The Doctor's in. Literally.

Rating: 10/10 (4 November 2016)

I'll admit, when I first saw the trailers for Doctor Strange, I stepped backwards a bit fearing it was going to be Marvel's first fumble, for all those reasons you could imagine - It was using the same distortion styles as Inception, the story didn't seem appealing and not even the cast, a very well picked one, BTW, would be able to hold it... At least, on this judgment alone, I thought this one would crash on take-off.
I'm relieved to tell you this take-off wasn't just successful, this one is probably the best trip you'll ever take on your life. The visuals are fantastic, the action is great, the acting is spot-on and even the comedy hits all the timings here. Despite comparisons with Inception, for it's visual style, or the origin story being a hybrid between Tony Stark and Thor, there's something incredibly organic in this one, only feeling forced or rushed at very specific points. That's about the only chink in the armor for this story, it's perfectly fine and Scott Derrickson does everything he can with it.
Benedict Cumberbatch killed as Doctor Strange, this was a role MEANT for him. Yes, yes, there's the comparison with what we've seen in Thor and Iron Man, but it's an origin story, I accepted we can't get away with this and, besides, this origin is virtually the same as in the comics, well, sort of, as I said it's a bit rushed. But back to BC and how great he was in this - He can be arrogant and a tad selfish, but you relate with this guy. He's an ass at times, but you can see he does wish to do good. And the best of all, you accept and even BELIEVE his transformation along the movie, you feel like the same could happen to you if you took a trip to Nepal. Other actors also stand out pretty well in this, like McAdams, Wong, Ejiofor, and even Swinton, they all take command of their timings and weave a good impression in every scene, something I've rarely seen in any other movie. They make you laugh, they'll make you drop a tear or two and even make up a basic, but still pretty much believable drama.
The visuals and ideas are simply surreal, in all the good definitions of them, and they're totally exploited here. The idea that your world can be distorted and twisted upside down, the idea that you can manipulate time with a relative ease, the idea that you can easily make up a large or smaller portal, the idea you can literally troll your enemies with magic (The final scene is literally an example), everything is done here to not only leave an impression, but make it memorable at it's core idea. That and the excellent soundtrack, courtesy of Michael Giacchino, whom already earned his place for his works in Inside Out, Jurassic World and the Star Trek reboot.
The only big nitpick in this, and it's more of a nitpick than a problem, is that Mads Mikkelsen's role really could've used a LOT more time, to exploit his backgrounds and build up a lot more character. I mean, one thing the trailers showed us was a Khan vs Hannibal, and we kind of got that, but the ground could've been prepared more for the villain, something we all accepted Marvel is rarely good at. With a bit more of time, Mikkelsen could've killed it, too.
But still, it's a nitpick, and it doesn't spoil what's virtually a great comic book movie, one that's on par with the standards Civil War set and successfully kickstarts Phase 3 of the MCU. What can I say but 'Come right up, 'coz the Doctor's in.'