Review of Doctor Strange (2016) by J C — 03 Apr 2018

Oh, Marvel, Marvel... Who should I call if I want quality superhero entertainment in the superhero genre? DC?! Pfff, give me a break!

Doctor Strange has arrived and thank Odin it did! I was getting tired of resorting to classics to see a great movie nowadays...I am an absolute fan of Marvel and you can't deny the studio's influence on the modern box office and pop culture. Marvel has built such a solid, deep-rooted and relatable universe that it's hard to resist the appeal to a point that their filmography goes hand in hand with FOMO. This was achieved not only with great casting all around, solid offerings and careful layering of interconnected storylines but also with a crucial thing: good timing. Unlike what DC seems to be romanticizing , you can't build Rome in two days (specially with poor quality bricks). Marvel took it's time being careful enough not to take a wrong step from which they couldn't recover; and that's why people trust not so much the franchise but the brand itself. After the Oscars, I'm still to watch a better movie than Civil War and that says something about consistency. Doctor Strange brings what we all love about Marvel but it expands our perception of the universe in a welcomed way. The casting is perfection: Cumberbatch is witty, Swinton is meaningful and philosophical, and Mikkelsen is intense. What's more, the visual are unimaginably jaw dropping, the action and comedy are strong and it keeps you enthralled start to finish. However, I must say that, this film also suffers from the Marvel Syndrome of cutting too damn much and not having an identifiable soundtrack. Also, the script gets too exposition-heavy at times and the third act might be too much to swallow (adding to the fact that there's sort of a lack of "it's ending feeling"). Overall, great movie, you should definitely check out. It will make you get out of the theater waving your hands wanting to do some magic.