6 minute read
Films
An underwhelming and largely unambitious take on the multiverse, that throws opts for jump scares and cameos rather than character development and fresh takes.
ATTENDING the wedding of his former flame Christine (Rachel McAdams), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is wrenched into an inter-dimensional conflict when he has to save America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) from a being sent to steal her power.
You see, Chavez can travel the multiverse at will, and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) wants that power for herself to travel to a universe in which her children are alive. While Strange, Wong (Benedict Wong) and others try and stop her in our universe, they are all no match for her witchcraft, ultimately leading to Chavez and Strange making a journey across universes to fi nd a mystical book of power, encountering multiple Doctor Strange’s along the way, as well as a few surprises.
Directed by Sam Raimi, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness is a frustratingly unambitious and empty sequel to the most mind-bending hero in Marvel’s pantheon. Frustrating because the fi rst Doctor Strange fi lm was so inventive, exciting and visually spectacular.
Here, we’re thrown straight into the action, with Chavez and a pony-tailed Strange in another universe fi ghting some crazy CGI monster, which is followed by (a) a wedding of a character the Strange in our minds has long outgrown and (b) yet another CGI hurl-fest on the streets of New York.
After a quick exposition dump, Strange is off to visit Wanda, who pretty much immediately reveals she is behind it all. Then rapidly to the himalayas, for more undefi ned magic battles, before we jet across the multiverse with our leading duo as they hunt for a solution.
The fi rst half to two-thirds of this movie are paint-by-numbers Marvel; just jumps between big CGI fi ght scenes with no excitement, involvement or agency. It’s the sort of montage-y fi ller that makes you detest the formulaic superhero fi lm, and long for greater creativity.
That said, the back half to one-third of the picture provide some highlights that are exciting, fresh and new. We get introduced to the Illuminati, an Avengers-style peacekeeping force from another universe, that includes some exciting, crowd pleasing surprises. We get a brutal fi ght between the Illuminati and Scarlet Witch (albeit, one heavily reminiscent of one done better in the tv show Invincible). Most impressive is a mystical fi ght between two Strange’s, with weaponised music notes matching a harmonic battle in our eardrums. It’s the sort of inventive action the fi rst Strange fi lm introduced into the universe, and brings a welcome sense of relief–here is the creativity, mind-boggling action we expected!
Raimi exerts his horror loving presence increasingly throughout the runtime of the fi lm, with the number of scary creatures, demonic possessions and jump scares increasing as the piece goes forward. The issue is that everything in this movie, aside from one brief fi ght sequence, feels like a check box exercise.
Scarlet Witch popping out from the darkness with overlayed Wilhelm scream? Check. Bad ass line delivered by McAdams with barely any explanation, build up or payoff ? Check. Endless on the nose dialogue that makes no sense but sounds good, like “We’re going to save America”? Check.
By the end of the fi lm, you just feel exhausted; exhausted by the endless exercise in bar-clearing that this fi lm is. At some point, this formulaic approach to movie making has to be stopped. Sure, Raimi adds some of his scares, but because they are so shoehorned into this formula, they too feel cliche and formulaic.
They should have used Chavez’s multiverse travelling powers to fi nd a universe where this sequel was actually interesting, rather than a hodgepodge of done before, and done before better, ideas.
Ultimately, this is a fi lm that will have you leaving the cinema longing for a less disappointing Doctor Strange; one that isn’t quite so exhaustingly, frustratingly boring.
Reviews by Jacob Richardson Creative Director | Film Focus www.filmfocusau.com
The Northman – 4 Stars
A haunting, homoerotic Shakespearean tragedy couched in the Viking era, that is as bloody as it is weird, beautiful and engaging.
WHEN King Aurvandil (Ethan Hawke) is brutally murdered by his brother Fjolnir (Claes Bang) in a play for his kingdom, the young Prince Amleth (Oscar Novak as the young version, Alexander Skarsgard as the older) flees for his life.
His mother Gudrun (Nicole Kidman) and usurper-uncle believe he is dead, and indeed he grows up letting them believe that; becoming a fearsome, mammoth warrior for another clan under an assumed identity. When he takes a village in the Birch Forest, however, a vision of a Seeress compels him to track down Fjolnir, and extract his revenge.
Along for the ride is Olga (Anya Taylor-Joy), a young woman from the village whose allyship with Amleth eventually turns to love.
Directed by Robert Eggers, of The Lighthouse fame, The Northman sees another truly unique vision realized, albeit now with added budgetary boons.
As a story, this closely mimics some of the plot threads of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, with a usurper uncle and an all-consuming desire for revenge from the wronged heir (indeed, Amleth sounds quite a bit like Hamlet when spoken in the fi lm).
However, there’s just enough diff erence to make this feel unique, and to throw you off the scent a little bit.
Eggers vision is beautifully and wondrously weird at times, with gorgeous sequences showing off classic visual elements of Norse mythology.
It can get odd, strange and confronting, and sequences where Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe bark rabidly at the younger Amleth, or where an old seer speaks through the skull of Dafoe’s court jester make you recoil almost as much as the most violent, bloody scenes in the fi lm.
Nevertheless, it’s this sense of out there visual identity, a sort of swing-for-the-fences mentality, that defi nes Eggers work, and this fi lm; no punches are pulled, and that’s a good thing.
Skarsgard and Taylor-Joy are both endlessly watchable, with roles in this piece that give them a great deal of range to play with. Skarsgard’s hulking physique, and his switch between fearless warrior, ragefi lled revengaholic, besotted man, and the mewling whimpering son of a spurning mother is eff ortless, and beautiful to behold. Taylor-Joy has less screen time, but makes an indelible impact, whether she is the conniving spy in Fjolnir’s camp or the heartbroken mother-to-be on a ship to England.
The supporting cast is uniformly strong, with Claes Bang making a particularly stoic, regal impression as Fjolnir.
The Northman is the sort of swords and sandals epic we need for our time, and it’s interesting to refl ect on the glut of quality historical content we’ve had access to of late. Between The Tragedy of Macbeth, The Green Knight and this fi lm, one thing is clear; fi lms of this ilk need space to breathe, need latitude to take mammoth creative leaps, need a clear tone, and most of all need to look breathtakingly beautiful and strange.
The Northman is no diff erent, and its’ gorgeous use of sets, both natural and manmade, is only one of the reasons you should seek this piece out.
Reviews by Jacob Richardson Creative Director | Film Focus www.filmfocusau.com
