Doctor Strange

Plot synopsis:
A sorcerer, later revealed to be Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen), tears some pages from a chained book in a library and escapes with the help of several followers. The owner of the book, whom we later meet as the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), goes after them. As he flees, Kaecilius bends, folds, and reshapes the streets and buildings of the city (think Inception, but more kaleidoscopic). Though she's a formidable magical fighter, the Ancient One is unable to pin down Kaecilius and he escapes.Dr. Steven Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is cool and confident as he performs a delicate brain surgery. As he finishes, Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams) rushes in to show him an x-ray of a patient with a bullet in the brain. He goes to the ER surgery and quickly does a manual extraction with forceps, demonstrating his impressive hand control. He and Christine joke about their on-again, off-again relationship. She turns down his request to join him that evening.Strange dresses for the evening in his expensive condo (modern decor, lots of windows, amazing views), pausing to choose from a drawer full of high-end watches. Speeding out of his condo in his Lamborghini Huracán, Strange heads north. He calls an assistant to consider his next patients; he's in high demand but he wants only difficult, interesting cases. Distracted and driving recklessly, he crashes and the car plunges into the river.He is airlifted back to his hospital and Christine is there when he awakens, badly hurt. His hands have had to be rebuilt and are immobilized in a framework of pins and wires. Recovering slowly after further surgeries, his hands remain stiff and shaky -- he can no longer work as a neurosurgeon. Feeling sorry for himself, Strange breaks up with Christine. He hears about a man called Jonathan Pangborn (Benjamin Bratt) who, inexplicably, recovered from a half-body paralysis. Strange finds Pangborn playing basketball and the man tells him he found the cure in Kamar-Taj.Strange makes his way to Nepal and wanders the streets of Kathmandu. He is noticed and followed. Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) saves him from muggers and takes him to Kamar-Taj. There he meets the Ancient One.She knows all about Strange and introduces him to a new reality. He begins training and slowly learns to open gates to jump across the world. He learns the temple is part of a secret group saving the world from enemies in other dimensions and universes. While training, Mordo shows Strange a magic stick, a relic and says the relics must choose him. He explains that Kaecilius, a former student of the Ancient One, has stolen a spell from a book and escaped with three zealots; there is worry he will decipher the spell and call in Dormammu from the Dark Dimension to take over the world. Strange is upset and says he hasn't come to join their group, only to cure his hands.Strange visits Kamar-Taj's library, which is kept by Wong (Benedict Wong). He quickly learns how to use a time-shifting pendant, the Eye of Agamotto, which enables him to see the missing page from the book. Mordo tells him it is forbidden to use time spells as they can cause time loops and other problems.There are three Sanctums, in London, New York, and Hong Kong, where the group watches out for the world. Kaecilius finally deciphers the stole spell and his group attacks the London Sanctum, a plain building with a logo window. The backlash from the London Sanctum throws Strange through a door and into the New York Sanctum. The building is deserted as he wanders the floors looking at various artifacts. He notices a burgundy cloak in a glass case that moves as he looks at it. At the end of a corridor he finds three glass doors that turn out to be gateways to other places; you change the destination by turning a dial next to each door.Kaecilius and his group attack the New York Sanctum. Strange develops fighting skills on the fly. He gets rid of two zealots using the gateways and the burgundy cloak, a relic which seems to have some intelligence and wraps itself around him. The cloak helps him subdue the third zealot and restrain Kaecilius. Strange and Kaecilius have a talk about the Ancient One and immortality in which Kaecilius claims that the Ancient One has achieved her long life using powers from the Dark Dimension. Once Strange lets down his guard the third zealot revives and stabs him. Strange manages to open a gate and stagger into a cleaner's closet in Christine's hospital. He barely manages to get on a table as Christine hooks him to a heart monitor and removes a excess blood from around his heart. Meanwhile, Strange separates his astral body and continues to fight the zealot, finally killing him with the help of a defibrillator. The zealot isn't visible to Christine, but she can tell something is going on and she's very spooked. Sewn up and recovering, Strange tells Christine he must return and goes back through the gate.Kaecilius has escaped and Mordo joins Strange in New York. The Ancient One also comes and suggests Strange take over the New York Sanctum; he refuses. They're impressed the magical cape, known as the Cloak of Levitation, has chosen him.Kaecilius