Doctor Strange (2016)

Review

115min

Genre:     Comic-book, Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Director:  Scott Derrickson

Cast:       Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Mads Mikkelsen…more

Writers:   Jon Spaihts, Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill

-Synopsis-

After an accident ends his high-flying medical career; a egotistical self-styled surgeon sets out on a globe-trotting journey of healing and discovery, only to find hidden dimensions of magic and a supreme sorcerer who will teach him the mystic arts for the imminent fight against universal evil.

Marvel goes mystical!, as Kevin Feige & co. bring the unique Steve Ditko comic creation to the screen, expanding their “Cinematic Universe” (and our minds) while putting the Superhero on a path of Eastern mysticism and Quantum Physics, taking a visual leaf out of the Wachowski/Nolan book of filmmaking to bring you a spectacular cinematic experience.

Benedict Cumberbatch stars as “Dr. Stephen Strange” himself; a hugely talented and successfully but arrogant and self-centred surgeon, whose life and career are left in tatters after an accident which leaves his hands and his confidence crippled. With western medicine providing no solution, “Strange” turns to an ancient eastern solution, only to come under the tutelage of powerful sorcerer “The Ancient One” (Tilda Swinton) and discover infinite possibilities beyond his “reality”, on the path to fighting a dark multi-dimensional menace which threatens the world.

Ever since its origins in the early 1960s, ‘Doctor Strange’ has been a favourite with comics fans and even those not particularly fond of “superhero” themes, thanks to unique narratives which took place in the infinite imperceptible space between the spaces, rather than on earth or in other galactic realms. Creator Steve Ditko somehow predicted or perhaps influenced the “hippy trippy” counter-culture that was to come at the end of the decade, by turning to mind-expanding Eastern mysticism and combining it with magic and fantasy for a new kind of transcendental hero.

Over fifty years later and with the help of an exceptional cast, not to mention all the mind-boggling visuals $165 million can buy; director Scott Derrickson and the good folks at Marvel combine all the ingredients with a some theoretical physics and the “Multiverse” hypothesis, as well as a bit of the ole’ time manipulation, to bring us a thoroughly entertaining veritable feast for the senses and the ultimate “mind over matter” cinematic fantasy.

Cumberbatch brings his considerable charms to the table in taking the eponymous hero to the screen, while the rest of the impressive cast bring their own extensive talents to more thinly drawn roles, with most of the exposition understandably centred around the titular character. Tilda Swinton has rightly garnered praise for her performance as the “guru” who guides both “Strange” and the audience through a new world of infinite possibility, while Mads Mikkelsen brings his intensity to the villain of the piece, and as a warrior/sorcerer himself Chiwetel Ejiofor delivers as always.

In a time when huge blockbuster effects and superhero CGI have become the norm and even dulling in some cases; ‘Doctor Strange’ manages to surprise and delight by managing to translate its left-field concepts into stunning visuals, pushing the boundaries of what an action set piece could be in these kinds of movies. Inspired by previous films which vividly blurred the line between reality and endless possibility while defying the laws of physics, like ‘The Matrix’ and ‘Inception’, Marvel have done an exceptional job with effects that go beyond just mass destruction and fantastical creatures.

Thankfully and typically now for a Marvel movie, the spectacular visuals and high drama are offset by plenty of humour, with “Dr. Stephen Strange’s” personality coming to the fore and making for some great quips and one-liners, as well as some unexpected pop-culture references. But one particular item of clothing almost steals the entire show, and immediately makes it into the list of greatest and most impactful movie costumes ever.

Aside from the humour and the spectacular visuals, which see these “magician super-monks” travelling and Kung-Fu fighting across multiple universes and parallel dimensions of bending cityscapes, ‘Doctor Strange’ is a film with a core message, and that’s where it starts to feel a bit familiar.

There is a noble and omnipresent theme of the mind’s power to change your reality and separating the body from the spirit, opening your mind and moving beyond ego and fear towards something bigger than yourself. These are the fundamental building blocks for “Strange’s” character arc of an egotistical and materialistic high-achiever, who’s brought down to earth only to rebuild himself into someone who fights for the greater good, which essentially the same basic narrative of ‘Iron Man’.

Despite all the novelty of the unique concepts on show, ‘Doctor Strange’ still has many of the familiar narrative steps which you might expect from a film that must play within the “MCU” sandbox and bleed into the rest of the Marvel universe, and rest assured it does. But there’s so much to enjoy here that it hardly seems to matter; it’s unfair to compare this with the Marvel ensemble pieces and more evolved sequels to individual character films, but as an origin story ‘Doctor Strange’ is up there with ‘Iron Man’ and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, and probably better than the rest.

The Bottom Line…

Built on the familiar foundations of the “Marvel Cinematic Universe”, ‘Doctor Strange’ pushes the visual and thematic boundaries of the superhero film while remaining loyal to the comic and providing two hours of pure entertainment. A satisfying and reasonably mind-expanding supernatural experience with plenty of humour, which makes us wonder how these new possibilities tie-in with the rest of the Marvel world… and judging by the end-credits scene we won’t have to wait too long to find out.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Iron Man (2008)

After billionaire playboy arms manufacturer Tony Stark escapes his terrorist kidnappers using a hastily constructed “super-suit”, a change of career and moral focus pits him against former allies and dangerous foes around the world as he tries to protect the innocent and those he loves.

Directed by Jon Favreau and starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeff Bridges among others.

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