Five-Word Review: Visually Interesting, Entertaining; Epitomises Average

Rating: 6/10 (29 October 2016)

The Marvel machine thunders on with Doctor Strange, which stars an always-fantastic Benedict Cumberbatch as a surgeon/sorcerer, learning from Tilda Swinton and Chiwetel Ejiofor, whilst the threat of Mads Mikkelsen looms. It's clear early on that Doctor Strange is standard Marvel fare, yet it remains a fun film nevertheless and is worth a look.
Though it's expected of a Marvel film by now, the acting is spot-on. Cumberbatch channels his Sherlock portraying the arrogant and cocky Strange, whilst Benedict Wong is a stand-out in the supporting cast. It makes for a good watch when the cast has such effortless chemistry, and the witty repartee between characters is helped by a script which often fizzes along merrily.
Beyond the acting, the visuals are a highlight - notably, Strange's first introduction to the spiritual world is an eye-popping spectacle which evokes the art of Salvador Dali, the music of David Bowie, and the Moonmen song from Rick and Morty. Furthermore, the action sequences manage to show off some interesting visual feats, with city-bending, kaleidoscopic scenery making for some fun scenes.
Though this formula is undeniably entertaining, this film just will not stick long in the memory and is not something I'll ever re-watch, nor does it have any particular fantastic scene which stood out. Mikkelsen offers glimpses of being more than a standard forgettable Marvel villain, at one point making Strange question his allegiances, but only briefly. Overall the case is that there simply isn't enough time devoted to character development (Rachel McAdams is particularly shafted in this department) due to the high amount of world-building required of this film.
It's hard to muster much excitement for such planned, corporate-approved films, and it's especially disappointing to see great directors stifled by the conglomerate's cinematic universe machine, such as Taika Waititi, fantastic at the head of What We Do in the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople, whose Thor: Ragnarok next year (which is teased in Doctor Strange) will surely be indistinguishable from the rest.
But you may as well watch this stuff anyways; it's still a decent and fun way to spend two hours if you're alright to unhook the brain for a bit. 64/100.