When arrogant neurosurgeon Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) loses the use of his hands in a car accident, he embarks on a quest to find a cure for his life-destroying injury. His journey leads him to Nepal, where he finds the home of The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), and he begins to learn the mystic arts and searches for a way to heal himself. As Doctor Strange's power grows, so does that of the zealot Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen), who seeks to master the dark powers of the multiverse and desroy Earth.
Doctor Strange is the latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and also the latest stand-alone origin story to be told within the universe. Marvel's origin stores very rarely excel as films, and the idea of them is a bit stale at this point, but Doctor Strange shows how well those stories can work, and through its unique tone and world, establishes itself as undoubtedly one of the best stand-alone Marvel films.
A great strength of the film is the cast, all of whom are absolutely fantastic. Benedict Cumberbatch is perfect as Stephen Strange, embodying and balancing the arrogance and later vulnerability of the character expertly. It was refreshing to not just have him be a heroic person; for most of the film, Strange is an unlikable, selfish jerk who pushes everyone away from him. He's an abrasive character, but I found him very entertaining in that way. Mads Mikkelsen makes a very imposing villain, if not a particularly memorable one. His motivations are certainly more defined than most Marvel film villains, and villains are certainly still a problem for MCU films. But seeing Cumberbatch and Mikkelsen act together made up for it to me, and Mikkelsen still gave a fantastic performance. The supporting cast actually outshone the main stars in many ways, especially Tilda Swinton. Swinton is truly an amazing actress, and infuses The Ancient One with a real feeling of mystery and power. Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo and Benedict Wong as Wong are also very good, mostly because they, and every actor, are putting so much dedication into their performances. Although most of the characters were so fantastical, the actors grounded them, and made the humanity behind the magic very clear. Rachel McAdams was good as well, even though she had a very small part to play, and I'm glad the relationship between her and Strange wasn't forcibly romantic. Even with limited time on-screen, these characters were well-defined.
The keyword of the film really is "unique", because while people have been going on and on about "the Marvel formula", Doctor Strange feels very new and different from previous films in the Marvel universe. The element of the film that stands out the most is definitely the visuals. In terms of special effects, this is easily the most impressive of any of the Marvel films. The usage of magic by the sorcerers is so various and inventive throughout the film, and the various spells and weapons make action scenes very creative and engaging. The film is very effects-heavy from the very beginning, but the city-bending, reality-altering sequences are used very sparingly, which made them feel much more impactful. The different dimensions that are explored all have very distinct looks to them, and the way that actors are integrated into these worlds looks flawless. They fly, jump, run on walls, move through the astral plane, and it all blends together seamlessly. The huge sequences involving the manipulation of time and space were nothing short of breathtaking, and full of moments of true beauty. The intricately detailed CGI artistry alone makes this the rare film that I would actually recommend to see in 3D. I loved these sequences so much because they went so far over-the-top, and the comparison to Inception really isn't fair, because there's nothing grounded or reserved about them.
If there's any element of the film that's a bit weak, its the story. But even then, it's not bad; just simple. The simplistic story worked adequately for an origin story of this nature. Surprisingly enough, my only complaint with the film is that I wish it was longer. The overall pace of the film is consistently fast, but the passage of time isn't presented as a montage or with any indication of how fast time is actually passing, so I was lost a few times on exactly when certain things were happening. All that was needed were some "3 Months Later" title cards in the bottom of the screen or something like that. This aspect of the story also makes it unclear exactly where this film takes place in the MCU, so there can be some confusion there. The process of seeing Strange learn sorcery could have been extended, because we never really see him master his skills. He's initially bad at magic, then a few scenes later he can do everything. While the audience can infer that time has passed, the passage of time never feels as recognizable as it could have, and it would have been interesting to delve more into how his magical skills were developed. There's an attempt to explain this rush through the origin by having characters talk about how adept Strange is at learning magic, because he has such a brilliant mind. But actually seeing some of that learning process would have been an improvement to the story and Strange's development, especially in how it would have contributed to the theme of Strange re-building himself.
The film plays around with a lot of science fiction and fantasy concepts, all of which contribute to making the film feel more distinct from other Marvel films. It's so overblown with the visuals and worlds, and yet is also grounded with themes of life and purpose in the universe. The overall tone is in line with the rest of the MCU, with a more noticeable focus on humour. A lot of the humour worked, though it was used awkwardly at times, and a lighter tone really was the best way to approach this material. The film was serious when it needed to be, but it was properly and appropriately balanced with lightness, though never to the point of flat-out goofiness. There were very minimal connections to the wider MCU, to the point where I would say you probably don't have to know anything about Marvel movies to see and love Doctor Strange. Still, it does put some intriguing pieces into play for future films, and there's still a long way to go for Strange and his allies. This film barely scratches the surface in terms of what Doctor Strange is capable of, and I would love to see more variety to magic in the future.
Doctor Strange doesn't re-invent the wheel in terms of superhero movies, but it creates a wheel that feels very different from the rest. Scott Derrickson did a fantastic job with this film, and I hope that he returns for the inevitable sequel, because his vision of the magical world is one that I would love to see more of. The film is probably the best Marvel origin film since Iron Man, and much like Tony Stark, I'm excited to see how Doctor Strange factors into the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The character's first outing just needed more time to breathe, and to flesh out the magic. Still, the film was visually stunning, charming, unique, and inventive, and while it's not a perfect film, it's yet another strong addition to the MCU, making 2016 without a doubt a winning year for Marvel.
