'Doctor Strange' Review

I'll be the first to admit that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become somewhat tedious, while I still enjoy its films and go to see each one I can't help but feel like things have become too repetitive. This is why I was so excited for Doctor Strange. From the first trailer the film looked like something completely new for the MCU, bringing in incredible visuals and the concept of sorcery that had previously been hinted at in other films. Now Doctor Strange has finally hit cinema's and, despite getting caught up with the usual Marvel movie tropes, it's a quite refreshing superhero film. It stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the eponymous Dr. Stephen Strange who, after losing the loss of his hands in a car crash, travels East where he finds himself entangled in a world of sorcery. The film co-stars Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Rachel McAdams, and Mads Mikkelsen an is directed by Sinister's Scott Derrickson.

Like every MCU film, Doctor Strange has an incredible ensemble cast, this time led by the always superb Benedict Cumberbatch as Strange. He injects a distinct personality into the character in a similar way that Robert Downey Jr. did with Tony Stark, he's cocky, witty and has an incredible knowledge of music history. He really makes the character his own, right down to the intricate hand gestures used to conjure up spells, he has made Strange a welcome addition to the MCU. Tilda Swinton, who was met with immense controversy upon her casting as the Ancient One, proves here that she was the right decision for Stranges mentor. While being wise and all-knowing, Swinton also blesses the character with a sense of wit, making her an Obi-Wan type mentor to Strange. Arguably the most interesting character of the piece is Mordo, an ally of Strange played by the wonderful Chiwetel Ejiofor. He too acts as a mentor to Strange as well as a friend and his development throughout is one of the most captivating of any character in the MCU, I look forward to seeing more of him in future installments. Benedict Wong plays the unintentionally hilarious Wong who delivers some of the films funniest moments, there's a great scene involving Beyoncé that made me howl. McAdams and Mikkelsen both give the best with what they're given as Strange's love interest Christine and the villain Kaecillius, however they simply aren't given enough to work with in typical Marvel fashion. This is a real shame as the two are both immensely talented and I feel like they were both somewhat underplayed here.

As expected, the films visuals are the real highlight and are what sets this film apart from the other films of the MCU. They're like the best possible amalgamation of The Matrix and Inception, with plenty of running up walls and buildings folding on top of one another. The kaleidoscopic visuals are a real treat for the eyes and there's a fantastic scene towards the climax where they come into play wonderfully, they make for a different sort of Marvel film and allow for countless possibilities. From the reality-bending visuals to the incredibly trippy inter-dimensional projection scene reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey, this film is one hell of a trip and the attention to detail during scenes like this is impeccable. It has the freedom to bend reality as it pleases to allow for more original action sequences and a more clever climax in contrast to the usual beam shooting into the sky, this new world of magic and sorcery is a welcome one to the MCU. Apart from these wonderful visual effects however, it still looks  and feels very much like every other Marvel film and doesn't really have any distinctive aesthetic to make it truly stand out. It had the potential to be a very different film stylistically and it almost does that, but at times it feels like it is being almost held back by that general Marvel look and feel.

Which takes me to the films story, the origin of Doctor Strange. Marvel are no strangers to origin stories which can often make things repetitive, while this was not the case with the likes of Ant-Man or Guardians of the Galaxy, unfortunately it is here. The films story does feel like a re-hash of Iron Man, a tale of a cocky young man who goes through a traumatic experience that forces him to change for the good and ultimately save the world. It's not something we haven't seen before and while it is a faithful origin for the character, it just feels all to familiar and predictable at times. Speaking of which, it feels like Marvel still suffer with their villain and love interest problems in the way that both are criminally underplayed here. Fair enough, McAdams' character is given more to do than just being a love interest and plays a crucial part in the latter half of the film, but for most of the film she's not even there and I feel like this is a waste of McAdams' talents. Similarly, the brilliant Mads Mikkelsen who plays the films baddie is also underplayed which is a real shame considering his talent for playing the villain. To be fair, his actions at least have some justification behind them, he's not just evil for the sake of evil but he has an extremist set of beliefs that lead him to commit his actions. While he does the best with what he's given, Mikkelsen's character unfortunately joins the long line of underdeveloped and underused Marvel villains. I feel like the general Marvel formula and tropes are what hold this film back so much, it suffers too much from familiarity which gets in the way of it doing anything wildly different.

While Doctor Strange does feel like it's held back by the usual Marvel formula, it does try to break free of this with its incredible visuals and new concepts. It's mind-bending special effects allow for the film to go places that no Marvel film has gone before and while it doesn't always take full advantage of this, it does enough to offer a brand new experience for cinemagoers. The good Doctor is a welcome addition to the shared universe along with some other interesting characters with vast amounts of potential. Doctor Strange doesn't just open a window of opportunities for the ever expanding MCU but an entire multiverse of possibilities, making it an extremely important installment to the franchise. It may not fully break free from the Marvel formula, but it brings some new and exciting concepts to the MCU that will hopefully help to change it for the better.