Doctor Strange Review

"Heroes like the Avengers protect the world from physical dangers... we safeguard it against more mystical threats."

Doctor Strange was directed by Scott Derrickson and is the latest film release from the ever expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film stars the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Stephen Strange, Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo, Benedict Wong as Wong, Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer and Mads Mikkelsen as Kaecilius. The film focuses on Doctor Stephen Strange (yes DOCTOR!) who life is turned upside down after being involved in a tragic car accident which damages his hands to the point that his career as a neurosurgeon is ruined. Doctor Strange travels to an ancient and mystical place and learns the ways of the mystic arts.

Doctor Strange introduces the idea of magic into the MCU and I can certainly say I absolutely love it. This is not the usual magic that we have come to see before in previous films such as Harry potter when Magic is represented to be burst of light or energy, this type of magic looks different and the way it is used to conjure weapons or even portals looks amazing on the big screen. I also thought that the special effects in this film was absolutely spot on, sometimes films use way too much CGI, but with a film like this when the characters can literally bend reality (in some cases they literally do - looking at you New York!) you need CGI to be able to enhance the film and for me it really does even when the character travels through dimensions (I won’t spoil why!) the CGI just looks stunning and it is nothing like what we have come to expect from the MCU at all, the CGI is both breath taking and colorful and in a way extremely brave, and I really respect how brave the director Scott Derrickson was because it has truly paid off (and I really mean that). I also thought the casting was spot on as well. Benedict Cumberbatch was born to play Doctor Strange and the way he channels Strange's arrogance is just perfect and reminds me of the other MCU character Tony Stark in the way that his arrogance and the way he portrays his arrogance his handled and portrayed. I also thought the supporting cast was great especially Tilda Swinton and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Whilst there was a lot of controversy surrounding the casting of the Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One from alot of fans from the traditional Marvel Comics, for me she was perfect for the role. 

There are a couple of aspects that did not hit the mark for me in this film, mainly for me I had a slight issue with some of the comedic timing during some sequences in the film, I felt as if sometimes they tried to force in a joke just for the sake of having a joke in there, which for me ruined some of the more spectacle aspects of the film. Whilst the MCU is very well known for having comedic moments which breaks up from the action sequences and more of the science/theory side of the MCU, I just felt as if there was maybe a little bit too much comedic beats during some of the key sequences in the film, that is not to say that the comedy does not work in other aspects of the film (because it certainly does - especially in a certain scene with Strange and Wong in the library) but in some areas it felt a little unnecessary. I also would have liked a little more screen time with the villain of the film. For me as an audience member and huge fan of the MCU, to have a villain who does not want to destroy the world but help save it (from an estranged point of view) was really interesting and I thought Mads Mikkelsen did a fantastic job, but I would of loved to of seen more of him and how he came to be the person he is and those decisions he struggled with that forged him to want to save our world from the likes of The Ancient One.

Overall I really enjoyed this film, if you are a fan of the MCU then of course you must watch this film, because not only does it introduce magic into the MCU which will be a game changer moving forward in its cinematic universe but also because it truly is a cinematic spectacle that you have to see on the big screen.

P.S. Remember you need to stay for those two post credit scenes, they really are two of the best scenes we have had in a while especially that mid credit scene when a important character we all love makes an appearance (you know I won't spoil it for you!) 

Verdict: 4 out of 5 stars