Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

 Year:  2022

Director:  Sam Raimi

Screenplay:  Michael Waldron, based on characters appearing in Marvel Comics

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg, Rachel McAdams

Running Time:  126 minutes

Genre: Fantasy

New York City:  Doctor Stephen Strange (Cumberbatch), the former "Sorcerer Supreme", is attending the wedding of his ex-girlfriend, Christine (McAdams), when a giant one-eyed, octopus-like monster starts rampaging through the city.  The creature turns out to be hunting teenager America Chavez (Gomez), who has the power to travel between the various dimensions of the "multiverse".  With the help of the current Sorcerer Supreme, Wong (Wong), Strange tries to save America from the unstable, and extremely powerful, Wanda Maximoff (Olsen), the "Scarlet Witch", who wants to steal America's power, which would mean killing America, and endangering the entire multiverse.

This is the 28th film in the ever expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) built around characters and situations from Marvel comics.  A sequel to Doctor Strange (2016), this also follows on from the film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) and the TV series WandaVision (2021) both of which are heavily referenced.  The film was originally to be directed by Scott Derrickson, who made the first Doctor Strange film, but he left the project due to "creative differences", to be replaced by Sam Raimi, who had directed the pre-MCU Spider-Man (2002) and it's two sequels.  Following the negative response to Spider-Man 3 (2007), Raimi had vowed never to make another superhero film, but being a fan of the Doctor Strange comic, and enjoying the first film, he decided to take up the reins.  While this film, in common with the Spider-Man trilogy, has a dangerous, but almost sympathetic antagonist, the film really harkens back to Raimi's debut feature The Evil Dead (1982), and it's sequels Evil Dead II (1987) and Army of Darkness (1992).  There is a scene with a flying eyeball, a cursed book with devastating powers, Ray Harryhausen-esque stop-motion style monsters and Evil Dead star and Raimi regular Bruce Campbell battling his own possessed limbs.  If you are already a fan of the MCU films already, then this has more than enough action, quips, special effects and references to satisfy any cravings, if you are not a fan, however, then this is unlikely to convert you.  If you have never seen any of the MCU films, then this is not a good place to start, it's very much tied in to what has gone before and lays the ground work for what is to come.    When the film breaks free of it's franchising building duties and is able to tell it's own story, it is a lively, enjoyable film, which gets better as it goes along.  The cast do the best they can with clunky, exposition heavy dialogue, and Benedict Cumberbatch plays it all with his tongue firmly in his cheek, Rachel McAdams, as in the first Doctor Strange, is wasted in a role that requires her to do little except run or stand around.  Elizabeth Olsen is very good as the traumatised, corrupted Wanda.  The film also has a number of fan-pleasing cameos, which point the way towards more crossovers, sequels and spin-offs.  The idea of the multiverse, which are basically different parallel universes, has long been popular in both Marvel and DC comics as a way for writers to manage the continuity of decades with of characters and stories, as well as providing a convenient deus ex machina for example, if you want to bring back a dead character, you can just have their counterpart from another universe pop up.  As I said, this is an enjoyable film, which at time suffers from overly complicated plotting and the need to tie in to so many threads from the larger franchise, as well as an over reliance on humour.  It's also surprisingly gruesome for a Marvel film.  It's probably one of their most violent films.  At it's best, it is imaginative, smart and exciting, and often feels like a comic come to life. As always with an MCU movie, stay for the end credits, because there are two additional scenes, one midway through the credits and one at the very end.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Benedict Wong in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Year of Release: 2021

Director:  Jon Watts

Screenplay:  Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, based on Spider-Man created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

Starring:  Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, Jamie Foxx, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Benedict Wong, Tony Revelori, Marisa Tomei, Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire,

Running Time:  148 minutes

Genre:  Super-hero, action, science-fiction

Following the public unmasking of Peter Parker (Holland) as masked vigilante Spider-Man, his life, and the lives of Peter's girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) and best friend Ned (Battalion) have been made a misery.  Unable to escape the unceasing attention and endless controversy, Peter approaches powerful mystic Doctor Strange (Cumberbatch) to cast a spell to make the world forget that he is Spider-Man.  However, Peter's interference with the spell causes it to go wrong, bringing in supervillains from other dimensions to  Peter's universe.  

