Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
2022
Directed by - The Evil Dead
*** 3/4
Sometimes, it's just as simple as "let's just get Sam Raimi to do the Evil Dead in a Marvel movie." It works, and many boxes are ticked off: it has a flying eyeball, Bruce Campbell in a fight with his right hand, undead warriors, and skinny scrawny shillish geek zombies who talk a lot of shit that you want to see get sledgehammered. All it's missing is a prostehetic chainsaw arm. They also pulled off the first successful heel turn in a comic book movie, with Wanda showing Elizabeth Olsen to be an astonishingly capable actress who can pull off the girl from Ringu as easily as Donna Reed or Carol Brady. In a comic book movie, all one can ask for is wanting to see another one once its over, and man oh man I can't wait to see Scarlet Witch show up again or Doctor Strange and his need to get an optometrist appointment.
******WANDAVISION and MULTIMADNESS SPOILERS********
((((((SPOILERS))))) ((((SPOILERS)))) ((((SPOILERS))))))
The good news is you didn't really need to see Wandavision or Spiderman: No Way Home to get immersed into this story. But it was great how it took the most sour taste coming out of Wandavision, how this lady could straight up hijack the lives of these normal workingclass Jersey schlubs and put them into a tv show like that kid from the Twilight Zone (and yes. A character suddenly loses a mouth like the sister of Anthony from Peakesville, Ohio who's living A Good Life.) At the end, when Wanda was walking through the neighborhood and saying "they all hate me" it was like "why isn't this lady getting sued for all of her bell-bottoms." So it took what was a sour "doesn't really make sense" moment, and made it TOTALLY make sense. She's a heel. Perfectly done. Obviously this was usually the part that Magneto played as "tweener," but it was wonderful to see in a modern Marvel movie.
It was also neat to see Doctor Strange is all of his edginess in getting shit done at any costs, and how that plays out negatively in other realities. The zombie Strange with the evil dead arms was outstanding, and the 3D looked especially great during those final battles.
Sam Raimi was put on this earth to have shit-talking and cackling heels, and these flying turds are amongst his best. Raimi is such a master of sound, and how to use it. Of any of the Spidermen movies, the cackle of the Green Goblin when he first shows up is about the most memorable aspect. He also recognizes that vulnerability in bad guys - especially walking skeletons - makes you want to cheer the hero even more. He must have seen Ray Harryhausen's skeletons vs Jason and the Argonauts, and realized a skeleton is scary, but they're absolutely skinny geeks you want to see used in bonemarrow soup. In the end, getting killed by one of them is more humiliating then scary, because they can't be any skinnier or scrawnier. Get past them being dead, and turn up the annoying factor, and they're suddenly the scumbag kids in 3rd grade who were small and shrill and did nothing but make fun of your lunchbox and suddenly there's 3 then 5 then 10 of them all laughing at you. Their evil is in their numbers and taunts.
Obviously Wanda will be back, but I hope they can keep it a surprise. Or more of a surprise than the ads for this, which clearly showed her as a heel. Can't wait for her to fight Kang.
***********SPOILER OVER***********
OVER SPOILER OVER SPOILER
2022
Directed by - The Evil Dead
*** 3/4
Sometimes, it's just as simple as "let's just get Sam Raimi to do the Evil Dead in a Marvel movie." It works, and many boxes are ticked off: it has a flying eyeball, Bruce Campbell in a fight with his right hand, undead warriors, and skinny scrawny shillish geek zombies who talk a lot of shit that you want to see get sledgehammered. All it's missing is a prostehetic chainsaw arm. They also pulled off the first successful heel turn in a comic book movie, with Wanda showing Elizabeth Olsen to be an astonishingly capable actress who can pull off the girl from Ringu as easily as Donna Reed or Carol Brady. In a comic book movie, all one can ask for is wanting to see another one once its over, and man oh man I can't wait to see Scarlet Witch show up again or Doctor Strange and his need to get an optometrist appointment.
******WANDAVISION and MULTIMADNESS SPOILERS********
((((((SPOILERS))))) ((((SPOILERS)))) ((((SPOILERS))))))
The good news is you didn't really need to see Wandavision or Spiderman: No Way Home to get immersed into this story. But it was great how it took the most sour taste coming out of Wandavision, how this lady could straight up hijack the lives of these normal workingclass Jersey schlubs and put them into a tv show like that kid from the Twilight Zone (and yes. A character suddenly loses a mouth like the sister of Anthony from Peakesville, Ohio who's living A Good Life.) At the end, when Wanda was walking through the neighborhood and saying "they all hate me" it was like "why isn't this lady getting sued for all of her bell-bottoms." So it took what was a sour "doesn't really make sense" moment, and made it TOTALLY make sense. She's a heel. Perfectly done. Obviously this was usually the part that Magneto played as "tweener," but it was wonderful to see in a modern Marvel movie.
It was also neat to see Doctor Strange is all of his edginess in getting shit done at any costs, and how that plays out negatively in other realities. The zombie Strange with the evil dead arms was outstanding, and the 3D looked especially great during those final battles.
Sam Raimi was put on this earth to have shit-talking and cackling heels, and these flying turds are amongst his best. Raimi is such a master of sound, and how to use it. Of any of the Spidermen movies, the cackle of the Green Goblin when he first shows up is about the most memorable aspect. He also recognizes that vulnerability in bad guys - especially walking skeletons - makes you want to cheer the hero even more. He must have seen Ray Harryhausen's skeletons vs Jason and the Argonauts, and realized a skeleton is scary, but they're absolutely skinny geeks you want to see used in bonemarrow soup. In the end, getting killed by one of them is more humiliating then scary, because they can't be any skinnier or scrawnier. Get past them being dead, and turn up the annoying factor, and they're suddenly the scumbag kids in 3rd grade who were small and shrill and did nothing but make fun of your lunchbox and suddenly there's 3 then 5 then 10 of them all laughing at you. Their evil is in their numbers and taunts.
Obviously Wanda will be back, but I hope they can keep it a surprise. Or more of a surprise than the ads for this, which clearly showed her as a heel. Can't wait for her to fight Kang.
***********SPOILER OVER***********
OVER SPOILER OVER SPOILER
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