returns with more zealots and Strange creates a Mirror Dimension to contain the fight and they go out into the street. Kaecilius uses his powers to shape-shift the city (as he did in the opening scene when he fought the Ancient One) and disorient Strange. The Ancient One returns to help but she falls and is mortally wounded. Strange takes her to Christine's hospital but it is too late. Strange follows the Ancient One's spirit in his astral form and they talk overlooking New York City. She accepts this is her end and suggests Strange can take over.Back in the New York Sanctum, Strange and Mordo realize Hong Kong is next on Kaecilius' list. They gate over but the Hong Kong Sanctum has been overrun. Wong, who was guarding it, is dead and Dormammu's Dark Dimension is growing from the location of the Sanctum. Strange uses the Eye of Agamotto to start reversing the process but Kaecilius recovers and manages to stun Strange, stopping the process before it can complete . Strange thinks of something and flies off into the heart of the Dormammu's Dark Dimention. Here, he confronts Dormammu and manages to create an infinite time loop: Strange gets killed in various ways but is always reset. Dormammu is furious but finally agrees to leave Earth alone in return for Strange stopping the time loop. Back on the street, Strange sends Kaecilius and his crew into the Dark Dimension just before it vanishes.Mordo is upset that Strange broke the rules in using the time pendant and that the Ancient One used what he considers to be forbidden powers to prolong her life. Before she died, the Ancient One warned Strange that Mordo was very big on following the rules -- both his weakness and his strength -- and that Strange's flexibility would be an important factor when they worked together. But Mordo says there must be a reckoning and he retires from the group and walks away.Strange takes over the New York Sanctum. He puts the Eye of Agamotto back in its guarded place at Kamar-Taj, where Wong tells him it's an infinity stone.Sometime later Dr.Strange sits with Thor and agrees to help him find Odin and rid Earth of Thor's scheming brother, Loki.And Mordo visits Pangborn and takes back the magic repairing his back. Pangborn collapses. Mordo says the problem is too many sorcerers on Earth.

Tags: murder, violence, flashback, good versus evil, psychedelic, humor

Review:
Every normal movie watcher will love the action, humour, adventure and fantasy throughout the film.A solid new character introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with loads of potential.
Overall Doctor Strange is both fun and funny, clever and pretty, well acted and well-written, and is just an all-around great movie.
This is my review of Doctor Strange (spoiler free) **** (4/5) SINCE 2014s GUARDIANS of the Galaxy stomped all over the box-office with it's over $800 million boot and Ant-Man repeating the same process a year later, the Marvel Cinematic Universe have developed quite a knack for bringing to life virtually unknown origin stories in quite a spectacular fashion and that brilliant record shows that Doctor Strange will be no exception.
The whole concept here is that this was strange from day one and the story written and directed by long time fan and look-a-like Scott Derrickson using his own vision this origin story is brilliant, and to put it lightly mind-blowing and is certainly a vast improvement over his last feature Deliver Us From Evil his vision and his screenplay are very clever and cognitive as the screenplay alone will manipulate the mind.
It may surprise you to know that the insanity that is this movie starts out ordinary with Dr. Steven Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) working his normal shift as a show off neurosurgeon in a hospital along with his colleague/life partner Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams), until he is the victim of a terrible car crash (might this be a lesson to never text and drive) and shatters almost every nerve in his hand and has to undergo several procedures in order to get better.
It's quite the spectacle.The first act is used to just settling into the story and introducing the many characters played by big international players, and also training with magic which is done in a very intriguing way as the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) shows him the powers of the mind and he looks very impressed as he has gone from a none believer to becoming a learner – this scene is both inventive and has a colourful kaleidoscope which looks amazing in 3D.
The clever screenplay also adds some hilarious moments where they are needed proving that the director can make a serious film with insane CGI and even add some comedy to the final production.Doctor Strange may be one of the strangest and possibly the most insane addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe but is still nonetheless entertaining and this proves that Marvel are keeping a better record with kick-ass origin stories, that are a spectacular CGI f**kathon and if the end result is this entertaining then that is a record that shall continue for decades, much better than the record currently obtained by the DCEU who at the moment need a miracle to overcome the disastrous films they've made lately.
