This evening, fans nationwide (myself included) finally got
the chance to experience the highly anticipated Marvel Studios film, Doctor
Strange. In a year chock full of good and bad superhero movies, fans have seen a
lot. Teams of villains, fourth wall breakers, X-Men, and even hero on hero
battles (twice). One would think that we've seen it all. If you thought this,
you are wrong. Doctor Strange is a trip
unlike all of the other superhero films we have seen so far.
Doctor Strange is the story of Stephen Strange, a young and arrogant
surgeon who loses his ability to operate after a terrible car accident. Desperate and suicidal, Strange turns to
mysticism and learns that his true purpose is to become the Sorcerer
Supreme. Mysticism and comic book lore
merge together to form a film that serves as a surreal and trippy introduction
to a Marvel mainstay and builds on to the world in a way that is organic and
interesting.
Visually, this is the most impressive of the MCU movies
so far which fits with Stephen Strange as a character. The colors are
so vibrant and alive that it will take your breath away. The battles and chases
we see throughout are different from any other Marvel movie I've
seen. Imagine Inception meets David Lynch. That describes the visual tone of
what this movie is going for. Scott Derrickson and his team deserve several
pats on the back for knocking this out of the park.
The cast is just wonderful. Benedict Cumberbatch
proves that he was a great choice as the once successful
doctor, providing the role with a sense of humor and gravitas. The
vulnerability he shows in the second act gives the film a sense of
humanity and allows the audience to take the journey with him. In the same way that Robert Downey Jr has
become Iron Man, I hope that audiences feel the same way about Cumberbatch as
Strange. The supporting cast is great too; Tilda Swinton does solid work as the
Ancient One, the one who teaches Strange in the mystical arts. Despite the
controversy around her casting, Swinton manages to do a great job of playing
into the mystery that is required from a mentor like her. Benedict Wong and Chiwetel
Ejiofor do a great job at making their characters feel real and play well off
of the arrogant Stephen Strange. Rachel
McAdams is equally great as the former flame of Strange and manages to bring
some dimension to a generally thankless role. Even Mads Mikkelsen gets some
great moments to shine as the main villain. I wish there was more
with him as he was an interesting character who never got a fulfilling
backstory.
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| My name is Schmenedict Schnumbersnatch. Beware my flourescent green vaporizer. |
My thoughts about Mads Mikkelsen and Rachel McAdams are
applicable to the whole movie. I wish that there was more of them. I wish that we had
more time to explore his amazing world and characters. In the rush to establish
the world and get to the action, we don’t really get to fully take in the world
of Doctor Strange. I think that is a both a shame and what Marvel wanted
because I want to see more. Nearly every
person in my theater couldn’t get enough of Doctor Strange.
Doctor Strange is Marvel’s most
ambitious film to date, visually and subject wise. And they managed to make
this into a great crowd-pleaser of a film. I hope that we get to explore more
of the Sorcerer Supreme's world in the inevitable sequel.
Share it, sorcerer of sharing.
Score
-Sir Liam S. O'Connor