AJ Chaos

There were a lot of fan service moments that made me want to say this was the best MCU movie yet, especially due to being a big fan of the magical side of fantasy. However, the feeling that I don't really want to watch the movie ever again is stronger the more I think back on it. I went in with only the trailer at the end of No Way Home thinking Wanda might actually be getting the proper therapy and help she needs though doubting it'd be as simple as that. Unfortunately, that scene plays as basically the biggest and really only plot twist in the movie, and from there the movie tries to be every kind of action movie possible, resulting in a very, very simple plot that does well enough if you're just looking for fast, flashy entertainment and literally nothing else. They try to make it about the characters by *wrapping up* Wanda's arch without violence (which is less a plot twist and more deus ex machina), but the ending pulls pretty much all character development away except for Strange not really even getting over the lady who's married. As others have mentioned, the writing is not great, but not terrible. The pacing is perfect for an action movie, so enjoyable for the genre it's supposed to be. They definitely enjoy playing with the idea of the multiverse and being able to make as many cameos and break as many things as they want without consequences. And it all comes back to there apparently needing to be a definitive bad guy. Something to note, the girl and her parents seem to be true lgbtq+ representation, but aside from the 1 scene where the two mothers are shown and then implied dead (Strange believes otherwise, but the child does not), there is no explicit mention or attention brought to it. In fact, her parents are referred to simply as "parents" all except for 1 single time when Strange actually says "your mothers." There is no depth to any of these characters. I'm not saying there needs to be heavy handed explanations and understanding because it is nice to have a character with the pride flag pin visible in any shot she's in. It's more a concern for how easily they can be overlooked or even edited out. We don't know anything about the girl, really. She could be swapped with a maltese falcon as a port key to other dimensions, and the only thing the movie would lose is Wanda trying to kill a teenager- there would still be tension and motive enough for her to kill everyone else to get what she wants. All things considered, it's not the worst movie ever, just a very basic magical action movie. I watched it for Dr. Strange and Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch), and I want to see more of both these characters.