The highly anticipated Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, out Friday, sends Benedict Cumberbatch’s sorcerer hopping between colourful, creepy and downright bizarre new dimensions, with the help of teenager America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez).
It explores the “multiverse” concept popularized by superhero comic books, in which infinite universes – and infinite versions of each hero and villain – exist side-by-side.
“Oh yeah, we crack that door wide open,” said Cumberbatch at this week’s Los Angeles world premiere.
“And I’ll tell you one thing about it. It’s beautiful. It’s very, very beautiful.”
Benedict Cumberbatch
But for a Hollywood franchise that has thrived by making the sometimes arcane world of comic-book lore accessible to the broadest possible audiences, is it all getting a little too complicated?
We’re seeing plenty of stars in this Universe.
Travel through the Multiverse with the stars of Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness at the World Premiere. Experience it only in theaters this Friday! Get Tickets: Link in Bio
by Julian Buchan pic.twitter.com/8vR171KYg2
— Doctor Strange (@DrStrange) May 3, 2022
IS THE MULTIVERSE CONCEPT A FRANCHISE-SUSTAINING CRUTCH?
Multiverse of Madness – the second standalone Doctor Strange movie – is packed with references not just to films that preceded it, but also to Disney+ television series WandaVision and Loki.
A review from The Hollywood Reporter says the parallel universes concept – on top of Marvel films’ previous time-travel forays – “starts to look like a franchise-sustaining crutch.”
Marvel films already contain “a practically infinite number of weird characters and unlikely events” without the “rapidly aging plot device” of parallel universes, wrote reviewer John Defore.
John Defore
Variety’s Owen Gleiberman said Marvel is already “the kind of place that even the most ardent comic-book fans have to dedicate themselves to keeping up with.”
Gleiberman called the film “a ride, a head trip… a what-is-reality Marvel brainteaser and, at moments, a bit of an ordeal.”
“It’s a somewhat engaging mess, but a mess all the same.”
Owen Gleiberman
THE MULTIVERSE CONCEPT IS WORKING FOR MARVEL
Still, recent history has taught Hollywood watchers to never underestimate the allure of the “Marvel Cinematic Universe” (MCU).
The franchise turned conventional wisdom about the attention spans of Gen Z teens upside-down with hits like 2019’s Avengers: Endgame – the culmination of more than 20 interconnected movies and storylines going back to the original Iron Man (2008).
It earned almost $2.8 billion (R44.3 billion) at the global box office, briefly becoming the highest-grossing film of all time.
“Marvel are the epitome of success in Hollywood right now,” said Jeff Bock, senior analyst at Exhibitor Relations.
“And that’s why when we talk about $150 million (R2.3 billion), $200 million (R3.1 billion) openings, nobody blinks an eye anymore.”
Jeff Bock
Travel through the Multiverse and onto the red carpet with the stars of Marvel Studios’ #DoctorStrange in the Multiverse of Madness at the World Premiere!
Experience it only in theaters this Friday. Get Tickets: https://t.co/YoT7YYc3zL pic.twitter.com/59vP1cjnyF
— Doctor Strange (@DrStrange) May 3, 2022
DOCTOR STRANGE COMES AT THE PERFECT TIME DUE TO THE MULTIVERSE CONCEPT
Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, said last week that planning for “the next decade” of the superhero films is well underway.
And the concept of multiple versions of beloved characters has already been successful, including December’s smash hit Spider-Man: No Way Home.
“Characters have come out of other universes into our own in the last Spider-Man picture,” said director Sam Raimi at Monday’s premiere.
“But this will be the first time that characters from our MCU journey out into other universes.”
Sami Raimi
Beyond the Marvel franchise, the recent, critically adored indie sci-fi hit Everything Everywhere All at Once also explores the idea of parallel universes.
“I think Doctor Strange actually hits at the perfect time because everybody’s still talking about how great this multiverse concept is – it’s not played out,” said Bock.
Jeff Bock
‘OPENING A BOX’ WITH THE MULTIVERSE CONCEPT ON MARVEL FILMS
So far, Multiverse of Madness has a highly respectable – if below the Marvel average – 79% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.
IndieWire called the movie a “violent, wacky, drag-me-to-several-different-hells at once funhouse of a film.”
“We are opening a box. And there’s going to be a lot of opportunities for storytelling moving forward,” said Elizabeth Olsen, who reprises her role as Wanda Maximoff.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what we do with that.”
Elizabeth Olsen
© Agence France-Presse/Andrew Marszal