Why be normal when you can be Strange

Rating: 8/10 (3 November 2016)

When you're strange, no one remembers your name. Unless your name is Doctor Stephen Strange.
Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a rock star neurosurgeon. Top of the game and very sure of himself. He's the guy that would find a way to save a patient that his colleagues would otherwise give up on because they simply do not have his level of brilliance and intellect. And Doctor Strange lets them know that they're not on his level because he also happens to be an arrogant a-hole. His co- worker and ex-girlfriend Doctor Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams) even made herself a rule to not date other co-workers because of her past experience with him. When Stephen gets into the horrific car accident that would change his life forever, I heard a guy in the audience exclaim "Serves him right!" Couldn't even blame him for saying that.
So how does such a person transform into a hero that the audience could root for? That's part of what makes this such an interesting movie. Seeing the transformation of a very egocentric man to a man that genuinely cares about others. I believe that a huge part of the movie's strength lies in this "character study" and Benedict Cumberbatch does a great job portraying it.
But who helps the good Doctor make this grand transformation? That would be The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton). She is, in my opinion, the coolest character in the film. We all know that Tilda Swinton is a brilliant actress and she's no different here. Her character is the old and wise leader of the secret society of sorcerers that protect Earth from "mystical" threats. However, similar to Captain John Miller from the movie Saving Private Ryan, she is something of a mystery to those she leads. Even Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), one of her closest disciples in the film, doesn't know everything there is to know about her. Yet he follows her without question. My favorite part of the film by far is the introduction of The Ancient One to Stephen Strange. She shows him in spectacular fashion that he doesn't know as much as he thinks he does. A truly breathtaking sequence.
Another member of this secret society is the film's villain Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen). Nothing against Mikkelsen who I think is an awesome actor, but I found his character to be one of the weak points of the movie. He is yet another variation of the "brilliant student gone rogue" trope that we've seen so many times before. I believe that one of the major criticisms of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is that their villains usually aren't that great. Unfortunately, I do not think Kaecilius is going to do a whole lot to combat that criticism.
Speaking of combat, let's get to the "fun" part of the movie - the battle sequences. Spells & sorcery. Controlling time itself. Astral combat (yes, you read that right). These are just some of the concepts used in the film and they make for some truly amazing sequences unlike what we have seen in any other Marvel movie before. Imagine if you took the action from The Matrix Reloaded and Inception, blended them together and sprinkled some magic on top. That's the action in Doctor Strange and it is as awesome as it sounds. Props to Marvel. So many movies made and yet they still find new ways to amaze us.
At 115 minutes, Doctor Strange runs a little less than two hours long. Somewhat fast paced, which left some aspects of the film feeling rushed. Exposition is relied upon a bit too much as a tool of explanation for my liking. Some jokes fell flat. Weak villain as I mentioned before. However, these little nitpicks of mine did not ruin the experience for me. Far from it. While not perfect, this film was a fantastic introduction to Doctor Strange and I cannot wait to see how he interacts with the rest of the team in future MCU films.
My score - 8/10. Go see it in IMAX. Make sure to stay for the mid- credits and after credits scenes.