‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ review: Wild, Raimi-flavored horror ride across realities

Audiences are likely prepared for the fun cameos popping up here - but the real delight of 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' (opening in theaters nationwide May 6) is how Marvel really let Sam Raimi craft the first MCU horror flick.

In short: Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) travels into the multiverse to face a mysterious new adversary relentlessly pursuing America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), a teen with the power to travel through the multiverse. Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong and Rachel McAdams also star.

'Multiverse of Madness' is one of the most out-there entries in the MCU that starts out like any conventional MCU flick ... before Sam Raimi is really allowed to make a vintage Sam Raimi horror flick set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Despite the success of the MCU, Marvel Films has gained the reputation of forcing filmmakers to make MCU flicks rather than films with crafted by unique storytellers. And going into 'Multiverse' there was some reservation that Marvel just hired Raimi as a hired gun - a concern bolstered from the fact that Raimi stepped in to replace outgoing director Scott Derrickson just months before production began.

Put those worries at ease: 'Multiverse of Madness' has Sam Raimi's signature all over it, more so even than any of his 'Spider-Man' flicks. And the film only gets more enjoyable and wild the more it allows Raimi to deftly handle all the totally bizarre twists and turns. The third act is an unhinged ride that takes the MCU into its darkest depths yet - anchored by an antagonist who just straight up murders and destroys without hesitation. It's fair to call the antagonist of 'Multiverse' a legitimate monster who has reached into the darkness. Sam Raimi fans will absolutely get the most mileage out of 'Multiverse,' which at its core pits Dr. Strange against darkness incarnate.

That said, the MCU fans who already fan fic'd all the various twists and surprises they want to see in this film - might be disappointed. Yes there are some great fan service moments - but this is first and foremost a Dr. Strange film. 'Multiverse' resists the temptation of just indulging into a crazy cacophony of multiverse silliness. If anything 'Multiverse of Madness' merely dips its toes in the multiverse, whereas 'No Way Home' actually had more fun playing with the notions of the multiverse. This isn't some grand tour of the multiverse - and its central multiversal themes are totally rooted in Stephen Strange as a character - and what the infinite variations of him are capable of doing (for better or worse).

There are some playful nods toward the events of 'No Way Home' - wherein Strange cast a spell which tapped into the Multiverse - but those events don't really matter to 'Multiverse of Madness.' One can totally walk into 'Multiverse' without having seen 'No Way Home' or 'Loki' (the Disney+ series that first explored the MCU Multiverse) and get the gist of this flick. That said, 'WandaVision' plays a large part of this film's story - not watching this series leaves Wanda Maximoff's trajectory a bit confusing.

'Multiverse of Madness' is at its best when the horror angle takes a firm grip - but the plot actually takes a while to get this aspect of the story up and running. The first act looks and feels like a pretty conventional MCU flick. After 'Multiverse' fires off to a thrilling start, the movie takes its time slowly gathering energy. This is another way of saying the first act is bland and does a nominal job of just getting the plot together.

Coming off her banger of a turn in 'WandaVision,' Elizabeth Olsen steps up in a big way in 'Multiverse of Madness.' She's far from the minor supporting character seen in 'Age of Ultron.' If the core of 'Multiverse' is what defines Stephen Strange, then its heart is the empty void that Strange and Maximoff share. They're arguably two the strongest Avengers and they've saved the world many times over - but its come at a personal sacrifice for them. The question 'Are you happy' pops up multiple times throughout 'Multiverse of Madness' - and this innocuous question truly defines Strange and Maximoff's character arcs: both their answer to the question and how far they would go to attain happiness.

Final verdict: As 'Multiverse' becomes more committed to its horror take, then the film likewise becomes a wild and crazy ride into MCU darkness.

Score: 3/5

‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' opens in theaters nationwide on May 6. This horror adventure is rated PG-13 and has a runtime of 126 mins.