Doctor Strange 2 first reactions celebrate Sam Raimi’s Marvel return

Reactions to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness praise Sam Raimi's return to blockbusters, and call it Marvel's first horror movie

Benedict Cumberbatch in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
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Marvel Cinematic Universe 

The first reactions for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness have arrived, and they suggest it’s a good time indeed. According to those in attendance at an early screening, the MCU installment is a horror movie that’s a Sam Raimi production through and through.

The action movie heralds Benedict Cumberbatch’s second headline outing in the franchise, reckoning with a multiverse that’s in tatters due to the events of Loki, WandaVision, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. Of course, the Sorcerer Supreme himself was largely responsible for what went down in the latter Spider-Man movie, leading to him answering to the Illuminati in Multiverse of Madness. Your arrogance is always your downfall, Stephen!

However, it’s Raimi who’s the star of the show on social media. “Doctor Strange in the multiverse of madness fully goes horror—jump scares, body horror, and a smattering of diabolical kills,” writes Karl Delossantos, an editor for the New York Times. “It fits in the MCU but has Raimi’s deranged creepy campy groovy DNA all over it.” Perri Nemiroff, host for Collider, adds: “I can’t imagine a more Sam Raimi MCU film. My genre loving heart is bursting right now.”

As much is not surprising, this is Raimi’s glorious return to comic book movies after Spider-Man 3 in 2007. You can check out more reactions to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness below:

Elizabeth Olsen, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Xochitl Gomez join Cumberbatch for the otherworldly fantasy movie. Raimi is directing, from a script by Michael Waldron, who also wrote Loki. Marvel has kept plot details on a relatively tight leash, with us really only knowing that the Multiverse is involved, and Doctor Strange is in some deep trouble.

You can find out for yourself when Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is in theatres May 5.

Anthony is The Digital Fix’s News Editor and resident Irishman. He joined the team after nearly a decade of freelancing, appearing in such publications as Variety, Playboy, IGN, and many more. Though he loves Star Wars, Alien, and zombie movies, you’ll just as quickly find him watching Studio Ghibli or The Muppets. Speaking of which, he’s interviewed Animal, who might just edge out Gerard Way, Ray Liotta, and Neil Gaiman as the coolest moment of his career. Dublin International Film Festival, Glasgow Film Festival, and FrightFest are among the events he’s covered, and he believes Blade Runner 2049 is almost as good as the first.