Who would’ve thought in 2016 we’d be seeing a Doctor Strange movie in theaters? I don’t know about the rest of you, but you can count me as one of the many that didn’t think it would ever happen, but it did and it is good. If Guardians of the Galaxy wasn’t such a success back in 2014, we might’ve never had the chance to see what is now one of the most visually appealing movies ever created, but let’s dive into the details on Doctor Strange.
If you’re unfamiliar with the storyline behind Doctor Strange, I don’t blame you, because I walked in to the theater knowing nothing about the character or his part in the Marvel Universe. The film is about Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), a brilliantly gifted, yet obnoxiously arrogant neurosurgeon who essentially destroys his most important tools (his hands) in a brutal car accident and sets out on a quest to heal himself. Medical techniques fail him, so Dr. Strange looks towards spiritual healing after hearing of a place called Kamar-Taj that was able to heal a paraplegic man. Dr. Strange is then taken in under the wing of Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and introduced to the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) who teaches Strange to forget everything he thinks he knows to expand his world.
If the plot sounds confusing, it’s probably because I did a terrible job of explaining it, or it’s because there’s a lot to take in. It’s definitely the most diverse exploration of any Marvel film produced so far, but it also has trouble escaping the typical problem of a super hero origin story. Also, because of the origin story aspect, none of the characters ever feel fully developed with the exception of Dr. Strange and the Ancient One. Rachel MacAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, and Mads Mikkelsen all bring their A-game to the table, but they end up performing one dimensional characters.
That is where the one dimension ends. If you’ve heard any buzz about Doctor Strange so far, it probably has to deal with the visuals. Heck, it is in the title of this review, but that should start to hint how good they are. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I would argue that Doctor Strange is the most visually beautifully movie ever made. The visual effects are mind-blowing and if this movie isn’t the favorite for an Academy Award for Visual Effects then consider me dumbfounded. Seriously, it is just something you have to see to understand. Ignore the sometimes confusing elements of the film and just take in how it looks and enjoy the movie for the jokes. It has that same sense of humor that was present in The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy that made those movies so loved. Yes, Ant-Man was funny too, but I expect Paul Rudd to be funny. It’s more of a surprise when Benedict Cumberbatch is hilarious throughout an action movie.
Two other things surprised me about Doctor Strange. The first was the score by Michael Giacchino. Marvel movies have been getting a bad reputation lately for having completely forgettable scores and I think Giacchino made great strides to change this. While not his best score, it blends his action-style with Indian undertones (think The Beatles at the height of their drug use) and makes it the most memorable Marvel score to date. The other surprise was the hilarious mid-credits scene directed by Taika Waititi. If you don’t know Waititi from his work on the hilarious vampire documentary What We Do In The Shadows then you will learn of his talent soon from Thor: Ragnarok.
Overall, while Doctor Strange has some story development problems, the visuals make up for it 100% and I highly recommend giving it a chance in either 3D or IMAX 3D if available – and like every Marvel movie, stay all the way to the end!
Photos: Marvel
