Spoiler free: I watched the first 20 minutes of Doctor Strange 2 and it seems to be the most mature MCU film so far

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (or Doctor Strange 2, as it's referred to colloquially) is poised to be one of the biggest titles this year.

After all, it's pulling back the curtains on the Multiverse which will most likely prove to be a pivotal point for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

[embed]https://youtu.be/seFt9Fni4Ec[/embed]

And considering that Marvel Studios keeps a tight lid on all their projects, especially so for highly anticipated titles like Doctor Strange 2, everyone's hungry for any scraps of information.

Remember when perceptive fans identified Patrick Stewart's voice in the trailer?

Well, AsiaOne had the opportunity to view the first 20 minutes of the film — although, it's also essential to our work — and I walked out of the cinema wanting more.

That's already a good sign in my book because you can usually tell whether a film is going to be worth your time within the first 15 minutes or so.

Most Marvel films (and TV series) tend to start with a bang and Doctor Strange 2 is no exception, but the action sequences here are more visually thrilling and dynamic and they come with higher stakes.

Not since Thanos, or maybe Kro from Eternals, has there been a villain who genuinely poses some form of threat to our heroes — plot armour be damned.

Doctor Strange's repertoire of spells has also been expanded (the good man has been busy since Endgame) and his abilities are on full display, including a neat transformation sequence. Although, I suspect it's the tip of the iceberg since it's just the first 20 minutes.

This film also marks the MCU's first foray into the horror genre but it's hard to ascertain just how much of it is influenced by the genre just from the preview footage. That said, there's at least one instance of Sam Raimi masterfully utilising colour temperature to toggle between a happy dream sequence and the harsh, cold reality.

One thing that stood out for me, though, is how Doctor Strange 2 seems to be gravitating toward mature audiences — but not Deadpool level of mature for sure — though it's hard to explain without being able to reveal anything.

This continues the trend I've observed in recent Phase 4 projects like Eternals, Spider-Man: No Way Home and Moon Knight, and the maturation of the MCU is something I'm very excited about.

And yes, if you've realised, there are no plot points revealed here so you'll just have to wait till next week to catch the full film.

However, if you're interested to know what exactly went on in the 20-minute clip, you can find details on it circulating on the internet.

They're not leaks, it seems. At least, I hope so.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness opens in cinemas on May 4.

bryanlim@asiaone.com