Review of Doctor Strange (2016) by James S — 12 Feb 2017

Man, it's weird hearing Cumberbatch with an American accent.

Doctor Strange is the fourteenth MCU film to date (one more, and they get a free sandwich!) With Infinity War looming and contracts rapidly reaching their 'act by' date, it's time to introduce some new leads. I'm thankful that this is another solid entry, although it does fall victim to some of the standard MCU pitfalls.

We see Stephen Strange as an arrogant neurosurgeon at the top of his game. This is brought into sharp relief when he injures his hands in a car crash. He is very close to rock bottom when he meets the Ancient One, and from there, enters a mystical world of sorcery and wonder.

I'll say this: the film knows what it is and owns up to it. Unlike Thor, the film makes no attempt to justify its sorcery and spellcasting with interpretations relating to quantum physics or relativity. Instead, it simply shows you what all of these cool things can do, while not forgetting its characters.

The characters are well-motivated, and there is some serious talent portraying them. Cumberbatch is wonderful as Strange, giving some sheepish humour in addition to showing the character's substantial growth. Swinton is fine as the Ancient One (even though it is yet another example of Hollywood whitewashing). I was pleasantly surprised by McAdams as Dr. Palmer; she gave a lot of nuance and fierceness to the role. Ejiofor was good as Mordo, and Mikkelsen gave his all as Kaecilius.

An ongoing problem with the MCU is the relative lack of depth of villainy. While not as bad as some previous films, there just wasn't as much that was compelling about Kaecilius. The roots of a good story are there, and it work on paper, but something just isn't popping for me. Obviously, I cannot complain too much without offering constructive feedback, but it is a glaring weakness with these films right now.

That being said, the movie is fun, visually enjoyable, and has a lot of heart.