Mid-Table in the Marvel Rankings

Rating: 7/10 (10 May 2020)

The first 30 mins or so of Doctor Strange make for just about the best superhero origins story I've seen in the MCU. Unfortunately it's all downhill from here. The writers have a decent stab at giving our protagonist an interesting character arc, and as far as Marvel films go I'd say Stephen Strange has more development of character than anyone. Cumberbatch is cast perfectly - I wouldn't be surprised to find out the role was written with him in mind.
What lets the film down is once again a weak antagonist - "Dormammu", an ambiguous being with a seemingly motiveless intent on destroying the planet. Sounds familiar right? I'm losing track of the number of Marvel films that follow this same lazy bad guy formula. It weakens the plot drastically every time, which in the case of Doctor Strange is already barely holding water.
I'm not a fan of many films that attempt plot lines experimenting in time travel - it is too easy to pick holes in and too difficult to accept events. For instance, why does Doctor Strange wait until the end of the film to use his time reversal powers?? Why not use them at any other point in the story to resolve matters?? There are no answers to these questions, and along with many other movies that allow their plots to fall into the time travel trap, it makes for weak viewing.
If it weren't for the outstanding visual effects (which are so good they give Inception a run for its money) then I think I would've rated Doctor Strange one or two stars less. Overall though, while not my favourite instalment in the MCU, it is a worthwhile watch and leaves us with the potential for a promising sequel. 7/10.