Doctor Strange: My Review

So, I saw Doctor Strange last weekend.

     As always with these reviews, I am going to first give a non-spoiler review of what I thought of the flick.  At the end, since this is a writing blog, I will state what I would have done differently, and that sometimes means injecting spoilers.  I still try and keep the spoilers light.

     This movie was everything we were promised.  Visually it was completely stunning.  The Acting was believable and even superb in some places. I absolutely loved it.

     Benedict Cumberbatch makes a great Doctor Strange; he manages to start out as an arrogant jerk who still manages to win you over by the end of the movie.  His character arc is essential to the plot and the way the big bad is defeated.  Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo was fantastic, and the promise of his character in future instalments is great.  If you remember him playing the Agent in Serenity you realize after the end of the credits in the last teaser how perfect he is for that part.  Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One ate up the screen any time she was on it.  Rachel McAdams was fine as the love interest, and the rest were good to great as well. 

     Plot wise, this is a Marvel movie.  While the essentials are different the structure is the same.  Start with flawed hero; put them through a new experience.  Use that experience to grow them.  Big coolness, big setback, and then overcome big evilness at the end.  While I enjoyed how they resolved the fight with the big bad at the end, I thought it was more unique of an idea then slugging it out.  (I can’t say more than that) the surprises are in how the story is told.  Not where it leads.

    Villain wise Mads Mikkelsen is fine.  He does his job as a big scary villain, but this movie has the same issue that most Marvel movies do.  You never feel any empathy for the bad guy and his nameless sidekicks.  Instead he is very two dimensional, and his reasoning for being bad is believable, but never developed to a point where I felt he was a full character.  He looks cool, he does his job and it works but it is not as great as it could be. 

     Now I hate 3D movies.  I have no desire to go stare at a screen and get motion sick for a couple of hours.  This movie if I were to see it again I would consider doing the 3D experience.  The visuals are that awesome.  I think all the mind bendy goodness works well and there are sets and moments that are just simply beautiful to stare at.

    Over all, I would give this move a solid A- minus.  The minus is for standard villain A, and underdeveloped love interest.

    Now beyond here is where any spoilers may be found.  If you read on and get spoiled it is not my fault.  You have been warned and I feel no guilt if you get upset.

    First of all, fix the villain.  This felt short for a Marvel movie, give me five to ten minutes where I see into his life and help me understand why he believes the way he does.  Or build up some empathy for him; let us see how he was broken when he came to the Ancient One.  The famous show, don’t tell conundrum.

    Second, Rachel McAdams never gets well developed as a love interest.  She is almost used more as a plot device at times, then as someone we see Doctor Strange having a serious relationship with.  I needed some more between them to establish some good chemistry.  Make that relationship believable.  I needed at the least for here to be somewhere at the end to make me believe that Doctor Strange would come back or want to continue his relationship with that character.  Instead the last we see of her is when the Ancient One dies, and then nothing.

    Pacing at the beginning might be fixed as well.  The only time I felt this show dragged was when they were establishing Strange’s character in the beginning.  This might just be me though.  The problem is I don’t know what I would cut, because most of the events that happen are important to the story.  Maybe tighten up a few moments?

    That is my feeling on this flick, how did you all feel about it.  For me it was a total win for Marvel, did anyone actually hate it?  Inquiring minds would like to know.

Ben Marble

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