Bizarre and poorly executed plot and world construction doom Doctor Strange

Rating: 3/10 (25 March 2018)

While there were many moments that were enjoyable to watch, frequently I was left scratching my head over how the many mystical items function, or the progression of the plot and characters. The conflict was extremely poorly developed and we never get anything more than token "come to the dark side, it sounds super enticing and we all exude very evil vibes" from either of the bad guys. The way the magic and world functions was not well explained, and it felt like many magical things were thrown in as deus ex machina and not explained at all, such as relics or the mirror dimension. Even the Time Stone, which is the crucial premise of the climax and the most important element to the MCU, was not clearly explained either. Time and control were attempted to be considered as themes, with some success, but no real resounding or thought-provoking messages. The visual effects were quite good, but it felt almost comical in its wild effects with a lack of explanation or plot behind the things that are happening. The ending and acting were fine, but overall was unimpressed.