After months of hype, we are left with a mess of a story that is mostly just CGI blobs, some light shows and some boring dialogue. I loved the first Strange movie, it's my second favorite after Captain America Winter Soldier. So this was extra disappointing.
Firstly, you're not going to have any idea what's going on with the main antagonist unless you watched the Disney+ show Wandavision. Even though I did watch it, it had been months, and I didn't remember all the details, so her whole backstory fell flat. This movie was less about Strange and more about her.
There's also a subplot involving Strange's old flame, but since we only saw them as exes in the previous film, it Didn't really feel that impactful.
There's also an obligatory teen sidekick, which I guess is now standard in the Phase IV fully Disneyized MCU. She might have been interesting, but she's just there as a macguffiin and has no real personality.
There's also random cameos from other Marvel properties, I'm beginning to see these bits of crossover fan service are the sole purpose of having a multiverse.
Seriously, I don't know why I keep giving my money to this franchise. Black Widow, Eternals, Shang Chi and now Dr Strange 2, have all been dull, uninspired CGI crap fests, that rely entirely on cameos and fan service to keep people coming back. Let's just face it, Hollywood milked all they could from Marvel. It's time to give the franchise ( and maybe all superhero movies)a good 10-15 year rest and reboot it after audiences grow nostalgic.