Marvel A-Z

Rating: 7/10 (25 October 2016)

Took the boys to see Doctor Strange this afternoon on it's opening day here in the UK.
The best way to describe it is enjoyable but very much to the Marvel formula they have been running with since Iron Man eight years ago. It's a typical superhero origin story where you can pretty much guess where the beginning, middle and end will fall and how they will play out. It still works, but might start to become boring for future standalone films for Black Panther and Ms Marvel if they stick to the same plan.
What makes this work are the outstanding effects and the lead performances. The effects are seamless and flow perfectly into the story. I know that much has been made of the Matrix and Inception type of effects, but those on display here far surpass those two films. Look out for how the cape becomes almost a character on its own and you'll know what I mean.
Fortunately the actors are not overpowered by the effects. Cumberbatch is superb as Strange, embodying not only the look of the sorcerer but the change in his manner throughout the film. Swinton is clearly enjoying herself in the type of role she doesn't usually get and gets some of the best action scenes. Ejofer and Mikkelsen are two of the best screen actors around at the moment and bring class to their slightly underwritten roles. Rachel McAdams also achieved a first for me in being tolerable on screen, though her part was largely non-existent.
So in conclusion well worth seeing, though it suffers from a feeling a deja-vu and a slightly disappointing battle with the 'big bad' at the end.
Oh and just to remind viewers to stay until after the credits where there is a more significant scene that that during the mid-credits