Review of Doctor Strange (2016) by Alva3901 — 04 Nov 2017

Doctor Strange, directed by Scott Derrickson, is not only the fourteenth installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but a film that brings in a whole new perspective of magic and sorcery in the franchise. What you are given is a spectacular tale of a man who defies all odds, to learn the art and craft of magic, who is magnificently played by the great Benedict Cumberbatch. Other than Benedict, the film boasts a stellar cast with the likes of Mads Mikkelsen, Tilda Swinton, Rachael McAdams and Chiwetel Ejiofor, who all play their parts great as well. Accompanied by top-quality visuals, interesting origin stories and one of most fascinating music scores in Marvel history, you are giving one of the better Marvel films in recent memory.

With 2016 slowly drawing to a close, the year of movies hasn't been the most satisfying as major blockbusters haven't been able to reach the heights we wished they would. I have been slightly disappointed with what has come out so far this year, with the likes of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, X-Men Apocalypse and Jason Bourne failing to live up to the hype. I believe Doctor Strange is up there with some of the best this year, which include Captain America: Civl War, Finding Dory, Zootopia, Deadpool and the Jungle Book. Not only do the visuals take your mind away, but it shows that Marvel still has what it takes to make good films (especially with so many superhero movies coming out in the next couple of years). It also proves that Marvel is capable of placing unknown directors with big blockbuster movies, like what they did with James Gunn in Guardians of the Galaxy and Scott Derrickson with this movie. It also sets up the character well for future movies as Benedict has confirmed he will take part in Avengers: Infinity Wars and possibly other Marvel movies.

If I were to make one criticism for the movie, it'll have to be the overuse and forcefulness of humor, especially when the movie started to get more serious. But, it did make the audience laugh in some moments, so it isn't much of a concern. To finish off, we are taken on a visually impressive journey throughout Doctor Strange's world and how he prepares to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a big way.