Last Friday, I spent my afternoon watching the newest Marvel film, Doctor Strange, featuring Benedict Cumberbatch as the protagonist, Dr. Stephen Strange. Here are my thoughts about how the movie turned out.
Visually, the movie is exceptional. It takes the world warping we got to see in Inception and turned it up a notch. Oftentimes it felt like the movie took us through a living M. C. Escher painting, with walls wrapping around you and the floor shifting like waves in the sea. The visual effects for the sorcery were equally impressive. Sparks and magical shields and whips never looked so good . Certain CGI character movement left something to be desired, however. Even in a world of unreal physics, they felt off, with certain characters looking a bit too floaty.
The movie ran a more serious route than other films, but still managed to employ a good amount of the trademark Marvel comedy. In fact, it seemed that the film took itself less seriously as time went on. What we got was a dramatic movie that reminded us thoroughly towards the latter part that it was still just a superhero flick. The action scenes were much more spectacle than substance, using flashy effects and quick cuts to compensate for a lack of pure fighting like we would see in Daredevil. Nevertheless, the battles were still exciting, albeit sometimes hard to follow with everything going on in the background.
Cumberbatch was strong as his role as Dr. Strange, easily able to transition from essentially an American Sherlock Holmes, to a more lighthearted character from time to time. He was rather excellent in the most dramatic of scenes, using pure emotion to great effect. The supporting cast was solid as well, both animate and inanimate. Tilda Swinton's character was performed well, combining wisdom and wisecracking. The villain, played by Mads Mikkelsen, was interesting. His speeches were quite powerful, but in the end, he was much more of a minor villain at best. That doesn't mean the performance was poor, however. Only that the character itself should not be expected to pull the weight of antagonism for the entire movie.And that's not a bad thing, especially for how the movie portrays conflict. It showcases a battle of wills and morality, putting each character's egos, emotions, and beliefs into a pot, and cooking up a nice batch of internal struggle. This was one of the strengths of the movie; not using a simple butting-of-heads to form conflict, but by building doubt and personal flaws to create tension. Of all the Marvel movies so far, this one brought the fight on to an internal level.
As for the ending, it is unique, to say the least. Whether or not you will enjoy it is subjective. Personally, I thought it was clever and still a lot of fun, but it diverted so far from my initial expectations that I was left wanting more. What I've come to realize now is that the ending wasn't what was lacking, but maybe more time for the movie in general. Doctor Strange sits at about a 2-hour runtime, but it feels like it could have benefited from even just 10 extra minutes. It can be very quick-paced at times, but to their credit, I couldn't tell you where you would add time to slow things down.
Overall, Doctor Strange is a must-watch for any Marvel movie fans. The setting is marvelous and has much more to explore. Benedict Cumberbatch's Strange has proven to be a joy to watch on screen. The movie's visuals are outstanding, and might even make you dizzy. But through all the city shifting and magical sparks flying, the movie is a solid origins story that doubles as a good action movie. It may even be worth a couple reruns, to pick up on some of the depth lost because you're still amazed by the acid trip you just went through. Although I did not see it in 3D, this may be one of the few exceptions to put the glasses on for. Marvel went out on a limb to throw a lesser known hero onto the screen, and I expect that their risk will pay off.
