Doctor Strange

Perfectly enjoyable fun. Sound familiar? 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. Her obvious parallels to Stephen are perfectly apt and yet not allowed enough time to breathe and spin. It's all a last minute reveal and then a call to arms because plot and all is well because plot.

A lot has been made of the "trippy" special effects, and I guess they are compared to the traditional visuals employed in these types of movies. But let's not get carried away. Besides the travels through space and mind it's mostly buildings moving around like they're in Inception.

I didn't buy the last end credits scene. Useless and not earned. I'm sick of hero's with photographic memories. Let the hero be exceptional on their own merits. Action scenes could be less choppily edited. But still, it's fun in ways other recent Marvel movies haven't been.

Way back when I first heard that Doctor Strange was being brought to the screen I was a bit worried. How could they translate the complexity of character and his true coolness but stay away from the cheeseball stuff? Dress a guy up like the books and remain true to the seriousness of the character? Well, they managed to not only pull it off but deliver one of the best hero origin films ever made.

The director knew that you had to establish and truly care about the character. Making it grounded but still trippy really helps give it a flavor unlike any other comic adaptation. The Harry Potter meets Iron Man meets Ant-Man flavor was there yet it all feels unique. The MCU magic is there literally. Everything established in the Captain America films and both Avengers pays dividends in a way here. The universe has been established wonderfully and this film does the best job to date playing in that universe. Everything and every scene packs some sort of punch and resonates with true style and heart. They really let the action flow but also allow for key development of the overall story and over concept. This also allows them to probe deeper into the character's personalities. ALL the characters even the ones with smaller roles get to shine. This heightens the tension, so often missing from lesser comic-book movies, and adds real weight to the action sequences which are thrilling and often mesmerizing. Add more than a dash of thriller aspects and a few new characters that steal every scene that they appear in.

I honestly can't think of one way to improve this film. The result is a movie that's just flat out exceptional and that honestly delivers the best visuals I've ever seen in a movie.

This movie is fantastic. I truly enjoyed watching it!

Unlike most other movies of Marvel franchise, there is a heavy emphasis on character development. This keeps audience glued to the story on a deep cellular level.

The movie is littered with spiritual themes which adds further depth to this already amazing story.

Those who like movies and TV series of medical genre are in for a treat. As the title suggests the story involves a doctor.

I also like how the story blends in and moves forward, in prefect synchronization. Particularly given the complexity of the plot. Quite a tribute to the three screenwriters.

Great movie, can't wait for the next one!

This one holds up surprisingly well on a rewatch. I was bummed to find some of the effects already looking dated in Civil War, but almost all of the visual effects-heavy shots in Doctor Strange hold up (probably thanks to how fantastical and decidedly not grounded in reality many of those shots are).

There are some very cool visuals and set pieces, the cast is very good, and it's paced well, clocking in well under two hours if you factor out the almost 10 minutes of credits.

Despite mostly working, I'd say as a screenplay it doesn't quite feel 100% satisfying, and great actors like Mikkelsen and Swinton are good but kind of under-utilised (Chiwetel Ejiofor is good but maybe goes a little too hard? He kinda sounds like a voice actor from the Elder Scrolls, the way he speaks in some scenes 😅)

This movie's CGI is quite impressive and how well done the action scenes are, along with the origin of this character and the deeper messages provided regarding growth beyond limitations. Plus, an intimidating and cool villain who you can actually somewhat get! An impressive finally as well!