Strange but fun experience

Rating: 8/10 (6 November 2016)

With a lot of superhero movies that came out in the past with the hero fighting against villain or villains. They needed to bring something new to the genre to keep things a bit fresh. And "Doctor Strange" is the film the Marvel Cinematic Universe needed to bring to the table. While past good or even great superheroes movies delved into science fiction and Norse Mythology. It is for the most part grounded in reality despite other worlds and superpowers that is already set and predictable. Now it delves into altering reality and time by using mystical arts. Even going into astral and multiple dimensions. I wasn't sure what to think of this movie when I first saw the trailer. Because I usually found magic to be pretty boring in comic books because there really isn't a set of laws and there isn't any boundaries. So the possibilities are endless. Which can lead the hero or the villain to just use magic in just about every circumstances to overcome or avoid a conflict. Thankfully this film cleverly constructed it to make it seem like the heroes were actually in jeopardy. And added stakes to the conflict the character Doctor Strange must adapt and grow wiser and selfless in order to conquer. By washing away parts of his arrogance, selfishness and cynicism. But even in the beginning with those traits he did came off a charismatic and even sort of magnetic. Because of Benedict Cumberbatch's performance, because he is such a likable actor. He was hesitant about taking on this role but I am glad he did. Plus a lot of doctors have a bit of a god complex because of their profession anyways. When it comes to the special effects, CGI and action sequences it nothing like I have ever seen before. I mean I have seen some aspects of it, but not like this. What makes the action sequences stand out in this, isn't just the mind bending kaleidoscope like settings but it's clever choreography and execution. When it comes to the plot, it is a bit of a generic superhero origin story but that didn't take away much from the experience. Although I would have wanted more depth to Doctor Strange's downfall of the pain and turmoil he has to go through. So when he is able to rise, there would be a bit more impact to it. Plus I also though the training aspect of the plot was a bit glossed over. But I guess that was to quickly get to the superhero elements because they were on a budget after all. To sum up the plot, it's a mix of The Matrix, Iron Man, Inception, Kung Fu Panda and Alice Through the Looking Glass. I personally think it's okay to borrow elements from other movies as long as at it's core it does have it's own originality. And for the most part this does have it's own flare to it and it's own unique elements at it's core. I highly recommend you check out "Doctor Strange".
8/10