Doctor Strange - A Visual Adventure Through the Mystic Arts

Rating: 9/10 (8 November 2016)

In Marvel's plan to release feature films about relatively unknown, individual superheroes—such as Ant-Man and Deadpool—it succeeds again with Doctor Strange, introducing the mystic arts and the spirit into the modern superhero film. Once again, Marvel changes the archetypal "hero", with an unprecedented origin story and a new set of superpowers, other than the typical super strength and iron suits that we are used to in other superhero movies. Doctor Strange takes a look into the life of a brilliant and wealthy neurosurgeon. In the operating room—reminiscent of Grey's Anatomy—Dr. Stephen Strange was the central individual, the surgeon performing the delicate, life-saving surgery on the brain. He was pompously easygoing, knowing that he was remarkably intelligent. Outside of the OR, Dr. Strange lived affluently, with an extravagant penthouse, luxurious car, and expensive belongings. In addition, he maintained a steady relationship with his girlfriend, Dr. Christine Palmer. His career as an accomplished neurosurgeon was cut short after a severe car accident, as he lost control of his hands. For months, Dr. Strange looked for a surgical cures from around the world, undergoing several operations, only to spend all of his money and lose his relationship with Dr. Palmer. Desperate, and with nothing else to lose, Dr. Strange finally turned to the spiritual answer for his tremble in Nepal, where he found the Ancient One, a master of the mystic arts. His arrogant attitude shown through, as he was incredulous of the existence of the mystic arts. However, after a demonstration by the Ancient One, Dr. Strange realized that he knew nothing, and he entered the school for the mystic arts, learning from the Ancient One and Mordo, a sorcerer. Dr. Strange, an intelligent man, was able to pick up the mystic arts quickly by reading books and self-teaching. However, he quickly discovered the dangers revolved around the mystic arts, the villainous sorcerers. Kaecilius was a sorcerer who learned from the Ancient One, but became corrupted by ambition. He sought out Dormammu, a powerful villain who wanted to consume the universe containing Earth, and learned to manipulate reality. The Ancient One, protector of the Earth, passed on her duty to Dr. Strange, now a gifted sorcerer. He was fiercely reluctant, as he turned to her just to fix his tremble so that he could return to his work. However, he realized his situation and his new power, and with Mordo and another sorcerer, Wong, they fought for the maintenance of their Earth. Dr. Strange finally defeated Dormammu with the manipulation of time, but he was still left with protecting the Earth from future threats. Director Scott Derrickson contributes to the strength of the comic book film, as "Doctor Strange" leaves audiences in awe and wonder for a new superhero.
Doctor Strange is bolstered by its strong cast members, including Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange), Rachel McAdams (Christine Palmer), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Mordo), Tilda Swinton (The Ancient One), Mads Mikkelson (Kaecilius), and Benedict Wong (Wong). It reintroduces the concept of the multiverse, or multiple universes, with the character Dormammu, a consumer of universes. The multiverse is significant in the Marvel Comics Universe as it allows a fluency between films and shows how each film is connected and why some films are in "parallel" universes.
Doctor Strange has been praised for its introduction of Eastern concepts and mysticism and its outstanding visuals. It draws a parallel with Inception's dreamscapes and the complex, rotating landscape, but in a larger scale. The reality manipulation by the Ancient One and Kaecilius is mind-boggling yet eye-opening, setting a new bar for the capabilities of computer-generated imaging (CGI). The film has been described as "mind-tripping" and an "eye spectacle" for its wondrous CGI. In addition, the film draws strength in its originality; moviegoers are not used to the superhero of spiritual practice. On the other hand, critics draw a negative with the CGI, calling the film overly-convoluted and its lack of originality in its main story. Doctor Strange is an artistic and entertaining film, with its confusing CGI and impressive actors. It successfully continues the high standard for the line of new Marvel characters after Ant-Man and Deadpool and before the films with Black Panther. With the casting of Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One, Marvel Comics may continue a new trend of allowing women to take up male roles and give them new opportunities to take part in the action and change the image of the powerful superhero. Today, characters such as Black Widow and Scarlet Witch show that women can play superheroes, yet Marvel doesn't do much justice giving characters such as Captain America and Iron Man most of the spotlight, making the women a step lower from the male superheroes. In addition, in Marvel's plan to release movies centered around individual superheroes, women have never played the title role (besides Electra, which turned out a flop); the first one with a female lead, Captain Marvel, will be released in 2018. Swinton's portrayal as the Ancient One, while changing the standard for comic-book films, is also a negative in its use of a white actor for an Asian character, revealing the intents of the film industry. To prevent losing the Chinese audience, Derrickson hired a white actor, Swinton, to play the Ancient One as a white character rather than a Tibetan one. In other words, the Ancient One was changed to be a Western character studying Eastern mysticism, instead of its originally Tibetan character. For Asian actors, this becomes a missed opportunity in a field where Asians have difficulty finding roles in entertainment.