The MCU is getting mighty unwieldy. Doctor Strange 2 is the twenty-seventh film in Marvel's expansive franchise, and the fabric of the universe is starting to stretch uncomfortably thin. Throughout phase 4, Marvel has made two bold assumptions; one, that audiences continue to relate to their characters, despite the fact they've been reduced to shallow, grating quip machines, and two, that mass audiences can be persuaded to watch supplemental material to understand what the hell is happening in the filmic universe. In this case, Wanda Vision, a Disney+ show, is recommended viewing. Many of Marvel's most devoted fans will be happy to consume, but average moviegoers may feel differently. Time will tell.

The film follows Doctor Strange as he fights Wanda Maximoff, who seeks to abduct America Chavez in order to teleport to a universe where Wanda's children are still alive. Throughout the journey, Strange learns the valuable lesson of letting go and trusting those around him or something along those lines.

Doctor Strange 2 is one of the worst films of the MCU thus far, for a myriad of reasons. The first and most obvious, is that any joy, wonder, novelty, or excitement relating to superheroes has long since been extinguished. Doctor Strange's parallel realities are no reality at all, in cinematic terms. Every element is flat, fake, and leaden, slavishly subvariant to digital wizardry and totally unconcerned with any human interest. The MCU is fast approaching Star Wars prequel levels of anti-verisimilitude, a disturbing proposition.

Good superhero films are still being made, but the promise of grounding their action or substance in any sort of reality, a principle early films like Iron Man and the Dark Knight trilogy staunchly adhered to, is totally ignored. This is wistful sentiment, and I apologize for the overwrought remembrance, but Doctor Strange 2 has put me in a mood of longing. It's always fascinating to see how splendid even the rustiest junk looks after looking upon something covered in sickening slime.

The visual landscape is not the only ungrounded element. The story and dialogue are preposterous and maddeningly contrived; heroes run around with little plan or purpose and seem laughably incompetent while doing so. Our villain, who is a purportedly all-powerful being capable of slaughtering legions en masse, can't manage to hold onto a teenage girl for more than a minute. And, as mentioned, her emotional stakes and arc can't be fully comprehended without supplemental material, which is A++ storytelling. Secondary characters, ostensibly capable, wise, and vigilant, are also arrogant enough to wave away the threat of what they know to be extremely powerful and ancient evil.

Perhaps the most disappointing feature of Doctor Strange 2 is the involvement of Sam Raimi. To be fair, it's difficult for even the most seasoned, stylistic directors to make their mark on MCU films. Because these films are made on an assembly line, the only practical method for directors to stamp their style is to slip a piece of flair on one belt here, drop a subtle hint of creativity on another belt there, carefully move around the factory, and augment the product in a manner unnoticeable to the floor manager.

Raimi does exactly this, slipping in a semblance of his style over the course of Doctor Strange 2 while staying far out focus. The craftsmanship and attention to detail of the film is a far cry from Raimi's original Spider-Man trilogy, which is a great shame considering he was instrumental in introducing Marvel to mainstream audiences, when the MCU was just a glimmer in Kevin Feige's eye. To see just how bland filmmaking has become since the not-exactly-stellar period of the early aughts is disheartening.

The film is terrible, but the cast does a commendable job of playing the material with a straight face. Cumberbatch, McAdams, Olsen, and Wong look adequately invested in the nonsensical mayhem surrounding them. There are some interesting cameos as well, cleverly cast and hinting at future MCU properties in a not-totally-whorish way. The lowlight of the cast is Xochitl Gomez, who can't quite pull off a punky, rebellious presence fighting to hold back deeper tragedy. Her unconvincing performance can be forgiven, considering she's surrounded by A-list talent and acting predominantly against green backdrops.

Altogether, Doctor Strange 2 is a miserable time at the theater. It's among the worst of the MCU's twenty-seven film lineup, firmly better than only Thor 2 and Eternals. It's a chaotic mess of loud, dumb action, baffling character decisions and motivations, and emotional stakes which can only be properly understood by watching a show on Disney+. It's the type of film that audaciously reminds audiences that they're living through the most bland, soulless, corporatized time in cinematic history. I didn't like it.