Doctor Strange Enchants!

Rating: 10/10 (7 November 2016)

Alliterative accolades abound as Ditko's dark dimension descends on downtown Hong Kong in the third act of MCU's latest triumph, DOCTOR STRANGE!!! If Iron Man 1 was the jolt as the roller coaster begins its climb and Avengers is the thrilling descent from the first and tallest hill then we're now upside down doing loops and manically laughing with excitement. Doctor Strange is as great a super hero origin film as we've ever seen and as fantastic a special-effects display as has ever been accomplished. 10/10, take all of your friends and family, see it again, and do so unabashedly.
Where to begin but the beginning? Tilda Swinton's Ancient One is thissss close to stealing the whole show, but for the strength of the show. She gives this film so much gravitas, so much intrigue, and a purity of creative zaniness that you simply buy-in right away with no hesitation. She is the backbone character of the movie; the mentor whose lessons we all wish to be taught. And we all hear the decry "HYPOCRITE!" and we wonder What does this character embody? How does she remain ageless and why is she a white chick? When Strange first gains admittance and begins to beg Fu Manchu for guidance we all slyly smile at the switcheroo. And we also see in that scene the clear winning option for our character; we want Tilda!
And I'll get to Benedict Cumberbatch in a second, but first Wong and Mordo. Wong is a major triumph of this script. He delivered on two of the funniest moments in the film, was perfectly reinterpreted as a sorcerer-librarian-warrior, and had brilliant chemistry with Strange. Mordo's character arc progressed smoother than Valtoor boots on Vaseline. I love where they took us with this character's journey and am very happy they fought the urge to have him be the heads/tails villain of the film.
Mister Doctor -Strange, maybe- himself was absolutely the star of the show because it was his adventure all the way through. In a universe of Gods, ants, Groots and anti-tank SuperSuits we hadn't yet delved into the world of MAGIC. It was Cumberbatch's nimble hands as an actor that carry us through this multiverse of gorgeous visualizations and imaginative showdowns. I love how Doctor Strange's battles come down to much more than fists. His cape supplies the brawn and his mind and cleverness are his advantage. This was realized perfectly and in doing so the film avoids any face-smashy, lava-vomit pitfalls that have plagued the adventure film genre.
The gigantic self-contained film is strongly written with brilliant pops of humor supplied by Dan Harmon (*Troy/Abed slapslap*) and brought to life with the most visually engrossing special effects that we've ever seen. The beautiful color palette and straight-from- the-books aesthetic of the multiverse, etc. had me grinning ear-to- ear. In short, Doctor Strange is revolutionary while also being exceedingly accessible and a classic hero's journey story. Like Star Wars: A New Hope, this movie is a master class in how to deliver an age-old tale with flair.