TL;DR: Thriller/horror movie featuring superheroes. Definitely a "wild" movie.

The movie is not under the normal genre for Marvel and uses dark/grim to try and prove that it isn't always a happy universe. The result? Having graphic deaths and murders thrown in your face that make the movie feel very out of place in the MCU. My wife and I were shocked at what we were watching; we came to see the intelligent, clever Dr. Strange, not a celebration of possession, unkillable monsters, or jump scares. I had been very close to taking some younger siblings/friends kids with me - I am SO glad that I did not. This is not the unconditionally family friendly movie MCU usually shows.

If the genre was not MCU-usual, the sub-par writing was. The villain emerges in an out-of-character fashion, under the guise of emotional grief, mental instability, coupled with magical corruption. The incredible visual effects are both stunning and aggressive - but not quite enough to cover bad dialogue, escape cringey comedy, or mask the amount of wasted material. One thing I hate seeing is introducing constant new material without developing anything fully; this movie is fast paced and dumps new characters and scenes onto the viewer, but just as quickly abandons them. The world building is somehow both constant and shallow. The pace wasn't bad, but really takes nothing with itself; the middle of the movie could be spliced and it would still follow. Character development is a mixed bag - one protagonist makes some admirable headway, while others have token moments of "self-realization" in the last sequence that win the day. A particular character has a role constituting little more than being chased, which is a disappointing limit on what the character could have brought to the table with a richer story or exploration. I was heartbroken with what they did to the villain; you may disagree. Some characters have major regression. A number of beloved characters are introduced to the fan's delight, but this is soon used to betray the audience. The response to the evils in the film are also not addressed well by the characters - there is no processing of anything that happens, and all is seemingly forgotten by everyone for a happy ending for the heroes that is not felt by the unsettled audience. While unexpected elements are bombarding the audience from start to finish, the general Marvel character formula is not.

Ultimately a very mediocre film, but with the problem of being marketed to the wrong audience. If I had known what this movie was, I wouldn't have gone, and neither would any of those who were with me. Others who are more prepared may enjoy the film more. Also, couldn't they have waited until Halloween to release it?