Marvel has done it again with an unusually-appealing acid trip

Rating: 9/10 (5 November 2016)

WARNING: REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!
Marvel has done it again! Doctor Strange was a spectacular film that certainly deserves to be in the uppermost tiers of all existing Marvel Entertainment films. Though still lower on my "ranking lists" than Civil War, Doctor Strange has proved yet again that Marvel Studios can, and still will for years and years to come, continue to make coherent single-universe films that are all individual stories by themselves yet still manage to connect to the greater encompassing cinematic universe.
The greatest takeaway that I had from this film were the visuals, and I don't overstate anything here. The visual effects are, in my humble opinion, the most flattering and beautiful that I have seen in any Marvel film to-date (MCU or not). For such a "strange" concept, nobody would have imagined that such overwhelming visuals and computer-generated effects would function as seamlessly as they did. One other thing that should be noted is that you really should avoid LSD before walking into the auditorium to see this film, however (but this is a good thing! Because it was all a gorgeous joy-ride!)
Deriving from the visual effects comes the action. These action sequences were unique; the first of their kind. While there was still a lot of punching and kicking involved, the dependence on extraordinary magical/spiritual abilities adds a lot of sugar to the mixture in the best way conceivable. Watching the main characters literally flip cities dimensionally, conjure fantastical whips, and screw around with the concept of time in the midst of battle was quite a sight to see. Each and every one of the physical primary conflict sequences in the film fairly-surpassed anything I have seen from Marvel as of yet on a visual and spectacular level, and that is very-much a positive note.
As per usual, this isn't a full review without mention of the characters. Stephen Strange's origin was very-much highly- reminiscent of Tony Stark and Scott Lang: beginning the film as a jerk with an inflated ego, he grows on a psychological basis as the film progresses and ultimately saves the day (surprise, surprise....). I did like his characterization a lot and look forward to seeing him more in Infinity War. The other main characters weren't exactly anything special, but they were passable. The Ancient One is calm and collected yet still badass, Mordo's development is setting the stage for future villainy, and Wong provided grounds for Strange's snark. Yet, among these characters, Kaecillius (the active antagonist of the film) wasn't a heck of a lot more fascinating than some of the other lesser-appreciated Marvel Cinematic Universe antagonists (these include Ronan, Yellowjacket, and Malekith to name a few), but he was very- much an exciting character to watch in combat, as his aptitude for "flipping" the physical realm into convoluted and unearthly dimensions was an eye-opening sight to behold as Strange and co. fought against him.
And finally, Kaecillius' presence paves the road for Dormammu: either the highlight or the subzero aspect of the film as varying opinions online and elsewhere are made vocal. While he can easily be mistaken for another Thanos (being deep-voiced and intent on consuming the Earth while manipulating beings of inferior power doesn't help), I thought he was an awesome addition to this already- pleasing movie. And what made his presence greater was the fact that, wait for it, he wasn't nerfed! He was portrayed as perhaps the most powerful MCU character at the moment, superior to even Thanos.
So while still not quite up-to-par with Civil War, Doctor Strange was yet another fine installment in the MCU, to my delight. Really hopeful to see where this series goes in the future! It gets a 9/10 from me.