Doctor Strange [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray] [2016]

From the outset where Marvel Studios shows off its brand new logo that features clips of its heroes in action from previous films rather than clips of art from their older comic books it is clear just how much of a brand this studio and their particular type of super hero films have become. What is more telling though, is just how aware Marvel is of this fact and how boldly they state their accomplishments in this re-branding of their title card. This slight boasting by the company sets up good and bad expectations for the film that proceeds it as Doctor Strange very much operates within the familiar world Marvel has built while at the same time reminding us of just how high Marvel can fly leaving this rule of a movie to be something of a letdown. Of course, that is the one glaring barrier all Marvel movies now have to overcome in how do they not just play as large scale TV episodes, but more singular stories that feel worthy of the big screen treatment. It's not necessarily that Dr. Stephen Strange isn't worthy of such treatment, but more in the pantheon of all Marvel has done before and all it plans to do in the future this initial outing with the soon-to-be Sorcerer Supreme feels as brisk and as superfluous to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as The Incredible Hulk now ranks. Not that Doctor Strange doesn't introduce a whole new dimension of possibilities to the MCU, but were this film to not work out the way Marvel expects it to for some reason they could essentially ignore its existence and move on with the physical dangers the film tells us The Avengers protect our world from. That won't happen, of course, but that's the type of indifferent feeling director Scott Derrickson's (The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Sinister) take on a Marvel property unfortunately conjures up. Making this worse is the fact that Doctor Strange features some of the more daring and downright trippy visuals that have been seen in a Marvel movie as well as some of the weirder sequences in the studios filmography that, while visually enchanting, make it even more apparent just how standard the narrative is. Why Marvel and Kevin Feige were willing to go out on something of a risky limb with their visuals as well as just how far Strange can push his powers, but not with the story that brings the titular Doctor into the world of magic and mysticism is a little perplexing, but at the end of the day it's clear this is a board room picture designed to change up Marvel's winning formula just enough so as to appear to be something new and different, but what in reality will rely on the same tricks that have guaranteed consistent hints for eight years now.

I have admittedly no familiarity with Dr. Strange lore as presented in the comics; my knowledge of any departures from Marvel's printed canon about Dr. Strange or his universe came from the online headlines/complaints about the movie as it was under production. In that sense, I'm probably not in a good position to tell you whether you'll enjoy this flick as a longtime fan of the comics or not. But I can tell you that as a fan of superhero movies and popcorn flicks in general, this one was wonderful, and probably turned out better than it had any right to. Yes, I get it...Disney is altering the canonical backstories and characters to make them more family-friendly, but in my mind...so what? In the end, the Marvel Mouse House have made a wonderfully entertaining movie that gave neophytes and cinephiles a solid introduction to the Dr. Strange character and his rather obvious (but still enjoyable) connections to the larger MCU; I honestly can't wait to see how this character plays out in the next Thor outing or the larger Infinity Wars story line. So say what you will about whether this is true to the source material or not...if that's what concerns you, you've probably already made up your mind about the movie. But if you're just wondering if this is worth a blind buy...hey, my kids loved it, my wife loved it, I loved it, and none of us had any more than cursory familiarity with Dr. Strange at all. Being fans of Sherlock, we figured Benedict Cumberbatch would be a great actor in this role (sans the British backdrop) and he definitely didn't disappoint...but then neither did the rest of the cast. Some great visuals, a fun origin story, some snappy dialog and decent set pieces...there's very little to be disappointed with in this film if you're simply looking to have a good time at the movies!

As Marvel adaptations go, most are decent. This one is great and worth the price for any Geek's media library. Doctor Strange is not at all strange, and I expect this level of talent and power from all my doctors, including my dentist. To start, Benedict Cumberbatch, as all his roles are typically arrogant and egotistically sophisticated, comes off as an EMO donkey with a heart of cold stainless steel. I expect his preferred cologne to be a titillating combination of rubbing alcohol and scotch. And I love him for it! He's a medical genius that can absorb massive amounts of information quickly and comprehend it, and he has a nifty collection of watches. A superhero with an eye-on-the-clock mentality, that's genius! Mr. Doctor Strange, Neurosurgeon Extraordinaire only Achilles Heel is an inability to multitask... whilst driving in the rain he's listening to the radio, chatting on the phone, working a medical case, considering buying another watch, and facing life's most trying dilemma, should men be able to cry without being judged. He loses the romantic endowment and robotic precision of his long fingered hands (freak!) after a nasty accident involving his Lamborghini hydroplaning in an average, global-warming induced rain storm. But hope persists when the powers of self-indulgent EMO and serene Eastern Philosophy commingle to produce sorcery. But eastern philosophy requires a spiritual master... Pat Morita and Jackie Chan as Mr. Miyagi were both unavailable. So who else could train Doctor Strange... but the most powerful mystic in all the realms, Tilda Swinton! Yes, the snow queen of Narnia, the white witch herself! Enjoy this movie as I have enjoyed it!!!

