Review of Doctor Strange (2016) by King D — 02 Nov 2017

Doctor Strange is a visually dazzling treat that manages to successfully balance its out of the world elements from it's source material against the constraints of the comic book genre. Benedict Cumberbatch delivers, as expected, a great performance as Stephen Strange.

Channeling the weird, yet interesting personality of Sherlock with the arrogant and material obsessed persona of Stephen works really well for a modern update of the character, even if he's more Cumberbatch.

His arc is admittedly a bit rushed through in the first act, and a bit predictable but it nonetheless comes full circle naturally in the third act. The supporting cast is no less excellent, with Tilda Swinton's Ancient One being a particular example.

Washing all concerns of whitewashing right down the drain, she's equal parts badass, and surprisingly well developed, making her death no less effective. Its a shame the rest of the cast aren't as well developed as either of them however, which comes at the cost also of a good villain.

Mads Mikkelson delivers a reliably strong performance as Kaecilius but he suffers from a lack of development besides an intriguing backstory. The plot is a bit familiar, and for the most part, follows by the typical conventions of the superhero genre, which makes it a bit predictable and easy to follow in the process.

However, it does have some interesting new ideas it brings into the fold such as time travel and astral projection. There's also an underlying sense of originality the film has that doesn't quite come to fruition.

For all the familiarity the first act may seem, the third act is undeniably innovative for the genre, resulting in a highly rewatchable and memorable sequence of time travel. Scott Derrickson's willingness to fully embrace the source material fully shows in the final product as he channels the outré experiences of it into the movie in bold strikes.

The humor in the film is a mixed bag, although it is a bit more consistent than recent outings in the series, The humor never overrides the stakes of the film, thanks to its sheer scope maintains a decent sense of urgency as all hell breaks loose.

As noted above, the visual effects are outstanding, making it easily both the most visually impressive and distinct of all the MCU outings thus far with its endless twists and turns and mind boggling technical consistency.

The amount of detail and attention the filmmakers put into the film really shines through while it boasts some of the more unique and inventive action sequences seen so far in the comic book genre thanks to some new ideas and a bold foray into new territory, from its reversal action sequence in Tokyo, to its thrilling finale.

Doctor Strange is somewhat a thoroughly familiar yet exciting entry into the comic book genre that, for whatever it lacks in narrative, it makes up for with its dazzling visuals. -.