Review of Doctor Strange (2016) by Ken C — 12 Mar 2017

Easily one of the best MCU adaptations - which is saying something given the incredible success of the franchise. As always, Marvel gets the right balance between staying true to the source material while dealing with the shift in era and media from it's 1960's Steve Ditko comic book roots to a modern day blockbuster movie.

Benedict Cumberbatch really inhabits the title role - although hardly playing against type as the arrogant genius after his tenure on Sherlock and as Khan in Star Trek. But his journey from arrogant surgeon to humbled cripple to sorcerer is really well played and as usual with the Marvel Universe played with just the right amount of humour that the overall conceit never seems to take itself too seriously. The rest of the cast including "Hannibal's" Mad Mikkelsen, Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Rachel McAdams are also well cast and on form.

The visuals are frankly mind-blowing on a scale not seen since Inception, and had to be to do justice to the threats faced by Strange, which ramp up to truly cosmic dimensions - hold on for the post-credits teaser which hints that Strange will be back on our screens sooner than we think.

All in all it bodes well for the latest edition to the franchise and for the upcoming Infinity War saga which will bring all these various threads and characters together for what promises to be the ultimate superhero battle.