7173effa7e2d/america-chavez-doctor-strange-in-the-multiverse-of-madness.jpg

Picture end scene: https://www.filmibeat.com/photos/feature/here-s-first-look-clea-from-doctor-strange-in-the-multiverse-of-madness-80052.html

Picture of popcorn bucket: https://www.laughingplace.com/w/news/2022/05/02/amc-theatres-offering-collectible-doctor-strange-popcorn-vessel/

Last Picture: https://www.pinterest.com/masthannah7/doctor-strange-in-the-multiverse-madness/