It's safe to say that phase four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is moving into some deep cuts within its source material. We are past almost all of the famous superheroes and are now delving into more niche characters as well as going down more of the fantasy route than the previous more grounded ones that added some realism to it.
So while this juggernaut may lose a certain demographic, there is still that urge for adventures from our favourite superheroes from the masses.
It certainly starts in a way where you are expected to be up to date with the majority of Marvel's films as well as TV series 'Wandavision'. If you are prepared, then it does head straight into the action and I was pleased that it carried on some plotlines from the first Doctor Strange film as it seems like a lot has happened since the first one came a few years ago.
With the story being fairly mind-bending, there are regular moments where the film manages to get away with not explaining the peculiar on-screen moments and you go with it because it is visually pleasing. However, there were still some bits that I don't think they quite got away with. But on the whole, there was little flaws in the execution of new elements to this film universe.
The rest of the film for me just felt like a combination of director Sam Raimi putting his style into the story as well as playing with the concept by teasing us with the possibilities of where this franchise could go. There are some juicy treats that will get big reactions. But it seemed aimed more towards the style.
The final act is where we see Raimi really go for it with moments that we have never seen in the MCU before and I was all for it.
Benedict Cumberbatch does another great job with his character. It still pleases me that this studio was able to acquire someone as highly acclaimed as him. You can tell he enjoys playing this character and it is fun seeing the development carry on.
I was pleased to see Elizabeth Olsen be given a lot to do and give her character the depth she deserves and that is probably thanks to what happened in 'Wandavision'.
I honestly wasn't that hot on Xochitl Gomez's performance. She looked out of place for me and I was getting bugged by the only facial expression she was expressing throughout the film, which was a worried one. However, I did like her chemistry with Cumberbatch.
It was nice to see Rachel McAdams again and be given a good amount of on-screen time. There are also some other performances that I would like to mention. But to avoid spoilers, I won't.
As mentioned earlier, it is directed by Sam Raimi. I was happy to hear this as he did a good job with the first Spider-Man film series which began 20 years ago. With his added love of horror, I was intrigued to see how much of the Raimi touch we would see on screen. Turns out, quite a fair bit.
There are many Raimi tropes that will please his fans. You can tell he is having fun with this and I am glad his style is all over this. It was a nice change of pace to see something different in the look outside of the 'copy and paste' Marvel style we're used to having. The horror elements were well utilised and made me think that this might not be suitable for the younger kids. So you have been warned.
As usual, there are a lot of visual effects to deal with. On the whole, they looked pretty good. The editing keeps the film moving along at a good pace for the most part and enhances the style choices made with some dramatic cuts.
With Raimi at the helm, there is no surprise that regular composer Danny Elfman is collaborating with him once again. His style is certainly well used in one particular sequence that could be many people's highlight.
Given the concept it was going for, I was probably expecting more. But what we got in the end remained very enjoyable. It is a bit unfair on the film to bring up theories and speculations and expect them to deliver on them. But with the ideas involved bringing up those possibilities, it is natural to expect a lot from this. While we do get some nice surprises and teases into where the MCU can go, it doesn't go all-out which I am absolutely fine with.
I liked it for its style, visuals and action. It doesn't have the emotional impact of like a lot of the Avengers films or 'Spider-Man: No Way Home'. But it has that cosmic vibe from Guardians Of The Galaxy as well as bringing in some horror which I think the closest we have got to in the MCU was the Mysterio fake reality sequence in 'Spider-Man: Far From Home'.
There is a lot of fun to be had and it experiments with certain aspects that we may get to see in future instalments.
There are the usual mid and post credits scenes. The mid scene adds another branch to this universe with intriguing possibilities. As for the post scene, while it is not important, it was a nice cherry on the cake for Raimi's contribution.
Rating: 8/10
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