MCU cinematic instalment #28 is notable for persuading Sam Raimi out of apparent retirement to bring his trademark wit and brio with fantastical material to continue the story of Earth's erstwhile Sorcerer Supreme. It cannot be a straightforward sequel to the 2016 film as everything in the MCU, including the ever-growing number of TV series, has to accommodate what has transpired in all the other linked sagas in the meanwhile.
So, as is increasingly the case, only Marvel completists will be able to get all the references, and getting the references is a large part of the fun with such a weighty catalogue. And now the rest of all pop culture is chucked into the pot too.
Beyond that, what we have is an overlong stampede of glittery FX, leavened with quips. Doctor Strange now has to migrate through a succession of universes, seeking to protect a teenager who can transverse the multiverse from the Scarlet Witch, who has a serious case of PTSD after the events of the WandaVision TV series and is now hell-bent on getting to a universe for herself where the children she created in the imaginary realm of the TV series actually exist, at the cost of all other realities.
Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen do get plenty of substance to work with as the protagonist and antagonist and pour themselves readily into the roles, and the abundant humour is very welcome alongside the mind-bending drama. But even if it would mean diverging from the technicolour bombardment characteristic of the genre, a little less dazzle and a bit more mysticism would be a nice move next time around.
6/10
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