Easily one of the best films this year and shall be remembered for ages and who knows may even repeat the box-office record set by Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man. This is a strange world.VERDICT: The Marvel Cinematic Universe shines again with manipulative sorcery and cognitive storytelling as this may be the strangest addition but still delivers some kick-ass entertainment.8/10 powerfully manipulative..
Doctor Strange being a different kind of hero doesn't really excuse most of this film's conventional plotting.There's a much more interesting film in here, one in which Mads Mikkelsen isn't the main villain (yet) and getting in the way of the hero's journey and in which Tilda Swinton is even more ambiguous.
In terms of the quality of the film as a whole, I would give Doctor Strange a 7, but because of its visual effects and implications for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I am totally giving it an 8.
This isn't really a review, more or an informal statement.So this has been the number one film I've been looking forward to all year (yep more than Civil War and Finding Dory) for a few reasons, one its a marvel Movie which I am a big fan off, Doctor Strange is a great character and story, and Benedict Cumberbatch is my favourite actor.
Don't get me wrong the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) have never made a bad film) but after some of the bi disappointments this year (Batman vs Superman, suicide squad, X men Apocalypse ( I like it but the majority of society doesn't)) and that the director Scott Derrickson has only produced not great horror films, I did worry slightly.But I am so glad to breath a proud sigh of relief, as Marvel have done their job as usual in creating a great fun action film with a great story and well executed performances.
What I love about Cumberbatch is that he can tackle countless roles and characters which is what is very clear here, by displaying elements of being an ass-whole (excuse my language) becoming a strong confident hero and also a quirky humorous fellow.A big hats off to Tilda Swinton as well delivering an awesome performance as the mysterious Ancient One, showing off her wise craftsmanship as a teacher and skills as a defender of the dimensions.The story is a solid great structure with comfortable direction by Scott Derickson, just a bit rough around the edges in a few moments, but nothing to make me go mental over the internet.One of the big aspects of this film is the heavy visual effects, giving us a hint of Christopher Nolan's Inception at times (best film ever made).
(Cpt America, is a super strength patriot, Thor is a God, Hulk is a green monster, and Doctor Strange is a sorcerer) Doctor Strange was everything I wanted and needed it to be, a really solid good, fun, Marvel movie with a spot on performance by Cumberbatch, can't wait to see him in the future movies.
Yes there are other super hero movies with better stories but before going into doctor strange, i went for the visuals to see what they can do based on visuals i seen in the comics and to me they achieved the fantasy reality.
The cast for Doctor Strange includes Benedict Cumberbatch playing Stephen Strange, Rachel McAdams playing Christine, Chiwetel Ejiofor playing Baron Mordor.Doctor Strange is the origin story of how a very successful surgeon ends up in a unexpected car5 crash, that ends up damaging the nerves in his hands.
Co-stars Rachel McAdams and Chiwetel Ejiofor help make doctor strange different and stand out from marvel other 13 movies in the MCU.Fans were excited to see how Benedict Cumberbatch will portray the character and after watching the movie i could say he does the character justice.
Very excited." With stunning special effects that would even make you feel like magic is real, Doctor Strange introduced Magic into the MCU, which open up an entirely different universe.
Doctor strange is a great movie and is a must watch for any comic book fan..
Doctor StrangeThe worst part of being a medically trained super-hero is everybody wants a free diagnosis.Thankfully, the villain in this fantasy film is keeping their moles to themselves.When an accident leaves his hands mangled, noted neurosurgeon Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) seeks out a powerful mystic (Tilda Swinton) in hopes of regaining mobility.
Instead, the conceited clinician is introduced to an ancient magic that imbues him with the ability to cast-spells, travel between realms and astral project.Elsewhere, an embittered ex-student (Mads Mikkelsen) gathers the numinous articles needed to summon a dormant evil from the dark dimension and release it on New York.Intriguing enough for amateurs and faithful enough for diehards, this mind-bending adaptation of Marvel's Sorcerer Supreme is a masterpiece.
