Incoherent, obtuse, and goofy, Sam Raimi has created Marvel’s very first parody: unsure whether to include obvious horror, cringy comedy, or terrible writing, he throws everything in and simply hopes for the best.

Here we are, yet again, with another MCU entry. This time in the hot seat is the charismatically cocky Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), surgeon-turned-sorcerer returning for his first solo sequel. Rarely am I excited for a Marvel film, especially of late as every entry in the ever-growing canon feels like a rehashing of the same story, as if narrative progress has stagnated and turned into a broken record stuck on one repetitive song: the hero saves the day whilst a litany of references are thrown in as a poor excuse for diversity. 

But I have always liked Doctor Strange. His debut in 2016 was an exciting new perspective, one that focused on Strange and allowed Cumberbatch to play with the performance, and every other appearance of his in the franchise has been a welcome one.

Does that mean I was excited? No. My fond memories of the (now ex-) Sorcerer Supreme worried me - I have learnt that expecting Marvel to do more than their go-to self-absorbed action flick is an unwise decision. And Multiverse of Madness is exactly that: an extravagant display of overindulgence, making as much flashy noise as it possibly can only to forget to add any substance.

As the title suggests, Doctor Strange is travelling through Marvel’s already-established multiverse, accompanied by new addition America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) who is being chased by the hero-turned-villain Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen).

And that is the entire plot spread across a long and tedious two-hour runtime, stretched to a point well beyond breaking as the plucky heroes search for McGuffin after McGuffin.

Strange spends the entire film searching for alternate versions of himself so they can help him find a magic book while Wanda looks for America only to have her own magic book destroyed (gasp!), forcing her to look for a different version of the book so she can keep looking for America.

At every twist and turn, there are next to no consequences; an endless series of treasure hunts that end with a sign saying the princess is not in this castle, but that another castle might have what you are looking for.

Spoiler, it doesn’t.

But there is a subplot that shouldn’t go unsung. Wanda’s character arc finally comes to fruition, but even these brief moments of sincerity are overshadowed by director Sam Raimi’s urge for b-horror goofiness. As Olsen tries her best to inject some humanity into the over-the-top escapade, Raimi cuts the baby in half as he can’t decide what to do.

On one hand, Wanda is larger than life, her drive to find a reality where she has a family is heart-breaking and sincere, but it is extremely difficult to look at it in such a way when Raimi cuts between supposedly thrilling scenes with a Looney Tunes transition, completely ruining any sense of immersion.

Clichés exist in every universe… Elizabeth Olsen. Image: Marvel Studios

Raimi’s corny and clichéd style combined with Marvel’s already uninspired tendencies results in something akin to Spider-Man 3 on steroids. While in an alternate universe, Strange asks what secret organisation is controlling the world, and not in a million years did I expect the answer to be, “the Illuminati.”

How could I not burst out laughing? The line is said with the sincerity of a nun in church as if they haven’t just uttered the most out-of-touch reference known to the MCU. Maybe it is meant to be a gag and I’m reading too much into it. No again. Five minutes later there is a long rambling exposition dump about how the Illuminati was founded and why it was created, all narrated by the laziest cameos to date. 

The list goes on and on. Every issue that this film has contributes to all the others: the wacky plot and writing leave little room for good acting which is already suffering from a CGI overload, both Gomez’s and Cumberbatch’s performances feel stale as they are clearly on a sound stage reciting lines to the empty air.

The excessive CGI often looks fake as the cast’s movements don’t match up with the shot, clearly dangling from unseen wires as they fight non-existent aliens, hindering all performances. And the zany writing sours any form of humanity as scenes jump from end-of-the-world severity straight back to lines such as, “This time it is going to take more than killing me to kill me.”

Have I become too jaded? I came into Multiverse of Madness with low expectations and even that low bar was too high for Raimi to jump. Marvel has become the movie-making machine that releases three to four features a year plus a handful of streaming shows, and it has become abundantly clear that it may be time to start slowing down.

I can’t see the enjoyment of watching a blockbuster just to catch a glimpse of a five-minute crossover that doesn’t affect the story in the slightest. This film is another Endgame, a big action flick that is riding off the coattails of its predecessors while offering only the barest moments of excitement – soon to be forgotten once the hype clears. 

I am jaded, and I’m eagerly waiting to be proven wrong.