Marvel's magnificently mind-bending masterpiece!

Rating: 9/10 (1 July 2020)

I'm not the type of person who usually goes for fantasy films with magical elements in them, like the adaptations of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books or even Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. But there are a few exceptions here and there, like the case with Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven produced by B-movie king Roger Corman and staring Shakespearean actor Vincent Price (which is what Marvel's Doctor Strange reminds me of the most). All that being said though, I think this is the one to really get me hooked on the genre.
The whole reason why I was intrigued to go see this in the first place was because I heard former critic C. Robert Cargill (I've always known him better by his alias as Carlyle, back in the day when he used to be a part of the Spill review crew) was going to be the one to write its screenplay, which got me really excited to see what he'd contribute to the film when adapting its comic book source material. The end result of his screenwriting effort was a pretty solid script which had some tight pacing, as the film never felt as if it was overstaying its welcome with unnecessary scenes of pointless filler padding out the runtime.
I love the character arc Stephen Strange goes through (with terrific acting from Benedict Cumberbatch), as his character's growth consists of him changing from an arrogant, cynical Tony Stark-esque personality to a more humbled human being with a newfound, open-minded perspective on life after dealing with the trauma of his near-fatal car crash. At the very heart of it all, this film's intimate story is about a man whose career of being a genius neurosurgeon has come to an untimely end and thinks his life is now completely devoid of any purpose because it's all he's ever known when in actuality, there's a new way for him to still have a meaningful life and help people again by becoming a larger-than-life superhero, selflessly thinking about the wellbeing of others (it's quite profound stuff, when you really get down to thinking about it. Definitely something I can partially relate to). It almost seems like a bold move on the filmmakers' part to have their leading star be a somewhat unlikable, stubborn know-it-all who's a bit of a jerk.
As the same with all Marvel's films, they always get a veteran actor for a prominent role. For Ant-Man (2015), it's Michael Douglas. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), it was Kurt Russell. With this, it's the always brilliant Tilda Swinton playing the wise Sorcerer Supreme herself, the Ancient One. In fact, all the pivotal cast members gave spellbindingly good performances: from Chiwetel Ejiofor as Strange's mentoring magic-practicer who judges his every decision, to Rachel McAdams as Strange's old flame who harbours a great deal resentment towards his ungratefulness attitude. Mads Mikkelsen's Kaecilius isn't really all that much more than a herald for Dormammu's arrival, but at least he's got himself a clear goal that he's working towards obtaining.
I have a particular fondness for this Marvel movie, as it goes against the many conventions of what a standard MCU film entails and actually takes some risks by mixing up the formula of a fairly straight-forward superhero movie as we know them today. Whereas there'd typically be the remnants of a destroyed city during the spectacular end battle, they manage to avoid that cliched trope by putting one back together again. Instead of physically challenging the big-baddie villain in a one-on-one punch-up fist fight, he uses a clever little trick he learnt earlier on in the film's duration to help him gain the upper hand over his malevolent opponent, thus achieving his nonviolent preference as the pacifistic Master of the Mystic Arts (now that's what I'd call a new take on the "setup and payoff" in action films).
To put it simply, this movie is a marvellous display of eye-candy that's filled to the brim with all kinds of trippy, psychedelic imagery which is certain to blow your mind away! (It's just a real shame I never got the chance to see this the way it was meant to be seen in IMAX 3D, so then I could've properly taken in and appreciated the stunningly intricate visuals that showcased its brightly-lit colour palette). With all the creatively off-the-wall fight scenes, it's obvious they wanted to emulate the ascetic of an old-fashioned wizard's duel, capturing the look and feel of something like Vincent Price and Boris Karloff's famous confrontation in The Raven (1963). Also, can't forget about the wondrously enchanting musical score composed by Michael Giacchino that replicates the same style of synth music which a lot of those older, sword-and-sorcery dark fantasies had back in the '80s.
For many personal reasons, Doctor Strange may in fact be my favourite Marvel movie of them all for its innovative way of retelling the same old worn-out, tired superhero origin story by putting a fresh spin on all the combining factors that go into making it. Simply revolutionary.