By Lindsey Bahr, AP Film Writer
Once a superhero franchise goes multiverse, it's hard to go back.
No work of fiction ever needs permission to break the rules or push the boundaries of traditional storytelling, but the multiverse, at least as it's been served up in recent Marvel movies, practically demands it. And for the moment that means a lot of cameo opportunities. " Spider-Man: No Way Home " opened the door to the concept, to mostly charming results, but now Benedict Cumberbatch's master of the mystic arts is flying through the interdimensional portal with the concept in the "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness."
This film is technically the sequel to "Doctor Strange," a movie that came out six years ago. But so much has happened in Marvel land that involves Stephen Strange and his goatee — "Infinity War," "Endgame" and, yes, the most recent "Spider-Man" — that where it falls in the "Doctor Strange" standalone film continuity is entirely beside the point. One could not simply watch "Doctor Strange" and then "Doctor Strange 2" and expect it to make sense.
Not only that, understanding, or at least being invested in "Doctor Strange 2," also requires some passing knowledge of "WandaVision," the nine-episode Disney+ series that runs almost six hours total. This is not a surprise or a burden to Marvel fans, but it does seem like quite a lot to ask of the average moviegoer (though perhaps at this point they're one and the same).
So it's especially interesting that Sam Raimi agreed to jump into this messy corporate multiverse at this point. His "Spider-Man" movies are still among the top of the crop of modern superhero franchises, after all. Raimi was able to put his own stamp on this endeavor, including but not limited to a Bruce Campbell cameo. There are horror elements, too, some so intense that families might think twice before bringing everyone to the multiplex, some interesting visuals not entirely dissimilar to the city-bending of "Inception" and some humor. But Raimi doesn't take "Doctor Strange" to an entirely new tonal place, like, say Taika Waititi did with Thor. He mostly sticks to the framework established by Scott Derrickson.
The main issue is that it's a bit of a kitchen sink movie centered on an entirely new and underdeveloped character, America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), a teen who has the power to travel the multiverse but doesn't quite know how to control it. She's being hunted by someone who wants her powers and Strange decides to help, possibly out of genuine altruism and possibly because it was a good excuse to literally jump off a balcony to get out of his old flame Christine's (Rachel McAdams) wedding early.
Unfortunately, he asks the wrong Avenger for help: Elizbeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff is the one after the power to go multiverse jumping and has been dabbling in some dark arts to make it happen. She's motivated by the idea that she has children out there in an idyllic suburban multiverse in which she wears yoga pants and loose cotton tops and tucks her boys in at night after ice cream and movies. Soon she and Strange are having a standoff in midair.
The script is inventive in the way it plays around with a jumble of big sci-fi concepts, which makes sense considering screenwriter Michael Waldron is a veteran of "Rick & Morty." But it also underwhelms when it comes to the mishmash structure and the women. Olsen still sells Wanda's pain like the best of them, even though she's been reduced to a stereotype of female hysteria. Christine is merely there to make Strange realize things about himself. And America, well, she never really earns our emotional investment.
After "Infinity War" and "Endgame," "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" feels a little bit like wheel spinning. Cumberbatch has fun with his character, but his limitless ego seems to have been a little muted here as he grapples with his own happiness. And that invites more questions, like do we ultimately care about whether or not Doctor Strange is happy? Does he? Could everyone just use some post blip therapy instead of these interdimensional bottle episodes?
Perhaps the Marvel universe is finally starting to feel like a long running comic book series. Or maybe Phase 4 just hasn't kicked into gear just yet.
"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," a Disney release in theaters Thursday, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for, "intense sequences of violence and action, frightening images and some language." Running time: 126 minutes. Two stars out of four.
Gary Oldman’s Series “Slow Horses” Trots For Several Seasons Before Getting Some Emmy Love
Jackson Lamb is an Englishman who solves mysteries, but he's not your typically elegant, charming type. One clue is that he often passes gas, rather loudly.
Lamb — portrayed by Gary Oldman — is the beating heart of Apple TV+'s "Slow Horses," a critical darling that seems to have gained traction in the U.S. only lately, now in its fourth season. Ignored at the Emmys for two seasons, it goes into Sunday's telecast with nine nominations, including for best drama series.
"I think it's been a slow burn," says Oldman, who earned an Emmy nod for his Lamb. "More people are now coming up to me and saying, 'I really like the show.' I've become that guy on TV, which I kind of like, actually."
Lamb is the comically unpleasant leader of a band of dejected British spies nicknamed the "Slow Horses" because they work at lowly Slough House, far from the gleaming center of power in London. They've messed up their careers in a variety of ways, including botching surveillance operations, gambling addictions or leaving a top secret file on a train.
Lamb's hair is unkempt and greasy. He wears a ratty, dirty raincoat and his stocking feet are forever up on his desk. He smokes too much, drinks scotch on the job, is violently un-politically correct and is blunt to the point of rude. His voice mail says: "This is Lamb. If I didn't answer it's because I don't want to speak to you."
He's also fiercely loyal to his team and is the sharpest — if the most unclean — knife in the drawer. He can tell from just a footprint the person's salary and is at least three steps ahead of anyone else. He refuses to follow rules — a petulant middle finger to the establishment.
"If there's a sign that says 'No smoking,' Lamb will smoke," says Oldman. "He's... Read More