Doctor Strange

photo courtesy of youtube.com

     The latest entry in the lucrative Marvel Cinematic Universe is Scott Derrickson’s Doctor Strange. Strange, like 2015’s Ant-Man, takes a break from the unfolding drama of the Avengers superhero team to focus on the introduction of a new hero, the titular Doctor Stephen Strange. While the latest Marvel origin story leaves some things to be desired, it nevertheless provides an exciting and mind-bending time at the theaters—with the promise of more to come from Dr. Strange in the future.

     Doctor Strange tells the story of surgeon Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), whose career-ending hand injury leads him on a quest into the mystic world of Kamar-Taj in Nepal. Under the tutelage of the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), and with the help of Mordo (Chiwetel Ejoifer), Strange pursues mastery of magic for the healing of his hands. The interruption of fallen acolyte Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen), however, involves Strange in a battle for the very fabric of reality itself.

photo courtesy of collider.com

     On the surface, Doctor Strange is one of Marvel’s better solo-hero outings of late. The most arresting quality of the movie is easily the special effects, which flaunt cutting-edge CGI and psychedelic visuals. Prepare for an experience somewhere in between Inception and the works of M.C. Escher—an exciting, trippy ride to say the least.

     The movie is bolstered by the high-caliber cast that is becoming typical of Marvel fare. Cumberbatch, Swinton, and Ejiofor are all talented actors that bring a certain levity to the proceedings. Mads Mikkelsen is perfect in just about any role, and the only problem with his performance is that he’s critically underused (a recurring Marvel fault). Rachel McAdams rounds out the main cast as Christine Palmer, Strange’s love interest, and she proves to be enchanting as ever.

photo courtesy of superherohype.com

     Doctor Strange carries with it the typical Marvel humor audiences have become accustomed to (in perhaps a slightly sillier package at times), but far more interesting is the mythos and aesthetic it adds to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Apart from delving far more deeply into mysticism and magic than Marvel movies have yet dared, Strange introduces a whole company of magicians, relics, spells, mystic action, and Assassin’s Creed-esque hooded figures to the mix. It’s a welcome new ingredient to a shared universe that has so far stuck inside a certain set of boundaries.

     On that note, Strange is also careful to subvert the Marvel formula in several important ways. Mainly, it continues the post-Civil War tendency away from widespread scenes of violence. The action in this film is relatively contained, and the setting of the final battle is a downright refutation of the careless, not-my-problem action of Avengers and Age of Ultron. That being said, it may go too far the other way, and threaten the Marvel Universe with utter absence of consequence (and, therefore, real stakes) altogether. That would be a pity, because all this superhero mayhem should, after all, make a difference in the world if we’re to remain invested in it.

photo courtesy of rollingstone.com

     Perhaps the most admirable quality of the film is its triumphant central theme. Strange bears many similarities to Tony Stark, so audiences may see some crossover in terms of character growth. That is, Strange has to learn to not be a jerk to everyone he encounters, including the woman he loves. Suffice it to say in this SPOILER-FREE review, the final showdown in Doctor Strange has to do with the idea that true heroism has to do with humility, sacrifice, and the willingness to face defeat: a moral that parents will be happy to have their kids learn.

     On the weaknesses side, Strange suffers from the same problems that plague Marvel films far and wide: underdeveloped villain and underdeveloped love interest. While Mikkelsen and McAdams do their best to address this, they can’t ultimately lift their roles beyond the placeholder, by-the-numbers character types that Marvel seems content to allow.

photo courtesy of slashfilm.com

     There are also, it should be noted, some real plot holes/contrivances that crop up in this installment. This is interesting, because till now Marvel seems to be hyper-continuity-conscious. A few things seem to slip through the radar here and try the audience’s suspension of disbelief.

     Perhaps the most disappointing thing about the film is not what it does, but what it doesn’t do. Everything is impressive on paper (and often in execution), but I couldn’t help but wish that a premise with such potential for mind-blowing and expansive storytelling would take me further than it did. A few more risks and a bit less caution would have been welcome.

     Despite these criticisms, Doctor Strange is another successful entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Between exciting action scenes, a stellar cast, and fun subversions of superhero norms, Strange packs in a good time at the theaters that both Marvel fans and the casual viewer should enjoy. 

photo courtesy of fandango.com