I understood it by the end of it, it got me excited when certain things were happening and it made me think how the other Marvel superheroes would cope with the mystical power of Doctor Strange.With the film going into magic effectively, it will be hard for some people to take it seriously.
The first 45 minutes of the film feel like bad long exposition and yet nothing really happens, it's all just more mindless CGI farts from Disney marvel and the effects and style are obvious rip offs from Batman Begins and Inception(but better movies).
The writing is all over the place and we don't get to know the characters, they're simply put there.Because Kevin Feige and Disney are in love with fart jokes,kiddie one liners of course we get to see and hear those (again!) and of course, more explosions (because why not).As for the characters: ancient One barely does anything in the whole movie, The emo looking guy (cant remember his name lol) is a one note villain, Doctor Strange phoned it in and The British Woman was NOT Ancient one at all, as expected she played some feminist(BECAUSE IT'S 2016).Finally, the big battle comes and nothing really happened, the world is being destroyed and the governments sit quiet.SPOILER ALERT!This movie has NO SOUL whatsoever, boring, badly acted, awful written, the worst movie of the year so far..
Benedict Cumberbatch did the character Doctor Strange justice.I think Scott Derrickson did a fine job directing this multi- dimensional CGI fest superhero movie, as the plot served it's purpose quite well.Now for the negative roles, Kaecilius..once a pupil of the Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient one, lost his way and turned to darkness, similar to the likes of Mordo in the comics.
He is a real talented actor, and a very important character in the Strange mythos, so the writers could have done a lot better.Music and the score were good, not the best in the MCU, but syncs quite well with scenes.So the best part of the movie was Benedict and his portrayal of Doctor Strange, a simple plot and the extra stunning visuals.
very nice this movie I watched on the internet recently and really enjoyed it, the film has a lot of action and special effects, those who read the comic book doctor strange in the years 90, will recognize much in this film in common with marvel comics, all the characters in the movie were very faithful stories that used to read in childhood reading the stories from marvel.
Doctor Strange is a complicated character in the comic books, and Marvel did an amazing job at translating it to the screen in an original and breath taking way.
I will not claim that the films are similar beyond the visual, but the best way I can explain how poorly the superpowers were explored in Doctor Strange is to directly compare it to Inception.In Inception, we have a bunch of characters who are able to manipulate the world around them.
Quite Possibly The Most Authentically Psychedelic Movie You'll Ever See. Early on, during one of the first of many mind - and reality - bending moments in this film, it hit me that the 'Marvel Cinematic Universe' movies made the past 10 years are going to be seen in a half-century's time as just as classic and golden an age of film making as Disney's heyday in the 1940s, or at the very least, Pixar's rule of animation from the 90s on.Yes, some are weaker than others - the second Thor film and the third Iron Man, for starters - but at their best they are very close to perfect, and so clearly what all those woefully misguided blockbuster abominations like The Force Awakens and Batman Vs Superman want to be.
(It looks a lot like that cool demo reel at the beginning of Inception when Leonardo DiCaprio showed off all the awesome powers they weren't allowed to use again for the rest of the film.) Truth be told, I had no idea how any of this was supposed to work, as Doctor Strange is the kind of movie where people dart around during action scenes yelling arbitrary rules for what you're watching.
You might Think that the Ticket You Bought was "Spiked" with an Hallucinogen when You "Open Your Eye" to this Entertainment.Indescribable (like the psychedelic experience) SFX and what this Universe Unleashes is Complex, Captivating, and it's all done with Slight Tongue in Cheek and Wears its Weirdness Well.For a Super-Hero Movie that's so "Strange" it is Easily Accessible for Non-Fan-Boys and Lovers of the Comics will be Impressed.
Strange is a character in his own right, on his own mission, and who better than current man of the moment Cumberbatch to play him, which he does very well, embodying the lead character in every inch as, reliably, do co stars Swinton and Ejiofor.As entertaining as they are, too many of these superhero films nowadays get weighed down in endless back story, dragging proceedings on for longer than they really need to, especially the 'origin' stories.
