REVIEW: DOCTOR STRANGE Is Another Win For Marvel, But It Could've Done With An Extra Dose Of Weirdness
Marvel's latest sure-to-be blockbuster hits theaters very soon, and has received a fairly positive reaction from the majority of critics so far. What did we think of Doctor Strange? Click on to find out.
Doctor Strange has always been looked at as the type of character that could take the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a bold new direction, and really shake up the formula by injecting more mystical/supernatural/horror elements into the franchise. For this reason, fans have been anticipating the Sorcerer Supreme's big screen debut for many years, and the movie finally hits theaters on November 4 - but does it live up to these lofty expectations?
From a visual standpoint, absolutely. A lot of effort has been taken to ensure audiences are going to be taken on a mind-bending trip through multiple realities, the likes of which they will never have witnessed in any other superhero movie. In fact, you'll be hard pressed to compare this to anything you will have seen before, in any film. Think somewhere between Inception and underrated '80s gem Altered States and you're still not close. This extends to the action scenes, and there are some incredibly exciting, imaginative battles as the characters bend reality to their wills to get one up on their opponents. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the story, which treads over the same old ground we've seen time and time again.
If you're happy enough with the "Marvel method" and don't mind seeing the usual tropes rolled out then this won't be much of an issue for you, but there's definitely going to be a contingent of fans that will wish the script took a few more chances and veered off into the same inventive, trippy territory that the visuals do.
Still, there's plenty to enjoy here aside from the eye-candy. Benedict Cumberbatch is terrific in the lead role, portraying Stephen Strange as a brilliant, arrogant, condescending, but ultimately noble person that sees the error of his ways and uses his new gifts to try to make the world a better place. If that sounds very like Tony Stark, that's because this is basically a retelling of Iron Man with magic thrown into the mix (stick to what works, right?), but the Sherlock actor does enough to make the character stand on his own. There's also strong support from the likes of Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tilda Swinton and Benedict Wong. Rachel McAdams is fine but underused (she's literally in 3 scenes), and while Mads Mikkeslson has a few terrific moments as the baddie, he's simply not sketched out enough to really be memorable. No, Kaecilius isn't the one that breaks the Marvel villain curse.
Doctor Strange isn't as unique or... well, strange as it really should have been, but it's still a funny, visually astounding and damn entertaining addition to Marvel's Phase 3, with a superb cast on top of their game. It's going to be very interesting to see how Cumberbatch's Sorcerer Supreme - and all of the magic and mysticism he brings with him - are integrated into the MCU going forward.