Starring: Whipplesniff Thundersnatch, Rachel McAdams, Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mads Mikkelsen, Michael Stuhlbarg, Benedict Wong, Benjamin Bratt, Scott Adkins
Directed By: Scott Derrikson
Plot: Marvel Studios successfully launches another superhero franchise. Dr Steven Strange (Rumbledraft) is a world renowned surgeon, who suffers a terrible tragedy, and loses the perfect function of his hands. He seeks out alternative medicine, which leads him to the Ancient One (Swinton) who teaches him about magic. Then he learns that there are bad guys trying to destroy the world, and he might be the only one who can stop them.
What Works: Cumberbatch is really good as Doctor Strange. They’ve set up his universe, complete with sidekicks (Ejiofor/Wong), a romantic interest (McAdams), and others (Stuhlbarg, Bratt). I didn’t really care for anyone in the film other than Strange, but I’ll say they did a decent job managing to balance an introduce a handful of characters. The coolest thng about this movie are the visual effects, which are just jaw dropping. The writing is pretty good, giving the characters interesting dialog.
What Doesn’t Work: This movie is a bit more Thor for me than Iron Man or Ant Man. I didn’t really like the supporting characters, or care for them. As far as Baron Mordo (Ejiofor) goes, lets just say “token black sidekick” worked better for War Machine and Falcon. I’m a bit tired of it now. This film doesn’t invest enough into the romance between Strange and Christina (McAdams). The villian sucks. I don’t know how Marvel manages to consistently make interesting heroes, but they can’t make a good villain. It’s really mind blowing. Mikkelson’s Kaecilius is just a giant waste of time.
Final Word: Yeah, I didn’t see this in theatres, but I’m actually not mad about it. I mean, the visuals were great, and the movie isn’t bad… it’s just not one of their best. It’s full of supporting characters you don’t care about, and a villain that sucks. Still, it’s more enjoyable than it probably deserves to be.
Final Grade: B