Review: ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ is Marvel’s First Horror Movie

Mainstream movie-goers have embraced the superhero film as a genre of its own. Besides the regular offerings from major studios Marvel and DC, other studios have dipped their toes into the genre, spinning tales of characters with spectacular abilities on a mission to save the world. The major studios, Marvel in particular, have spent years creating an ever-expanding universe that builds to a blockbuster team-up movie. But, by now, fans and casual viewers alike know what to expect from the modern superhero film. And really, how many times can one be exposed to the same story in which people with CGI superpowers fight a CGI villain? Where Marvel Studios in particular shines is when they strive to create another genre of film, and then just add the superheroes. The best example of this is 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which felt more like a spy thriller than a superhero sequel. And Marvel has done it again, with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the studio’s first horror movie. 

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Review: ‘Shirley’ Finds Itself Sinking into the Unsettling Nightmare of Art

Based on the real-life author Shirley Jackson, Josephine Decker’s fifth feature film finds its namesake protagonist (Elisabeth Moss) and husband, college professor Stanley Hyman (Michael Stuhlbarg) taking in a young couple (Odessa Young and Logan Lerman) as the husband, Fred, works under Stanley. The moment these two couples meet, a palpable tension remains in the air, particularly due to the stellar performance of Moss. Continue reading “Review: ‘Shirley’ Finds Itself Sinking into the Unsettling Nightmare of Art”