(Review Contains Spoilers)
The Marvel Universe now has truly changed.
Dr. Strange: ITMoM stars Benedict Cumberbatch
as Dr. Strange, Elizabeth Olson as The Scarlet Witch, Xochitl Gomez as America
Chavez, and Rachel McAdams as Dr. Christine Palmer. The film also features
Benedict Wong as Wong, Chinese Ejiofor as Baron Mordo, and a cameo from Bruce
Campbell as Pizza Poppa.
Benedict Cumberbatch is still doing a great job
playing Dr. Strange. His character is really different from other MCU heroes.
He’s cool, but not completely likable. He’s heroic, but also flawed. What I
like about him is he’s an Avenger, like Scarlet Witch, who doesn’t use his
fists or tech to save the day. He also faces Thanos level threats every other
week, which is bound to take a toll on his psyche. He’s a troubled but good man
who will put his life on the line to save the multiverse any day of the week,
and that’s why he’s a great character.
I found Dr.
Strange: ITMoM to be quite entertaining. Marvel in the past has tried
messing with genre, and Dr. Strange:
ITMoM looks to be Marvel’s first horror movie. Who better to helm a
horror-themed Marvel movie than Sam Raimi? His horror credentials and superhero
expertise made this film so much more than your average Marvel movie. There was
a lot more unique camera work in this movie compared to most Marvel films. The
demon chase at the beginning gets you hooked from the start, and the thrill
ride keeps going from there.
I do truly believe that this movie has changed the
MCU. It gave us the deep dive into the Marvel Multiverse it was supposed to. It
showed how weird it can be, how terrifying it can be, and the new ways Marvel
Studios writers can tell stories. This is the lead in to talking about how
important The Illuminati is. It’s gonna get spoilery so hold onto your butts.
The Illuminati
of Earth-838 features Patrick Stewart as 838-Professor X, Ejiofor as 838-Mordo,
Hayley Atwell as 838-Captain Carter, Lashana Lynch as 838-Captain Marvel, Anson
Mount as 838-Black Bolt, and newcomer John Krasinski as 838-Dr. Reed Richards.
On Earth-838
there are no Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D., only the Illuminati, which was created
by 838-Dr. Strange. The story behind it is tragic, as well as what happened to
838-Dr. Strange. The team exists to show how powerful Scarlet Witch is. What
The Illuminati means to the greater MCU is that we could be getting more
versions of characters and teams. We could be getting alternate Avengers teams.
We could be getting other teams like The Illuminati that would be new to the
MCU. We could get a new Defenders team with an Iron Fist that is actually good.
The possibilities are endless.
The other main performances are all great. Newcomer
Xochitl Gomez is the heart of the movie. She’s funny, clever, and one of the
most powerful heroes in the MCU. She is also culturally important, being the
MCU’s first Latino and LGBTQ+ hero. She is one of the best parts of the movie
and I can’t wait to see more of her in the future.
One of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes goes to the dark side
in Dr. Strange: ITMoM. Wanda has
become the Scarlet Witch and has been irreparably damaged by the events of WandaVision. She will stop at nothing,
using the Darkhold and her chaos magic, to find her boys. Even if that means
stealing powers and killing sorcerers. The movie does a good job filling gaps,
so for people like me who haven’t seen WandaVision,
you’re in good hands.
Even the side characters were good in this movie. Wong
is still his great Wong self. Rachel McAdams had to pull double duty to play
both 616 and 838 Christine. Her 838 version helps Dr. Strange save the day and
deal with some unresolved trauma. Maybe they will cross paths in the multiverse
again. Also, Bruce Campbell’s cameo is pretty funny. Campbell has had cameos in
some of Raimi’s films since they worked together on the Evil Dead series. It was cool for me as a fan of The Evil Dead to see him cameo again and
do something silly.
Wrapping up here I thought the movie was a maddly good
time. It did everything it needed to do well and it was also entertaining at
the same time. Raimi did a fantastic job, becoming more so legendary as the
heroes he’s brought to the screen. I’m excited to see what’s next for Dr.
Strange, and where the multiverse takes him.
SCORE: 8.8/10
Advent Seven 
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