Early on in 2004’s Spider-Man 2, the second one Tobey Maguire–starring webslinger movie, there’s a kind of -minute collection wherein the top-flight comic-ee-e book blockbuster all of sudden will become a horror movie. A crew of sanatorium surgeons seeking to eliminate the 4 self-aware, metal tentacles which have been fused to scientist Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) is all of sudden assailed with the aid of using stated tentacles, dispatched one at a time in approximately as ugly and scary a way as a PG-thirteen movie can break out with. This scene changed into no marvel to lovers of director Sam Raimi, whose first movie efforts have been mythical low-price range horror movies The Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2 (N.B. the chainsaw-wielding health practitioner in Spider-Man 2‘s horror interlude). Though Raimi had emerge as a a hit mainstream filmmaker withinside the intervening years, he by no means completely forgot his horror roots, nor the numerous tricks — monster-attitude shots, askew angles, visceral, fluid movement from time to time verging on slapstick — that he discovered in horror boot camp. Also early in Spider-Man 2, cigar-chomping newspaperman J. Jonah Jameson (now performed over separate franchises with the aid of using J. K. Simmons) struggles to call the brand new tentacled creature now menacing the city. When one in all Jameson’s subordinates suggests “Doctor Strange,” Jameson laments, “That’s quite right, however it’s taken.” So it’s quite funny, aleven though now no longer completely surprising, that Raimi back to the comic-ee-e book blockbuster with Doctor Strange withinside the Multiverse of Madness. It’s even much less surprising, moreover, due to the fact we were given a couple of recommendations all through the manufacturing that the sequel to 2016’s Doctor Strange — and the cutting-edge access withinside the ever-extra-sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe — might cross in a decidedly horror-tinged direction. There changed into right motive to count on plenty from the film given Raimi’s records and the expansive opportunities of Strange’s person and universe. And, to be sure, there are lots of instances whilst Raimi’s particular sensibilities shine through. The primary tale of the film — Strange attempts to defend America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), a younger girl with the (erratic) capacity to hop among dimensions, from the now-villainous designs of Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), who might thieve America’s strength and lifestyles to inhabit a fact wherein her nonexistent sons are real — lends itself properly sufficient to a horror-film setup. Wanda, whose competencies have been by no means properly-described even with the aid of using comic-ee-e book film standards, is now basically all-effective; little may be completed to forestall her, even with the aid of using the further mysteriously effective Dr. Strange. Portraying, basically, a horror-film monster, Olsen brings lifestyles to a formerly middling person, and presents some of the film’s maximum unsettling moments. Multiverse of Madness is at its first-rate in such instances, as Raimi’s fashion creates tension, performs with attitude and scene transitions, and indulges in a few trademark gore (some formidable-seeming heroes get a few memorably violent deaths). A warfare related to dueling musical notes, in addition to a delightfully campy scene related to a resurrected corpse bursting from its grave as lightning moves withinside the historical past, stand out as properly. (Also, Bruce Campbell suggests up.) In those scenes, I nearly forgot I changed into looking an MCU film. Almost. Because, no matter Raimi’s first-rate efforts, Multiverse of Madness fails to go beyond MCU trappings. The maximum apparent instance arises from the easy reality that the film manner much less to those — me included — who did now no longer watch the Disney+ display WandaVision, which presents the historical past for Wanda’s choice to “reunite” together along with her other-universe offspring. Wondering closing 12 months whether or not Marvel had peaked, I diagnosed as a project for the ever-expansive Marvel universe going ahead the reality that a number of its present characters have additionally had extra layers of complexity delivered to them thru suggests on Disney+, Disney’s streaming service; Marvel completely intends to include those traits into destiny films. Although Disney+ is pretty popular, this in addition incorporation increases the edge of dedication required for complete leisure and knowledge of what goes on withinside the films, while formerly you “just” needed to see what changed into in theaters. Now, I noticed this movie — and Spider-Man: No Way Home — anyway, so extra idiot me. But on this case, the film depended closely at the activities of a previous collection I didn’t watch, and my enjoy suffered from it, at the same time as I determined Olsen’s overall performance fun. Less fun changed into Benedict Cumberbatch as Strange. Always sport and ready as an actor, Cumberbatch though has little to paintings with apart from a vaguely diagnosed feel of sadness hinging on his failure to win over Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams). And the universe-hopper America Chavez is simplest exciting for the occasional wordplay related to her name (at one point, a person urges America to believe her strength, making me surprise approximately the film’s underlying message). As with maximum Marvel content, Dr. Strange withinside the Multiverse of Madness isn't straight-up bad. It’s . . . fine, aleven though Marvel makes it difficult for a film to face out in both direction. In this regard, I couldn’t assist however to consider every other multiverse film that got here out this 12 months. While films that have been in manufacturing across the identical time can’t continually be accused of plagiarizing every other — see additionally, Deep Impact and Armageddon, Capote and In Cold Blood, etc. — Everything Everywhere All at Once is certainly the higher of the . Multiverse of Madness simplest toys with the limitless opportunities and existential implications of the multiverse, at the same time as Everything Everywhere embraces them completely, with an admirably bonkers unrestrained energy, and with none kind of formulaic or cinematic-universe obligations.