This is a sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) and is the 27th instalment in the ongoing Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).  This also brings in characters from other non-MCU Spider-Man films such as Spider-Man (2002), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man 3 (2007), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014).  There is also an appearance from Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock from the Netflix Daredevil series (2015-2018).  This is one of the better MCU films, with humour and genuine emotion, towards the end there were several audible sobs at the screening I attended.  The action is spectacular, with a particularly impressive set-piece set in the surreal Mirror Dimension.  If you are not familiar with the MCU in general or the Spider-Man films in particular, this is not a very good place to start, and may be quite alienating for newcomers.  However, it is fun to see the old familiar faces, and they generally work well, even if there are too many adversaries for the film's good.  Crucially the film has some real emotion.  Peter Parker deals with some devastating losses, and there is some real weight in his scenes with MJ (of course Tom Holland and Zendaya are in a relationship in real life).  Peter is in many ways defined by his non-super powered support network, MJ, best friend Ned and his Aunt May (Tomei) who frequently act as his conscience and reminder that, in the immortal phrase, "with great power there must also be great responsibility." As always with MCU films there are additional scenes in the end credits.

Tom Holland in Spider-Man: No Way Home 

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

 Year of Release: 2021

Director:  Destin Daniel Cretton

Screenplay: Dave Callaham, Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Lanham, from a story by Dave Callaham and Destin Daniel Cretton,  based on the Marvel Comics character created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin

Starring:  Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong, Michelle Yeoh, Ben Kingsley, Tony Leung,

Running Time:  132 minutes

Genre: Fantasy, action,

Shaun (Simu Liu) lives in San Francisco and works as a valet parker with his best friend Katy (Awkwafina).  One day Shaun receives a message apparently from his estranged sister, Xu Xialing (Meng'er Zhang), and he and Katy are attacked on the bus by a highly trained team of fighters intent on stealing the pendant that Shaun wears, which was given to him by his deceased mother.  Believing his sister to be in danger, Shaun and Katy track her down to an underground "fight club" in Macau.  Shaun soon finds himself having to embrace his true identity as Shang-Chi, son of Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung) leader of the shadowy Ten Rings organisation, who has existed for thousands of years with his mystical ten rings which give the owner godlike powers and immortality.

This is the 25th film in the ongoing Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) base don characters and situations from the Marvel comic-books.   This has the advantage in being an essentially stand alone story, although there are connections to previous instalments, notably Benedict Wong in brief appearance reprising his role from Doctor Strange  (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Ben Kingsley reprising his role as clownish actor Tony Slattery from Iron Man Three (2013), and Mark Ruffalo and Brie Larson appear uncredited as Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers respectively in a brief mid-credits scene.  This is a fun martial arts fantasy film.  It suffers from an uneven tone, but the action scenes are very well staged, and there is plenty of spectacular special effects.  Tony Leung makes for a complex and almost sympathetic antagonist, who is more than just a one-note villain.  Simu Liu, Awkwafina and Meng'er Zhang make for likeable heroes, and it will be interesting to see where they go from here.  The film doesn't entirely break free from the Marvel origin story formula, but there is enough here to please longstanding fans and newcomers alike.  

Stick around until the very end of the credits because, as is usual for Marvel films, there are two bonus scenes during the closing credits, one comes about half way through, and the second at the very end of the credits.        