As Marvel adaptations go, most are decent. This one is great and worth the price for any Geek's media library. Doctor Strange is not at all strange, and I expect this level of talent and power from all my doctors, including my dentist. To start, Benedict Cumberbatch, as all his roles are typically arrogant and egotistically sophisticated, comes off as an EMO donkey with a heart of cold stainless steel. I expect his preferred cologne to be a titillating combination of rubbing alcohol and scotch. And I love him for it! He's a medical genius that can absorb massive amounts of information quickly and comprehend it, and he has a nifty collection of watches. A superhero with an eye-on-the-clock mentality, that's genius! Mr. Doctor Strange, Neurosurgeon Extraordinaire only Achilles Heel is an inability to multitask... whilst driving in the rain he's listening to the radio, chatting on the phone, working a medical case, considering buying another watch, and facing life's most trying dilemma, should men be able to cry without being judged. He loses the romantic endowment and robotic precision of his long fingered hands (freak!) after a nasty accident involving his Lamborghini hydroplaning in an average, global-warming induced rain storm. But hope persists when the powers of self-indulgent EMO and serene Eastern Philosophy commingle to produce sorcery. But eastern philosophy requires a spiritual master... Pat Morita and Jackie Chan as Mr. Miyagi were both unavailable. So who else could train Doctor Strange... but the most powerful mystic in all the realms, Tilda Swinton! Yes, the snow queen of Narnia, the white witch herself! Enjoy this movie as I have enjoyed it!!!

Dr. Strange sets itself apart from the standard marvel fare with wizards, extra dimensions, and entities of unspeakable power. The visuals in the movie are nothing short of fantastic. From Inception inspired melding cityscapes to psychedelic trips through the astral plain, the film really goes all out in delivering a unique visual cinematic experience. The setting, along with some truly amazing, mind beading visuals, are just window dressing for what is ultimately a "by the numbers" Marvel outing. The central villain Kaecilius is a mostly one dimensional villain, who with the motivation of ending death, seeks to plunge all of earth into the "dark dimension". Kaecilius is ultimately similar to Ronan, and Maelkith of Gaurdians and Thor: Dark World fame. More interesting beats found in Civil War's Zemo are absent here. Ultimately though, as an origin film, the story requires introducing the titular protagonist as well as a new magical aspect of the Marvel universe. Having in a cut and paste villain in this context works. Benedict Cumberbatch does an excellent job as Steven Strange. Despite being highly intelligent and wealthy Cumberbatch's interpretation doesn't come across as another "Tony Stark". The movie also serves as an origin tale of sorts for Chiwetel Ejiofor's Mordo, while Tilda Swinton also puts in a respectable outing as the "Ancient One". The visuals are truly what make this film stand apart. If you have a solid home theater, this film is an excellent reference title to show what it can do, all while giving you an entertaining, if a little familiar, ride.

I enjoyed this film. I don't know that much about the character but I love how innovative this film was. At the end you will see how this superhero fits into the later phase of the MCU. It sets up that the Avengers are set to defend the world from beings from not only out of this world but from different dimensions. The beginning of the film felt a lot like the first Iron Man. A highly successful pompous man who rediscovers himself through becoming a hero. Unlike Downey where he portrays a smart Alex that you hate to love, Cumberbatch plays a downright jerk. However it makes it worthwhile when the Ancient one shows him the magical sorcerer powers. One issue I have with the movie is I didn't know how much time has passed in the movie. It seems like Strange gets into an accident, tries to find a way to heal himself, trains under the tutelage of the Ancient One and becomes the infamous hero in a few days. Yes I understand it would take more than a few days, however I felt that this film couldn't really grasp on how much time has passed. It was fun to see all of the powers that the sorcerers possess. This film also looks great in 3D, whenever the characters go into the interdimension it has a cool khalediscope look. I also love the ending, which deals with time lapses. Overall I enjoyed the film, it took a weird character and setup some creative scenes to go along with the weird aspect of the character. Great film and I recommend it for anyone who wants to see an interesting take on action scenes and superhero films.

Let me start by stating that I'm a huge Marvel fan and as a rule have enjoyed almost all the movies. Notable exceptions to that rule would be "Thor: The Dark World" and "Iron Man 2". I would say that Dr. Strange is a cut above those two movies in the fact that it's less schizophrenic on the story it's trying to tell. It's very clear what led Stephen Strange to this point and also illustrates very well how it's not in his nature to accept the fact that there is magic in the world that can't be explained by science. I think where the movie missed the mark a bit is in explaining his training and how he got to where he was. While he may have a photographic memory and retains all the spells, that doesn't explain how basically overnight he was able to master complex martial arts and basically stand up to a "master" in several spots in the movie. I guess it relies on the implied "just trust me, he learned it" but in doing so, I think it removes the believability (if you can use that in a movie like this) that the character could achieve the degree of capability needed. Additionally, the final battle in the movie was a bit anticlimactic and kind of leaves you going "so that's it?" at the end. While I would recommend, you shouldn't go into this movie thinking it's going to be a Marvel movie on par with "Avengers", "Winter Soldier", "Civil War", or even "Ant Man" (which was a surprise hit).

I honestly didn't have really high hopes for this film initially. I used to read the occasional Dr Strange comic growing up but it's such a difficult character to translate to film. I remember the awful made for TV movie I saw as a kid but just barely. I know this would be better than that and Marvel always has high production values. I was completely blown away by how good this is. Even my girlfriend who had never even heard of the character before really enjoyed it. The movie is visually stunning and best of all a LOT of fun. Even those who have never seen a Marvel movie (is there anyone who hasn't?) Will not feel at all lost. This movie is a blast. For the comic fan there are a ton of little nods, the visuals of the dark dimension are straight out of the artwork from the books ( I can remember seeing a panel is the comics with all the hands reaching for Dr Strange). It doesn't take itself too seriously, Cumberbatch is PERFECT, he captures the characters arrogance dead on but still makes you like him. Don't skip this one just because it doesn't have any of The Avengers in it ( watch through the end credits for TWO teaser scenes). I can't wait to see more of Dr Strange in Infinity War and hopefully his own sequel.