The Good is Really Good, But the Bad Can Get Pretty Bad After the MCU has been disappointing me for a lot of Phase 4, this is a huge mixed bag. One one hand, the directing is some of the best of the MCU, the acting, some visual effects, and great cinematography, acting, and editing. But on the other hand, the writing, character arcs, and cameos vary from mediocre to just plain clunky.
Like I said, thanks to Sam Raimi, the directing, cinematography, etc, are some of the best of the MCU. It's inventive, creative, and when Sam Raimi gets to direct, he does what he can do under the MCU, and have some decent horror and some surprisingly gory scenes.
I also liked Doctor Strange's arc during the movie, and how he doesn't have to be the one who has to be in charge, and take control of the situation, as shown by the other Doctor Stranges. Elizabeth Olsen does the best she can with the script, and delivers on a menacing villain.
But the writing can get really, really messy. The story has tons of plot devices, character inconsistencies, and is too rushed. America Chavez is just one big plot device, that can travel the multiverse. She's given little to no character, and her arc about learning to use her powers is generic, and dull.
While I wouldn't say character assassination, Wanda's arc through the movie is wildly inconsistent from WandaVision, where she did do very bad things, but wasn't evil. But in this, she's pure evil, beginning to end. She felt too one-note as the villain, and her arc is just Kingpin's arc from "Spiderverse".
While there is good madness in the film, the multiverse wasn't done to it's fullest. We only visit 2 bland universes, and worse, we get a glimpse of really creatives ones, so it feels like a mis-opportunity.
Overall, I did enjoy the film. I really liked the filmmaking from Sam Raimi and the rest of the grew. Doctor Strange had a good arc, and the acting was pretty good. But the multiverse, plot, and Wanda's character were big flaws, and if they were better, this could've been one of the best from the MCU. But what we got was at least alright.