Movie Review: Doctor Strange

Off the heels of Captain America: Civil War, Marvel’s newest release is Doctor Strange. The origin film begins with a very arrogant neurosurgeon (Benedict Cumberbatch), Dr. Stephen Strange. After a huge car accident, Strange awakes to find grisly injuries to his hands, leaving him unable to ever return to the work he loves. As he reaches for any solution, he finds himself in Nepal, where he meets The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) and Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor). With initial disbelieve, he learns the mystic arts and soon becomes a master sorcerer. 

What I quite liked about this film was just how different Doctor Strange is from the other Marvel Films as of late. The magic element is unique to the world they have built, which also means the mind must be more open as the scenes and locations literally twist and turn around the viewer. Although I have very little knowledge of the Doctor Strange comics, I found Benedict Cumberbatch a great choice for the role, and especially enjoyed seeing him get his trademark weapon; the Cloak of Levitation (which reminded me a lot of Aladdin’s magic carpet). Rachel McAdams plays Strange’s love interest, a fellow neurosurgeon, but I was dissappointed she was reduced to so few scenes. Her most lengthy scene though was one of the highlights of the film, which featured quite a few humorous touches. Speaking of humor, the film does have plenty of little quips that make the Marvel movies so fun.

Just like the love interest in the film, I found the villain was also similarly lacking like most of Marvel’s films. As much as taking on and defeating the villain is important in these stories, I have found very few to be memorable and I can’t remember the names to almost all of them. This was no different. The stand-out character for though me was Wong (played by Benedict Wong), a master who works in the library, guarding many ancient books. Tilda Swinton’s performance as The Ancient One was also distinct and mysterious, making for a memorable character.

While I can’t really say I have disliked any of Marvel’s releases, I definitely have my favorites. I would say this falls in about the middle, but I am excited to see how they incorporate him into future movies, as well as how his own trilogy evolves, furthering the mystical aspects this film introduced.