It is no secret that I am not a huge fan of superhero movies. Sure, a lot of them are fun, but for the most part I find them to be highly overrated and would rather invest my time in something else. Unless of course there is a standout performance in the film like that of Tom Hiddleston's Loki. I can entertain myself whenever he is onscreen, but otherwise I find myself counting down the minutes until he's the main focus again.
Dr. Strange was filled with cool graphics and introduces us to another rich, overly sarcastic character who will hopefully take Robert Downey Jr.'s place. (There is nothing wrong with Downey Jr., his performances have gotten formulaic and I am getting sick of him playing the same character film after film).
Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is one of the best (if not the best) neurosurgeon in the world. After getting into an automobile accident, his hands become damaged and there is no way to repair them. This leads him to the Himalayas where he begins training under the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton). He begins to learn ways to transport himself between dimensions; yield weapons; and control time.
The villain in Dr. Strange is named Kaecilius, (Mads Mikkelsen) a former student of the Ancient One who wants to harness the power of the dark dimension. He is cool, but there is nothing particularly memorable about him.
Dr. Strange has a dynamic cast: Chiwetel Eljiofor, Rachel McAdams, and Benedict Wong. Of course, all the actors mentioned thus far give great performances, but there is nothing particularly interesting about any of them. McAdams is Dr. Strange's ex-girlfriend who can not seem to let him go despite the fact that he does not treat her well. Wong is the token Asian guy. Eljiofor has the most to do after Cumberbatch, but his arc was sloppy.
Cumberbatch was delightful as the titular character. He was sarcastic, but was able to bring in the subtle nuances of the character as well. Cumberbatch also has great chemistry with Swinton and the scenes they have together are some of the more interesting to watch.
Marvel has gotten a reputation of being the fun, dynamic movie studio and this film, like the others, does have its light hearted moments. Although, I will say that some of the comedic moments in this film felt forced. It also seemed to take itself more seriously than other Marvel films, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.
The problem with that is the film seems to be struggling with the direction it wants to go in. Wong is the one who handles the comedic moments the best. He got the most laughs. Everyone else tries to deliver the funnier lines, but they struggle with the moodiness of their characters.
Dr. Strange is a cool character and I am looking forward to seeing him in future Marvel films. The special effects in the film are awesome. One of the coolest scenes is when Strange fights Kaecillius in the mirror dimension and you see time space being bent in strange and fantastical ways during the battle.
This was a good film, but not a great, memorable one. Cumberbatch is great though and I am sure he will bring an awesome dynamic to any of the other Marvel characters he meets.
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