“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” sounds like the name of a traveling circus sideshow.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a big tent pole of films. The 28th MCU film, “Doctor Strange,” flies off in the direction of Harry Potter.

Doctor Strange is no sorcerer’s apprentice.

He’s said to be at the height of is powers in the “Multiverse of Madness.”

Marvel Cinematic Universe fans will need to be at the height of their powers to figure out all of the character and plot threats, and I’m not only referring to Doctor Strange’s cape, er, cloak. He corrects someone in the film about that. “It’s a cloak, not a cape,” Doctor Strange seethes.

Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Stephen Strange), reprising his role from “Doctor Strange” (2016), wears it well. With touches of gray on the sides of his slick black hair and his intense pale blue eyes, Cumberbatch is compelling in the high-collar red cloak of levitation that rivals Vegas Elvis or Billy Porter at the Met Gala.

Courtesy of CGI, Doctor Strange floats, twirls, tumbles and flies. Too often, though, Doctor Strange stands in one spot waving his arms and hands gracefully. However fascinating it is to see flames, rings and who know what shoot from his hands as he does his Shazam! thing, it creates a limited range for Cumberbatch who, ever the consummate actor, relies on his expressive face, with those ever-observant eyes, and an internal logic that he wears on his sleeve to surmount the character as written.

Again, courtesy CGI, Cumberbatch is helped immensely by the madness swirling around him. He and the rest of the characters plunge headlong from one fantastic world to another, with shifting planes, platforms and depictions of at least three different Earths, one of pastel flowers where My Little Pony would feel right at home.

It’s difficult to do justice in attempting to describe the images in the “Multiverse of Madness,” but they are eye-popping, no more so than in an early scene when Doctor Strange battles a one-eyed cyclops right out of a cheesy 1950s’ science-fiction film.

Doctor Strange encounters huge stone-like creatures guarding a temple and, this being a film directed by Sam Raimi (director, “Evil Dead,” 1981; “Evil Dead II,” 1987; “Spider-Man,” 2002; “Spider-Man 2,” 2004; “Spider-Man 3,” 2007), a squadron of ashen, ghost-like creatures are soon zooming around him.

Though Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange rightly dominates the movie, he has memorable sidekicks and adversaries. While the movie has amazing special effects and CGI, there are noteworthy scenes between the main characters in the feature film debut screenplay by Michael Waldron (TV’s “Loki,” 2021; Daytime Emmy recipient, animated program, TV’s “Rick and Morty,” 2013).

There’s clever dialogue (“I love you. I love you in every universe.”) between Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda Maximoff), bringing her “WandaVision” (2021) streamer game to the role; and with Benedict Wong (Wong); Rachel McAdams (Dr. Christine Palmer); Chiwetel Ejiofor Baron Mordo), and especially with Xochitl Gomez (America Chavez), who has a refreshing believable screen presence.

Look for John Krasinski (Reed Richards), Anson Mount (Black Bolt) and Patrick Stewart (Professor Charles Xavier), the latter motoring about in the bright yellow hover chair that looks like a personal Zamboni.

Composer Danny Elfman matches the screen imagery with a powerful score.

The multiverse is another way of using time travel as a plot device. I am not that well-versed in the Multiverse, nor the Marvel characters. Apparently, multitudes are well-versed in the Multiverse because “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” had an opening weekend theatrical domestic box office of $187 million, second only in the Covid era, to the March 22, 2022, opening weekend of $260 million for “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” and the 11ith best all-time opening. The No. 1 biggest opening weekend all-time record is held by “Avengers: Endgame” (2019), with $357 million.

If you’re a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Benedict Cumberbatch or Sam Raimi, this “Multiverse” is for you.

“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,”

MPAA rated PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned: Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.) for intense sequences of violence and action, frightening images and some language; Genre: Action, Adventure, Science-Fiction, Fantasy, Horror; Run time: 2 hours six minutes. Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Credit Readers Anonymous:

Sam Raimi movie stalwart Bruce Campbell (Pizza Poppa) appears in what amounts to a cameo in and during the closing credits. Also, in a closing credits scene, Doctor Strange heads toward the Dark Dimension, led by no less than Clea (Charlize Theron). The film concludes with the statement: “Doctor Strange will return.” Oh, and by the way, it’s the fifth MCU film in a row, “Black Widow,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Eternals,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” all 2021, to be denied a release certificate in China. So much for the China market.

At The Movies:

“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” was seen in the Imax 3D theater at AMC Center Valley 16. The premium price is worth it to see it in this format. The 3D did not darken scenes appreciably.

Theatrical Domestic Movie Box Office,

May 13-15: “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” continued for a second week at No. 1, with a still strong $61.7 million, in 4,534 theaters; $292.6 million, two weeks.

2. “The Bad Guys” stayed in place, $7 million, in 3,788 theaters; $66.4 million, four weeks. 3. “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” stayed in place, $4.6 million, in 3,116 theaters, $175.8 million, six weeks. 4. “Firestarter,” opening, $3.8 million, in 3,412 theaters. 5. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” stayed in place, $3.3 million, in 1,726 theaters, $47.1 million, eight weeks. 6. “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” dropped two places, $2.5 million, in 2,578 theaters, $90.1 million, five weeks. 7. “The Northman” dropped one place, $1.7 million, in 1,934 theaters, $31.2 million, four weeks. 8. “The Lost City” dropped one place, $1.6 million, in 1,675 theaters, $97.1 million, eight weeks. 9. “Family Camp,” opening, $1.3 million, in 854 theaters. 10. “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” dropped two places, $1 million, in 1,076 theaters, $18.2 million, four weeks.

Box office information from Box Office Mojo as of May 15 is subject to change.

Unreel,

May 20:

“Downton Abbey: A New Era,”

PG: Simon Curtis directs Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Michelle Dockery and Elizabeth McGovern in the Drama Romance. The sequel to the 2019 film follows the further adventures of the Crawley family and Downton Abbey staff.

“Men,”

R: Alex Garland directs Paapa Essiedu, Gayle Rankin, Sarah Twomey and Zak Rothera-Oxley in the Drama, Horror, Science-Fiction film. A young woman is on vacation in the English countryside after the death of her ex-husband.

Movie opening date information from Internet Movie Database as of May 15 is subject to change.

Three Popcorn Boxes out of Five Popcorn Boxes