Doctor Strange is the latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and also the latest stand-alone origin story to be told within the universe. Marvel's origin stores very rarely excel as films, and the idea of them is a bit stale at this point, but Doctor Strange shows how well those stories can work, and through its unique tone and world, establishes itself as undoubtedly one of the best stand-alone Marvel films.
A great strength of the film is the cast, all of whom are absolutely fantastic. Benedict Cumberbatch is perfect as Stephen Strange, embodying and balancing the arrogance and later vulnerability of the character expertly. It was refreshing to not just have him be a heroic person; for most of the film, Strange is an unlikable, selfish jerk who pushes everyone away from him. He's an abrasive character, but I found him very entertaining in that way. Mads Mikkelsen makes a very imposing villain, if not a particularly memorable one. His motivations are certainly more defined than most Marvel film villains, and villains are certainly still a problem for MCU films. But seeing Cumberbatch and Mikkelsen act together made up for it to me, and Mikkelsen still gave a fantastic performance. The supporting cast actually outshone the main stars in many ways, especially Tilda Swinton. Swinton is truly an amazing actress, and infuses The Ancient One with a real feeling of mystery and power. Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo and Benedict Wong as Wong are also very good, mostly because they, and every actor, are putting so much dedication into their performances. Although most of the characters were so fantastical, the actors grounded them, and made the humanity behind the magic very clear. Rachel McAdams was good as well, even though she had a very small part to play, and I'm glad the relationship between her and Strange wasn't forcibly romantic. Even with limited time on-screen, these characters were well-defined.
The keyword of the film really is "unique", because while people have been going on and on about "the Marvel formula", Doctor Strange feels very new and different from previous films in the Marvel universe. The element of the film that stands out the most is definitely the visuals. In terms of special effects, this is easily the most impressive of any of the Marvel films. The usage of magic by the sorcerers is so various and inventive throughout the film, and the various spells and weapons make action scenes very creative and engaging. The film is very effects-heavy from the very beginning, but the city-bending, reality-altering sequences are used very sparingly, which made them feel much more impactful. The different dimensions that are explored all have very distinct looks to them, and the way that actors are integrated into these worlds looks flawless. They fly, jump, run on walls, move through the astral plane, and it all blends together seamlessly. The huge sequences involving the manipulation of time and space were nothing short of breathtaking, and full of moments of true beauty. The intricately detailed CGI artistry alone makes this the rare film that I would actually recommend to see in 3D. I loved these sequences so much because they went so far over-the-top, and the comparison to Inception really isn't fair, because there's nothing grounded or reserved about them.
If there's any element of the film that's a bit weak, its the story. But even then, it's not bad; just simple. The simplistic story worked adequately for an origin story of this nature. Surprisingly enough, my only complaint with the film is that I wish it was longer. The overall pace of the film is consistently fast, but the passage of time isn't presented as a montage or with any indication of how fast time is actually passing, so I was lost a few times on exactly when certain things were happening. All that was needed were some "3 Months Later" title cards in the bottom of the screen or something like that. This aspect of the story also makes it unclear exactly where this film takes place in the MCU, so there can be some confusion there. The process of seeing Strange learn sorcery could have been extended, because we never really see him master his skills. He's initially bad at magic, then a few scenes later he can do everything. While the audience can infer that time has passed, the passage of time never feels as recognizable as it could have, and it would have been interesting to delve more into how his magical skills were developed. There's an attempt to explain this rush through the origin by having characters talk about how adept Strange is at learning magic, because he has such a brilliant mind. But actually seeing some of that learning process would have been an improvement to the story and Strange's development, especially in how it would have contributed to the theme of Strange re-building himself.
The film plays around with a lot of science fiction and fantasy concepts, all of which contribute to making the film feel more distinct from other Marvel films. It's so overblown with the visuals and worlds, and yet is also grounded with themes of life and purpose in the universe. The overall tone is in line with the rest of the MCU, with a more noticeable focus on humour. A lot of the humour worked, though it was used awkwardly at times, and a lighter tone really was the best way to approach this material. The film was serious when it needed to be, but it was properly and appropriately balanced with lightness, though never to the point of flat-out goofiness. There were very minimal connections to the wider MCU, to the point where I would say you probably don't have to know anything about Marvel movies to see and love Doctor Strange. Still, it does put some intriguing pieces into play for future films, and there's still a long way to go for Strange and his allies. This film barely scratches the surface in terms of what Doctor Strange is capable of, and I would love to see more variety to magic in the future.
Doctor Strange doesn't re-invent the wheel in terms of superhero movies, but it creates a wheel that feels very different from the rest. Scott Derrickson did a fantastic job with this film, and I hope that he returns for the inevitable sequel, because his vision of the magical world is one that I would love to see more of. The film is probably the best Marvel origin film since Iron Man, and much like Tony Stark, I'm excited to see how Doctor Strange factors into the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The character's first outing just needed more time to breathe, and to flesh out the magic. Still, the film was visually stunning, charming, unique, and inventive, and while it's not a perfect film, it's yet another strong addition to the MCU, making 2016 without a doubt a winning year for Marvel.
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