'Doctor Strange' is directed by Scott Derrickson (Sinister) and stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular character who, after a horrific car accident is left with permanent damage in his hands and with him being a surgeon, that's a slight problem. He searches for answers and discovers how much larger the universe truly is and must face his demons along with literal ones. I have a strange relationship with the Marvel/DC films. I don't hate them, far from it however I find myself drifting away from them, never purchasing or renting them once I leave that theater. I'm honestly not sure what the deal is but my point is there are odd exceptions, and like 'Guardians of the Galaxy' 'Doctor Strange' has become one of if not my absolute favorite MCU film so far.
The film has everything that you've come to love/love more about these flicks, with great humor, drama and action all mixed perfectly however it also has some unique offerings of its own. While I have always disliked special effects overshadowing a film's story and characters, here I believe they compliment each other well. Scott Derrickson is a vastly underrated director who deserves more praise than he gets. He is so detailed and precise in what he wants on screen, nothing is on accident and with 'Strange' it works vastly in his favor. The visuals in this film are some of the most beautiful and amazing usage of special effects and I haven't seen a film use them so well in quite a while.
Enough about the visuals though, how is the story and the characters you are asking me in my mind? Cumberbatch impresses as always. He's got the arrogant but brilliant thing down after 'Sherlock' or even with Khan from 'Star Trek Into Darkness' but here he can also show his funny side and this is perhaps the most vulnerable character I've seen him portray. You can understand his pain, his desperation, and his eventual revelation that its not about himself. So the good Doctor himself is great, but luckily he has some strong supporters as well. Mads Mikkelson has become one of my favorite actors as of late thanks to the 'Hannibal' television show and here he does a great job. Many Marvel films have been heavily criticized for their lack of villain development, but here they go a step in the right direction. While the shorter run time prevents some development, but you at least get the character's motivation and that he has a real reason for doing the things he does rather than: "He's evil...because".
Rachel McAdams, Tilda Swinton and the rest do well in their respective roles but again this being a shorter film than others in the Marvel universe, they didn't really take the time to fully develop them, but hey since these practically have guaranteed sequels to them, hopefully we can see more of them later. In the end, 'Doctor Strange' is another great film from the comic book giant and as I said, it's always strange to me that these lesser known characters always make better movies in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I love 'Civil War' and 'Winter Soldier' but 'Guardians' and 'Strange' don't have the expectations those do, so in the end I just ended up loving the latter two more so and will likely go back to this film more often than the latest 'Iron Man' sequels.
'Doctor Strange' is well worth anybody's time if you're a fan of the comic, or action/fantasy films in general. It's well acted, visually stunning, and all in all well executed. Check it out.
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