Released: November 2016
Director: Scott Derrickson
Rated PG-13
Run Time: 115 Minutes
Distributor: Disney/Marvel Studios
Genre: Fantasy, Action
Cast:
Benedict Cumberbatch: Doctor Steven Strange
Chewitel Ejiofore: Baron Mordo
Rachel McAdams: Christine Palmer
Benedict Wong: Wong
Tilda Swinton: The Ancient One
Mads Mikkelson: Kaecilius
Benjamin Bratt: Jonathan Pangborn
Scott Adkins: Lucian/Strong Zealot
I have a confession to make: This is the first time that I’ve been to the cinema in months. After a disappointing summer blockbuster season, and getting bombarded with one mediocre movie after another, Ghostbusters just killed the season for me. It wasn’t awful, but it was the latest in a string of disappointments that made me stop going to the movies for a while. Even though the movies for the holiday season held promise, I was still wary of what I was going to encounter. Star Wars has its first spin-off movie next month, Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge was just released as was Marvel’s latest film, Doctor Strange. It was Doctor Strange that made me go back to the movies again, and how. It seems to me that the holiday seasons have some of the best movies of the year. Ladies and gentleman, I present to you, Doctor Strange.
The film begins as a neurosurgeon, Doctor Steven Strange prepares to operate on a patient. Shortly after, he’s brought into another surgery where a patient needs to have a bullet removed from his brain, and the only person that could do it is Strange(pun DEFINITELY intended). After getting dressed for a speech that he’s attending, he’s driving along a mountainside when he’s distracted by a phone call send him careening over the edge. Waking up in the hospital, Doctor Strange discovers that his hands have been severely damaged in the car wreck and is unable to perform any surgery whatsoever. Falling into despair, Strange discovers a way that he might regain the proper use of his hands in the Far East. After reaching Kathmandu, he meets a mysterious monk, Baron Mordo, who takes him to see the head of his particular order, The Ancient One. After being shown that magic does exist, Strange begins training in the mystical arts, unaware that a threat from a former student, Kaecilius has returned to destroy the world. The story is simple and straight-forward. It IS an origin story, but it’s a rather important one in the MCU(Marvel Cinematic Universe). Doctor Strange is one of the most powerful beings in the MCU, so discovering where he comes from and how gains his powers is a necessary detail.
I have to say, this movie surprised me. It really did. The acting is really compelling here. Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange is a no-brainer. He is to Doctor Strange as Robert Downey, Jr. is to Tony Stark. He was made for a role like this. He does a fantastic job of portraying an excellent but arrogant neurosurgeon, who ends up losing the use of his hands. We feel his anger and desperation. Then we get to him meeting up with The Ancient One, where his world suddenly opens up. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Baron Mordo, and is simply fantastic. Ejiofor is awesome in everything that he does. Mads Mikkleson as Kaecilius is awesome. While his character is certainly evil, Kaecilius wasn’t always that way, but he felt lied to by The Ancient One, and struck out on his own. Mikkelson is a great actor, but he definitely brings a surprising amount of humanity to his character and gives him a reason for what he is doing. This guy is powerful, too. He leads a group of “Zealots” who are on a quest to bring the evil entity known as Dormammu to Earth. His performance is really good and he handles the physical aspects of the character just as well. One Kaecilius’s henchmen is Lucian, played by Scott Adkins. Scott Adkins is a martial arts actor known for movies like Undisputed II and Ninja: Shadow of a Tear. He knows how to play a bad guy, even though he’s not the main villain. He’s fun to watch. His physical prowess is impressive.
What is also impressive are the visual effects at work. Normally, I wouldn’t even consider telling you to go see a movie in 3D. It’s generally not worth the price of admission. With Doctor Strange, however, I must insist that you check out this movie in 3D. The scale is unbelievably impressive. Especially when The Ancient One basically sends Strange on what appears to be a major acid trip. It is one of the most visually impressive movies I’ve seen in a while. My mind was completely blown when Kaecilius begins to manipulate the environment around him. It does have an Inception kind of vibe to the whole thing, but it still way cool to see. Also: Doctor Strange’s cape is awesome. It has its own little personality. My only complaint with the visuals is Dormammu himself. Not terribly impressive, I have to say. He looks like a big cartoon. Although, I should be grateful they didn’t turn him into a giant evil cloud. The action is awesome. Some of the fight scenes are very well choreographed, especially when Scott Adkins is on the screen. Benedict Cumberbatch is more than up to the challenge, physically.
Since this film is an origin story, it makes sense that it sets up for another film, and I’m sure they’ll get to it. But what we do know is that Doctor Strange is not only going to show up in the next Thor film, but he is going to be a major part of the next Avengers film. It makes sense, really. Strange is one of the most powerful characters in Marvel comics. He’s not your typical superhero, because he has to deal not necessarily with physical threats, but rather the mystical ones that the Avengers wouldn’t be able to handle. I’m very curious as to what they do next with the character. I really love this movie, it’s one of the best comic book movies this year.
Final Score: 9/10. This one is definitely worth checking out in 3D.