Marvel Gets Magical

Rating: 8/10 (7 November 2016)

Doctor Strange is the 14th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is directed by Scott Derrickson (Sinister, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Exorcism of Emily Rose) and stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular character, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo, Rachel McAdams as Christine, and Mads Mikkelsen as Kaecilius. This movie is a different take on the superhero genre as it ventures into the fantasy world of magic. Thankfully, this film provides yet another great entry into the entry into the highest grossing movie franchise of all time.
For the most part this movie does a very good job of introducing audiences to the character of Doctor Strange. Other than scientific experiments, other worldly entities, or advanced technology Doctor Strange's plot involved Magic. This is something completely new to audiences as the paranormal side of this genre was previously unheard of. After a devastating car crash Doctor Strange loses his career as a surgeon. When western medicine fails him he travels to Asia in order to be healed by other methods. The other methods or magic here is taught to Strange by the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton). Once Strange is introduced to magic this story truly takes off and becomes interesting.
While the first half hour of this film is completely necessary to introduce the character of Doctor Strange, I felt that the plot dragged a bit. I was not truly engulfed by this film until the magical elements were introduced and thus the pacing drags in the beginning. After that however viewers are thrown into the mystical world of Magic. This magical world is a visual feast. While I do not often talk about visuals in films, I can honestly say that this film blew me away. The CGI, style, and visual effects here are astounding. There are some truly mind bending visuals here including buildings shifting and turning inside out, extra dimensional travel, and even characters floating outside of their bodies. Action scenes in this movie are also very well-choreographed and extremely stylish. This kind of visual spectacle hasn't been seen since the film "Inception" and for that I completely praise the movie. Along with the visuals we're treated with a great soundtrack full of classic hits that viewers are sure to be pleased with.
Long before the production of this movie began fans have been saying that Benedict Cumberbatch should play Doctor Strange and they could not have been more right. Cumberbatch does an excellent job of portraying the arrogant yet humorous Strange. The transformation between egotistical asshole to dimension bending sorcerer supreme would not have been possible without Cumberbatch's great performance. Along with Cumberbatch Rachel McAdams plays the love interest in this movie. While it could be argued that her part in this movie is necessary, I believe that her character simply did not serve a purpose in the film. While her performance was not bad by any means, the character simply felt shoehorned in so that Strange would have a love interest (like almost every Marvel superhero to date). Wong (played by Benedict Wong) is a great side character and provides some much-needed comic relief. Also, Tilda Swinton who plays the Ancient One does a fantastic job of portraying a character who was originally an old Tibetan man in the comic books. This was a change that I was unsure of going into the film, but I was ultimately satisfied with. Unfortunately, the villain character of Kaecilius is rather weak. His motives are quite clear, yet is criminally underdeveloped which is a shame because Mads Mikkelsen is one of the most talented actors out there.
Scott Derrickson's horror background grants this film an eerie tone, with several disturbing and frightening images. Overall however, these horror elements lend themselves rather well to the story and Derrickson's directing is quite impressive. This film does a very good job of differentiating itself from the rest of the Marvel universe and standing on its own. The great acting, visual effects, and story here are more than enough to carry Doctor Strange past being just another superhero blockbuster. Doctor Strange is a movie that audiences will most likely remember thanks to its intriguing story line and visual effects. Score: 8/10