With “Dr Strange: Multiverse of Madness”, director Sam Raimi has delivered an intriguing film, one that even fans of his “Evil Dead” franchise might appreciate.

Describing the movie, though, requires some thought – the titular “strange” is perhaps the best word for it. It is not quite what one would expect of a Marvel superhero film: what was it trying to achieve, and whose story did it advance?

If the ending and post-credit scenes are anything to go by, this might have been a feature-length attempt to get you to watch subsequent Marvel movies.

In a nutshell: Dr Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) stumbles in his attempt to help America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), a lost and scared teenager who just so happens to have multiversal powers. And then he dies.

Chavez uses her “gift”, such as it is, to find another Dr Strange, who similarly stumbles in his attempt to help her. Together they go to other universes, where they discover that stumbling in the face of adversity is a recurring Strange character flaw.

How many times, and in how many ways, can one man succumb to the dark forces he is supposedly sworn to protect the universe from, before someone does something about it?

“Dr Strange” attempts to answer this question but loses momentum along the way, especially when it gives viewers simultaneous fight scenes that interchange between one and the other.

The multiverse is not a new plot device for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Strange had only recently helped out Spider-man when the latter had “No Way Home”, which resulted in the world’s saddest superhero – Spidey being a twice-orphaned teen – being forgotten by his loved ones.

So now the poor guy is attempting to make amends by “protecting”, word used loosely, Chavez.

This attempt at a redemption arc, however, only underscores how poor a choice Strange is as a babysitter; after all, his first act after putting the teen in a safe house is to reveal to Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), aka the Scarlet Witch, her whereabouts.

Turns out, Maximoff is trying to steal Chavez’s powers for reasons it would be easier for you to watch to find out. And it is Strange’s hubris of insisting on saving the day that lands everybody in hot soup.

That ‘Evil Dead’ reference

This film is not for the youngest Marvel fans, what with its dream walking corpses, judgmental spirits, tentacled monsters, and one particularly disturbing undersea tunnel scene.

Raimi is allowed to bring his special brand of goofy and spine-chilling influence, and this results in sequences that are both nightmare-inducing and refreshing. The spooky elements are well done, although they might feel like a left turn from the clean and picture-perfect Marvel movies one has come to expect.

Still, while there are plenty of formulaic fight scenes, Raimi’s involvement means “Dr Strange” has lots of surprising personality. He might be exactly what the MCU needs to break up the monotony fans have come to expect of its superheroes.

This is not to say “Multiverse” is a total win – protracted fighting aside, there’s some clunky dialogue and hacky plot points that are jarring, but the actors, thankfully, are more than capable of selling it.

Gomez and Olsen, especially, are stellar and carry the film through its weaker moments, while Cumberbatch proves he truly is the best choice to play Strange.

Then, of course, there are the anticipated cameo roles, which often add surprise and substance to the plot. In this film, however, the cameos would only truly please hardcore fans who specifically enjoy those characters.

All in all, though, this latest lead-in for subsequent Marvel movies is scored beautifully, visually stunning, and carried by some truly talented performers. Though head-scratching at points, it’s largely what it is supposed to be: a Strangely good time.

‘Dr Strange: Multi-verse of Madness’ is screening in cinemas nationwide.