Doctor Strange
Recap
Review
In preparation for Dr Strange’s second solo(ish) MCU movie, we thought we’d take a look at Strange’s MCU debut in the first Dr Strange movie.
Let me start off by saying that as a child, I’ve never been interest in or a fan of Doctor Strange. If you follow any of the social media accounts of my podcast, The Captioned Life, you’ll know that I don’t really make that a secret. I remember being introduced to him in the comics and I never really cared for the magical world of the mystic arts that he lived in.
But you also know that I try as much as possible to review films and shows objectively as well. And you may be surprised to hear me say that Doctor Strange is not only a good movie, but in terms of visual effects (VFX), it’s probably the best film that Marvel Studios has created in this area (so far – I’m sure the sequel will give it a run for its own money).
Although technically Doctor Strange was introduced into the MCU in a one liner from Captain America: The Winter Soldier, this is the first formal introduction we get to the character whose world is vastly different than any other character we’ve had in the MCU so far. This would prove to be an interesting story for the MCU in many ways that has now made its way into becoming a cornerstone of the next phases of the MCU with the introduction of the multiverse. The film presents the story of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) in a way that of itself is not that exciting or different than what we’ve heard of before; a cocky, world-known expert who experiences a traumatic event that would change the course of his life by making him a cocky, world-known expert in another field (sound familiar?). Even though his story was supposed to be one of humility and redemption, it doesn’t play out here very well on screen in my opinion. But what I do find more interesting is the world of mystic arts he (and the audience) gets introduced to by The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton).
Final Thoughts
Although the character and his story are not interesting to me, I can't see anyone doing a better job of Doctor Strange than Benedict Cumberbatch. But this film will also continue to be the golden standard for VFX in future MCU films.
Something Strange: Doctor Strange (2016)
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 8/108/10
- Acting - 9/109/10
- Music - 10/1010/10
- Production - 10/1010/10