The greatness of the film of course comes from it's ability to have an excellent story and it's visual storytelling to be through the roof.Let me first say that in my opinion Benedict Cumberbatch is a superb actor who gives an outstanding performance as Dr. Strange, who at times is an ass but at the same time he's able to portray him as sympathetic.
I was in shock and in awe for every sequence, my eyes were glued to the screen and I was so happy for that.Although it follows the mainstream marvel origin story, Doctor Strange still manages to not feel like every other superhero movie.
Of all the Marvel Studios' origin story's like Iron Man and Thor thankfully Doctor Strange is in the top tier.
Benedict Cumberbatch is well cast, if Marvel is indeed planning on making the new "RDJ- like" character archetype then they're lucky to find another Sherlock actor to fill in that role because his arrogance, charisma and elegance were all translated so fluidly in the film.
Not much to say about the musical score as well, ever since the "Marvel Symphonic Universe" essay made by Tony Zhou(Every Frame a Painting) it wasn't quite a surprise to have a rather generic and even non- existent Doctor Strange theme, odd considering solo films like Iron Man 1 and Ant-Man had their own distinct musical scores you can attach them too.Overall, it's not a great movie, not a bad movie either.
When this movie was first announced that Benedict Cumberbatch would be stepping into the role of Doctor Strange, I think everyone agreed he looked the part and we knew he could play the part.
I'll definitely have to see it a second time to take in all the action and set pieces (not to mention Easter Eggs), but I can say, without a doubt, it is within my top 5 Marvel movies (the top five including Captain America Civil War, Captain America The Winter Soldier, The Avengers, Guardians Of The Galaxy, and Avengers Age Of Ultron; Doctor Strange is tied with The Winter Soldier).The effects are mind boggling, and the magic helps mask the whole "fake looking" problem that some movies suffer from.
That said, with the current proliferation of formulaic superhero movies, this unfamiliarity might have actually help the latest movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, *Dr Strange*.For the non-Marvel comics' readers, Dr Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) was a real doctor – a neurosurgeon – before getting into a horrific car accident that destroyed his hands and effectively ended his career.
McAdam's Dr Christine Palmer made use of what little screen time she had to aid and heal Strange, although McAdams could probably do nothing and still be likable; Chiwetel Ejiofor's Mordo was the good-natured and straight- laced teaching assistant, whose rigid personality probably made him the most disillusioned by the Ancient One's doings; and for all the cries of whitewashing, Swinton does an admirable job playing the mystical and otherworldly Ancient One.For the Marvel fans – this review would probably not change your mind on this movie.
Doctor Strange, directed by Scott Derrickson, is not only the fourteenth installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but a film that brings in a whole new perspective of magic and sorcery in the franchise.
Not only do the visuals take your mind away, but it shows that Marvel still has what it takes to make good films (especially with so many superhero movies coming out in the next couple of years).
To finish off, we are taken on a visually impressive journey throughout Doctor Strange's world and how he prepares to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a big way..
Doctor Strange does very well in introducing a character I'm not too familiar with, taking time to explore his origin story and becoming one of the most different offerings within the MCU.Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is one of the world's leading neurosurgeons who, after a major car accident, is forced to give up his career due to severe injuries sustained to his hands.
Watching Strange learn the secrets of the mystic arts gets pretty psychedelic at times while the action sequences, including a landscape shifting chase through New York, are quite breathtaking.Coming to the performances, Doctor Strange features a lead in Benedict Cumberbatch that proves, once again, Marvel have got the casting for one of their heroes spot on again.
Doctor Strange is a superhero film based on the Marvel Comic Book of the same name.
Along with Guardians of the Galaxy, this film wasn't afraid to take risks or stray too far from the typical Marvel superhero formula.Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), a brilliant but arrogant neurosurgeon, is involved in a car accident that seriously damages the nerve endings in his hands.
Any movie with 'big' roles for Chiwetel Ejiofor and Tilda Swinton is going to be good, but this one adds Mads Mikkelsen as the 'villian', and Benedict Cumberbatch as the 'hero' - awesome !!!
This movie is one of my all-time favorite origin stories, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.