Expect the Unexpected with Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness

Last Sunday, I went to see the long-awaited, new Marvel Studios release, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. As a comic book nerd and Marvel fan myself, I had pretty high hopes for the film. And it definitely didn’t disappoint.

There were many unexpected horror/thriller elements like gore, eerie jump scares, and even zombies, dark magic, and demons. (None of these things really made the movie too scary in my opinion, and I’m not a huge horror fan at all.) But apparently, other viewers do not approve of the way the film trails off of the usual hero’s journey storyline aka the “Marvel formula”.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, the film only has a 75% rating which is significantly lower than Marvel’s biggest films to date including The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther, Endgame, and the entire Tom Holland Spider-Man trilogy. (These films are all rated 90% or higher.) The rating for Eternals also speaks to this, as it received an even lower rating of 47% on Rotten Tomatoes. It truly seems as though Marvel fans prefer the “Marvel Formula”.

While I think the typical formula works for Marvel Studios, I appreciate when they branch out and allow the film’s directors to transform these characters and storylines from the comic books to the big screen. Despite the storyline that fans believe to be lacking, Multiverse of Madness had mind-blowing CGI and it introduced and explained two very important assets to the future of the MCU: America Chavez & the multiverse, of course. I also loved Elizabeth Olsen’s portrayal of The Scarlet Witch and believe it to be one of the best acting performances I’ve ever seen in a Marvel film.

Despite what critics and viewers say, this movie is not all bad. And the parts of it that stray from the “Marvel Formula” are the best parts, contrary to popular belief. Check Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness out for yourself at a theater near you!