Meng'er Zhang, Simu Liu and Awkwafina in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Doctor Strange

Year of Release:  2016
Director:  Scott Derrickson
Screenplay:  Jon Spaihts, Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill, based on the character created by Steve Ditko
Starring:  Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tilda Swinton, Benedict Wong, Rachel McAdams, Mads Mikkelsen, Michael Stuhlbarg, Benjamin Bratt
Running Time:  115 minutes
Genre:  Fantasy, science-fiction, action, superhero


This is a film based on the Marvel Comics character and is part of the ongoing Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise.  In New York City, Doctor Stephen Strange (Cumberbatch) is an acclaimed neurosurgeon, until he is badly injured in a car accident.  Unable to return to surgery because of nerve damage to his hands, Strange is confronted with the loss of his purpose in life.  Desperate to heal his hands by any means necessary, Strange's quest leads him to Kathmandu, Nepal, where he enconters the Ancient One (Swinton), and her followers, known as "Masters", including Mordo (Ejiofor), who Strange befriends, and stern librarian Wong (Wong).  The Ancient One takes Strange on as a pupil, training him in mystical practices and sorcery.  However, Stange soon becomes aware of the dark side of sorcery, when a renegade (Mikkelsen) threatens to unleash dark and terrible forces.

This is very much a superhero origin story and follows a path that we have seen many times before.  There is also the problem that Strange's powers and the film's mythos are quite complex and so there is a lot of exposition necessary.  However in the confines of this, the film manages to work.  It's smart, funny and full of action.   Cumberbatch has a lot of charisma and makes the, at times, pretty unlikable Strange an interesting and amusing character, however no one else really gets a chance to shine, being there to provide  exposition or conflict.  The character of the Ancient One in the comics is a Tibetan man, the film swaps the gender and, controversially, the ethnicity of the character, in another example of Hollywood whitewashing.  Another problem is that Rachael McAdams is completely underused as Strange's colleague and love interest, and really has more or less an extended cameo.

However the film has a lot going for it, and is well worth seeing on the biggest screen you can find.  For one thing it is possibly the closest thing you can get, legally, to a full on psychedelic trip.  The special effects are absolutely stunning, with buildings and entire cities becoming beautifully complex, floating, changing Rubik's cubes (ask someone who remembers the 80s).  It has a distinct look and style, and may be too oddball for some True Believers.  Speaking of which, look out for the obligatory cameo from Stan Lee, and remember to stay until the end of the credits.

           Benedict Cumberbatch is Doctor Strange

The Martian

Year of Release:  2015
Director:  Ridley Scott
Screenplay:  Drew Goddard, based on the novel The Martian by Andy Weir
Starring:  Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Pena, Kate Mara, Sean Bean, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Donald Glover, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie
Running Time:  141 minutes
Genre:  science-fiction, drama

This thrilling science-fiction survival story is adaptation of the acclaimed novel by Andy Weir.  The manned Ares III mission on Mars is aborted early due to a violent storm, during the evacuation, astronaut Mark Watney (Damon) is hit by a piece of debris and, presumed dead, is left behind on the surface of Mars.  Watney finds himself completely alone on a desolate planet, and faced with finding a way to get in contact with Earth, and keeping himself alive long enough to be rescued, with a rapidly diminishing supply of food, drink and air.

The film moves between Watney's desperate attempts to survive on Mars and the efforts back on Earth to retrieve him.  It's an exciting, straightforward story, which is gripping, despite the fact that it is basically about one man alone on a planet.  Matt Damon makes Watney a likeable and engaging anchor for the film, and he has strong support from a large and impressive cast.  It benefits from the switching back and forth between Mars, Earth and the mission's spaceship, opening up the narrative and making it far more than a one man show.  It's a deeply human film, about people trying to save one life.  All the conflict in the film comes from people arguing about how best to do that.

It is worth pointing out that this is a science-fiction film but there are no aliens or killer robots or anything like that, instead it tries to be relatively realistic.  Although it is worth pointing out that in reality, a Martian storm would only really be like a light breeze, rather than the raging hurricane depicted in the film.

By and large it is pretty faithful to the Weir novel and the dialogue is witty and there is plenty of humour to alleviate the tension, and quirky and amusing details such as the frequent 1970s songs on the soundtrack (the only music that Watney has available to him in his shelter).

Aside from a couple of moments of introspection there is little of the angst and despair that the situation might engender, which strikes a bit of a false note.  However this is a hugely enjoyable film.

 
    Matt Damon is The Martian