Sam Raimi takes on the MCU, in every sense of that phrase, in the second 'Doctor Strange' film. Meanwhile, in Finland, a girl brings home an egg and has to deal with the consequences.
Definitely intrigued by the Sam Raimi aspect of Dr. Strange 2 but I’ve been ignoring these movies ever since the second Spider-Boy and have no intention of ever catching up on something like Wandavision. Maybe I just wait for a Disney+ release and drink every time there’s some reference I don’t understand lol
I find it funny t hat I've already talked to a few people who were in the mixed to negative range on Dr. Strange as I was but we all seem to have different problems. I didn't think Wanda was an issue in this particular film, yeah she's Sad but I think we've been given more than enough justification for it. Her parents died in front of her, she wasn't there to save her brother, she had to kill the love of what life she's had and, as she points out, it didn't even end up the heroic sacrifice that it was intended to be, and then there's the mess that is her children. From the malevolent joy she took in messing with the Avengers' heads in Age of Ultron, we could tell there was great potential for darkness in her, and unfortunately the chickens finally came home to roost. Honestly, it's just surprising it took as long as it did.
Wanda's motivation works in part because of how it intersects with both Strange's in the film (he's haunted by his decision that led to incredible universal tragedy in Infinity War because it was "the only way" as he saw it, and he knows his worst flaw is his need for being in control & doing things "his way") as well as a capitalization on the conceptual power of a multiverse-- how it's a metaphor for exploring what might have been, what you wish your life had turned out.
Wanda's arc is all the more instructive for the modern age: she certainly suffered through grief & tragedy, but that alone does nothing to confer an inherent nobility, nor does it justify her actions. Indeed, the fact that certain MCU fans are enraged by this film casting her as a villain "after all she's suffered" is an indicator that people need reminding that tragedy or even oppression are no excuses for bad behavior (Killmonger in Black Panther had a similar characterization). The film notably goes out of its way to establish that Strange had a brother who died in front of him as a child, giving him even more in common with Wanda: both lost a sibling, lost friends, don't have the love & life they wanted. But Strange chose to put others before himself, even when he had the power to make things otherwise.
Seems like I'm in the minority on this, but I thought Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was top five MCU. Now, I'm a longtime fan of the MCU, Sam Raimi and superhero movies in general (and Raimi's Spider-Man 2 is my favorite superhero movie) so I'm exactly the target for this kind of movie. Still, I thought the plot was tighter than the average MCU movie (we have our conflict set up fairly early and while there's lots of side-quests, they are all directly in service of that conflict), the surprise cameos were genuinely fun oddball choices and, as you note, Raimi gets to Raimi. There's one wonderful scene with a magic battle where the magic actually feels magical rather than just lasers.
Does being at least some what proficient in the comic books (House of M, Tom King's Vision, etc) enable a view to skip some of the "required reading"? There's no way I'm going to keep up with the Marvel-verse anymore.
I'm sure Marvel heads consider this, but while its probably good for them to tempt new comers to go back through the catalogue of hte prior 28 movies, I'm nnot sure who would be newly discovering Marvel movies at this point by way of Dr. Strange. IF the movies loose a lot of appeal to anyone not caught up on the prior movies, that seems like a recipe less and less interest in subsequent movies.
Definitely intrigued by the Sam Raimi aspect of Dr. Strange 2 but I’ve been ignoring these movies ever since the second Spider-Boy and have no intention of ever catching up on something like Wandavision. Maybe I just wait for a Disney+ release and drink every time there’s some reference I don’t understand lol
Yeah, I think that's probably a good plan... if you want to end up in the hospital.
I find it funny t hat I've already talked to a few people who were in the mixed to negative range on Dr. Strange as I was but we all seem to have different problems. I didn't think Wanda was an issue in this particular film, yeah she's Sad but I think we've been given more than enough justification for it. Her parents died in front of her, she wasn't there to save her brother, she had to kill the love of what life she's had and, as she points out, it didn't even end up the heroic sacrifice that it was intended to be, and then there's the mess that is her children. From the malevolent joy she took in messing with the Avengers' heads in Age of Ultron, we could tell there was great potential for darkness in her, and unfortunately the chickens finally came home to roost. Honestly, it's just surprising it took as long as it did.
Wanda's motivation works in part because of how it intersects with both Strange's in the film (he's haunted by his decision that led to incredible universal tragedy in Infinity War because it was "the only way" as he saw it, and he knows his worst flaw is his need for being in control & doing things "his way") as well as a capitalization on the conceptual power of a multiverse-- how it's a metaphor for exploring what might have been, what you wish your life had turned out.
Wanda's arc is all the more instructive for the modern age: she certainly suffered through grief & tragedy, but that alone does nothing to confer an inherent nobility, nor does it justify her actions. Indeed, the fact that certain MCU fans are enraged by this film casting her as a villain "after all she's suffered" is an indicator that people need reminding that tragedy or even oppression are no excuses for bad behavior (Killmonger in Black Panther had a similar characterization). The film notably goes out of its way to establish that Strange had a brother who died in front of him as a child, giving him even more in common with Wanda: both lost a sibling, lost friends, don't have the love & life they wanted. But Strange chose to put others before himself, even when he had the power to make things otherwise.
Seems like I'm in the minority on this, but I thought Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was top five MCU. Now, I'm a longtime fan of the MCU, Sam Raimi and superhero movies in general (and Raimi's Spider-Man 2 is my favorite superhero movie) so I'm exactly the target for this kind of movie. Still, I thought the plot was tighter than the average MCU movie (we have our conflict set up fairly early and while there's lots of side-quests, they are all directly in service of that conflict), the surprise cameos were genuinely fun oddball choices and, as you note, Raimi gets to Raimi. There's one wonderful scene with a magic battle where the magic actually feels magical rather than just lasers.
Does being at least some what proficient in the comic books (House of M, Tom King's Vision, etc) enable a view to skip some of the "required reading"? There's no way I'm going to keep up with the Marvel-verse anymore.
I'm sure Marvel heads consider this, but while its probably good for them to tempt new comers to go back through the catalogue of hte prior 28 movies, I'm nnot sure who would be newly discovering Marvel movies at this point by way of Dr. Strange. IF the movies loose a lot of appeal to anyone not caught up on the prior movies, that seems like a recipe less and less interest in subsequent movies.
My therapist would often repeat what I said back to me to make sure I heard myself. It was routinely devastating. So, trying that trick here:
"The fate of infinite realities shouldn’t be threatened by one person who is Sad."