Review of Doctor Strange

Rating: Null/10 (9 November 2016)

When I first heard about Benedict Cumberbatch being cast as Doctor Strange I had my reservations. The guy from the Sherlock show is going to be a mystical superhero? My doubts lessened my anticipation for the movie. However, all of that negativity went out the window when he first appeared on the screen. Cumberbatch did a great job in the titular role, especially with the comedic moments. In fact, this movie had a great cast all around.
The movie picks up running with the plot and goes right into an awesome action scene. This forces the audience to accept the alternate realities and magic that are displayed in this movie. The visual effects are simply spectacular. From the mystic energy, that is produced from the hands to the bending of the buildings. There are some trippy scenes like looking through a kaleidoscope. Despite all of that the movie is still fairly grounded. Visually this movie looks stunning.
Another amazing aspect of this movie was the fighting choreography. The martial arts used were outstanding and looked authentic. Tilda Swinton's character The Ancient One and Chiwitel Ejofor's character Mordo had some great fight sequences against the movie's villain. Played by Madds Mikelson, Kaecilius is one of the better villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He had a good motive and felt he was justified in his reasoning. The final conflict was a little bit out of this world, but for the most part, it works.
While the tone of the movie was more dark and serious than most of the Marvel movies, there were still great elements of comedy that provided some levity to the film. There are a few jokes that don't land and feel a bit forced but for the most part, the comedy is great. One thing that I did appreciate about this movie, is that unlike other Marvel movies, there was no forced romance. The love interest angle is there, but never really focused on and does not draw attention away from the rest of the plot.
Doctor Strange provides a great origin story for an unusual superhero. One of the movie's strengths is the character evolution of Dr. Stephen Strange. There is some parallel to Tony Stark in the first Iron Man movie. However, the difference is that Strange is more reluctant to fight until the end of the movie when he realizes a crucial part about possessing power. This movie offers a look at a different and unique superhero with a supernatural power-set. Strange doesn't just rely on his powers but his mind to defeat his enemies. It may be the weirdest of the Marvel movies but there is a really great story behind the wonderful special effects.