7 out of 10 for the Strange Doctor Strange

Rating: 7/10 (1 November 2016)

Carrying on Marvel Phase 3 we have Doctor Strange, headed by the brilliant Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead role. Having never read a comic book myself (and I think Doctor Strange would be at the bottom of that list) I was surprised how interesting this movie was in terms of magic and sorcery than the recently released Minecraft movie.
Cumberbatch stars as Dr. Steven Strange who after suffering permanent damage to his hands following a car accident, travels to Nepal to find the Ancient One in hopes of healing himself and getting his life back, eventually discovering that his knowledge and skills can help others in more ways than one against a powerful enemy. When you make a story like that, it may seem by the numbers for a superhero story, but it interested me the same way the first Iron Man film did; a man who loses something deer in his life and finds a new purpose when faced with dangerous odds. I like characters like Tony Stark and now Steven Strange because they start off as arrogant and egotistical but learn to hold that back and become selfless for the greater good, and Cumberback excels in that kind of role, and I've seen other films and shows he's been in so this point I can forgive his accent being off in a few points.
I thought the dialogue was mostly believable (especially for the MCU of all places), but I still like the effort Marvel takes to make their films fit into the real world (and that's funny coming from what goes on in Doctor Strange). Some of the sequences in this film, such as when the Ancient One and Strange first meet can be drawn out and distracting, especially if you plan on taking it seriously. The costumes and set design look very good, and Strange's progression from simple robe to full Doctor Strange costume is very impressive; like it came of the page into real life.
But now I want to lay out the problems I had with the film. Doctor Strange was an interesting take on the magical side of Marvel, and even though in Thor we get the message that magic is simply science we don't understand yet, in this film it came off as literal magic, so I was definitely wondering how the other parts of the movie would work out; namely, the structure and story. I understand that most movies follow the same three act structure (the original Star Wars Trilogy being a films length version of that three act structure), and for me, I didn't appreciate it that much having the same structure as a lot of movies these days. I though that, like the magic twists reality, the movie would twist the story, but it all ended up following the same structure; another wash, rinse, repeat.
I want to talk about the main antagonist Kaecilius, played by Mads Mikkelsen. I wont protest any role Mikkelsen is in, the film The Hunt is probably in my top 100 films of all time, but to me, he was a villain wedged between Ultron and the head dark elf from Thor:the dark world; threatening, but forgettable. I'm not sure why he's forgettable, he has enough character development, but some of his scenes I wished he had spent talking to some of the other characters than just jumping into battle with them. There's also Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One. I don't know exactly what it is about her portrayal that didn't click with me, but I don't think she was the right choice for the Ancient One.
I was also looking forward to what Chiwetel Ejiofor would bring to his role, and unfortunately I need to see the next Doctor Strange film to get the full picture. I like all of the serious roles Ejiofor has been in, but I don't think he fit his role either; he just seemed like an actor playing the character rather than the character on screen, and that's a huge disappointment seeing as Cumberbatch gets completely lost inside his character.
So overall, I would still recommend Doctor Strange; it brings a new element to the MCU we haven't seen before. I wanted a film like "Doctor Strange" to give me the same experience that films like Scott Pilgrim and Stardust gave me, but it is definitely still worth your time.
7 out of 10