Surely It Is Future Of Marvel Movies But Actress' Talents Feel Wasted

Rating: 9/10 (6 November 2016)

The MCU's gender problems linger in Strangeâ€”Rachel McAdams' talents feel wasted playing Strange's love interest, and the movie fails the Bechdel Test in spectacular fashion. But the dominant fear for the universe's Borg-like expansion is how it will continue to add more characters to an already crowded stable. Doctor Strange has memorable, complex characters and action sequences, along with a visual style that sets it apart from the previous 13 Marvel films. If its many team-up movies start to sag under the weight of gratuitous crossovers, at least the studio knows it can do origin stories right. While it's not the action adventure debut some may have been hoping for, Rachel McAdams' role in Doctor Strange does sound like it's fully within her wheelhouse. Presumably, McAdams' professional colleague to Cumberbatch's cocky surgeon would serve as an emotional counterbalance to the awesome powers that Stephen Strange will be dealing with the consequences of in his initial outing. In terms of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, if Doctor Strange is an analogue to Iron Man, then McAdams could be the Pepper Potts in the equation. Of course, seeing as Ant-Man kind of felt like a little bit of an Iron Man retread, those in charge are probably avoiding sharing too many story beats with the already established MCU canon at all costs.