By this point, Marvel Studios is a well-oiled blockbuster machine, capable of producing commercial hits without batting an eye. Yet film critics routinely pan their overreliance on a formula, resulting in predictable plot structures and undeveloped villains, which is reflected in their latest film, Doctor Strange. However, while Doctor Strange embraces much of what made the studio’s prior films succeed, it opts to carve its own path with a bold vision, making the formula seem fresh and new.
Based on the eponymous character from Steve Ditko’s graphic novels, the film follows the highly-skilled yet arrogant neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). After a car accident impairs his ability to use his hands, he searches for the means to heal them. His quest leads him to Kathmandu, Nepal, where he becomes the pupil of the powerful Ancient One (Tilda Swinton). Strange soon learns of powers and dimensions beyond our world and of the man who seeks to destroy the world, in the form of the Ancient One’s former pupil, Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen). Strange is forced to embrace his potential as a sorcerer to fight back against Kaecilius and his followers before they can unleash the dark entity Dormammu on the multiverse.
Not since Guardians of the Galaxy has a Marvel Studios film felt so unique and cohesive. Like James Gunn before him, director Scott Derrickson (Sinister, The Exorcism of Emily Rose) brings his experience from working on supernatural horror films to Doctor Strange. Make no mistake: while this film is very much a superhero action flick, there are moments of genuine tension and terror that break from the conventions of the genre. However, the violence and gruesome visuals don’t feel out of place, and in fact enhance the indescribable fantasy world that the audience, like Stephen Strange himself, grows to both admire and fear.
On a visual level, this is less a film as it is an LSD-fueled trip into the pages of an early 1960s Marvel comic book. True to the character’s psychedelic roots, Derrickson is keen to milk his massive budget ($165 million) and every cent is shown on-screen. The Inception-like folding skyscrapers and city streets seen in the trailer are just the tip of the iceberg for what the film has in store. Taking visual cues from 2001: A Space Odyssey and Logan’s Run, Doctor Strange embraces the potential of its high-concept 60s source material and delivers something truly beautiful and authentic.
Doctor Strange is a Marvel Studios film through and through, which is where its flaws unfortunately become evident. For all the film’s posturing, Kaecilius isn’t a particularly interesting villain, having only a cursory mention of a semi-tragic backstory. Dormammu, a far more interesting character, doesn’t even appear until the film’s final moments, which feels like the character has been squandered in favor of a generic power-hungry “fallen student” villain (think Syndrome from The Incredibles) seen in countless films before.
Fortunately, the actors sell the hell out of their roles, especially Cumberbatch and Swinton.
Cumberbatch seems completely game for the film’s goofier moments, such as when his cape literally comes to life and beats up bad guys, which perfectly contrasts his usual steely demeanor and cold features. While the “hero gets his arrogance beaten out of him” shtick isn’t new, Cumberbatch’s delivery of the film’s dry sense of humor makes it feel more natural. Swinton, despite legitimate criticisms of whitewashing in Hollywood, makes the role her own. Her androgynous appearance and restrained British theater sensibilities give her version of the Ancient One an ethereal presence and regality befitting the title “Sorcerer Supreme.”
Doctor Strange is visual blockbuster filmmaking at its peak, continuously evoking a sense of childlike wonder in the audience. What it lacks in plot originality is more than made up for in pure filmmaking creativity and ingenuity. Doctor Strange is truly movie magic.
Grade: A-
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