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| Doctor Strange (2016) |
Okay, let me start with the best thing about this movie and, really, its selling point: the visuals. These might be some of the best effects I've ever seen in a movie. I'm sitting there in the theatre watching the scene where Strange is sent through various dimensions and my jaw is on the floor. Not only are the Mystic Arts fairly well defined for this universe, but they use them really effectively to give us some truly unique action scenes. Right from the word go, with the bending gravity to fight on that wall, that was already something I'd never seen before, but then you throw in everything that comes after it. And it's used in instalments, as well. The first major fight scene is Strange versus some zealots, and the magic used is varied, well executed and engaging. Then, you have the fight scene in the city that's folding in on itself in the Mirror Dimension, which is just mind bogglingly amazing to look at. Follow that up with a fight scene that takes place while time is reversing around everyone, and my mind is blown. I have no idea how they pulled some of this stuff off while still making it look real, exciting and easy enough to follow. Not to mention explaining all we need to know about how the Mystic Arts work to help us along. I will say that the time jump while Strange is learning is a little poorly defined, and on a first watch makes it seem like he went from amateur to seasoned pro in a matter of days, but Strange's appearance throughout does well enough to let us know that enough time has passed. He's a strong learner, and is apparently something of a prodigy, but we still feel like he has a long way to go.
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| Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange |
The character of Stephen Strange is also an interesting one. He feels very Tony Stark, in that he's a jerk at the beginning, and it's his personal growth that makes him redeemable. That and he's played by a great actor. Seriously, prior to the casting announcement, I was all on board with Cumberbatch playing this character, and he did an excellent job. Right down to the little things, like the shaking hands. If you look carefully in some scenes, you can still see his hands twitching while he's performing complicated magic with some of those spells. That's damn impressive, and Cumberbatch also does well with the general emotion and heart of the character. He really nails every aspect of Stephen Strange, and his voice is just different enough from how it usually is that it helps him seem not so much like Benedict Cumberbatch. It's not just an American accent, he's also doing it slightly more higher-pitched than his usual voice. I shouldn't be surprised, Cumberbatch is very good at impressions and accents, but he really needed to set this role apart from Sherlock in that regard, and he absolutely did. He even nails the comedic moments and, while there are a few, there aren't as many as there have been in other MCU movies. I should say there aren't as many effective jokes as there are in other MCU movies. When the comedy's good, it's great, but more jokes than usual don't quite land. I'm not sure what it is, maybe it's that this is a more serious MCU film than others, particularly since it also functions as something of a martial arts movie, but the comedy doesn't always deliver like the traditional Marvel humour usually does.
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| Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo |
I've talked about Strange, so let's go over the rest of the cast. Chiwetel Ejiofor as brilliant as Mordo. He has this presence that just commands the screen, and I'm hanging off every word he says, even the more expositional moments. He has a great comradery with Strange, and his arc is so believable that I'm not upset at the place the character ends up; it feels perfectly natural, in fact. His faith in the Ancient One was so strong, and his trust in the natural order so solid that losing faith in either would break him. I'm excited to see him as a villain moving forward; I think he could end up as one of the great MCU villains. Rachel McAdams was a great love interest, but what was so great about it was how non-love interest she was. Palmer and Strange had already been in a relationship, and she's still there for him as a friend. There aren't even many hints that they both still like each other; it mainly explores Strange's regret at not treating her right prior to him no longer being a jerk. That's not only a unique angle to explore, but it's also really believable; there are going to be real-world relationships that are exactly like this, and Cumberbatch and McAdams do very well in this regard. As for Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One, I thought she was excellent. I know there were criticisms that casting Swinton was whitewashing, but think of it this way: playing the character the way he's portrayed in the comics would also have garnered criticism for adhering to old-fashioned tropes. They have a line in the film that many have held the title of 'Ancient One'; this version of the character just isn't the same exact version as the one from the comics. Regardless, the role was written for Swinton as a 'lesser of two evils' situation, and she was fantastic. She has the gravitas and authority to carry off the more mentor-y/demanding moments, but is also playful enough to justify the more light-hearted moments of the character. She finds a good balance, and it's great to watch.
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| Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One |
Now, for the villain. I actually like Kaecilius for this movie. It's another Ant-Man situation where the powers are so unique that it's okay to pit our hero against a palette swap of himself for now, and it honestly helps us follow the crazy action sequences a little better. Not only that, but I love how misguided he is. He legitimately believes that Dormammu will save the world, having become disenchanted with the Ancient One as would later happen to Mordo. You can see it in his eyes when he's explaining himself to Strange, and Mads Mikkelsen absolutely crushes it in this role. He doesn't have as many moments like this as I'd like, but what we get is fantastic. I'm always inclined to find a villain who legitimately believes they are in the right and are trying to do good in their own, misguided way far more interesting than your stock-standard 'take over the world' villain. Dormammu technically is the latter, but his involvement is minimal, so it's fine. Dormammu also leads us to perhaps the most creative final climax we've seen in the MCU thus far. I love how it takes the traditional 'beat the bad guy at his own game' trope and looks at it from another angle, not beating the villain through brawn, but with brains. That really is Strange's greatest strength, and it's so different and new that it honestly might be my favourite final encounter in the MCU up to this point. I also really like how Benedict Cumberbatch also did the motion capture for Dormammu. Having Dormammu mimic Strange's appearance to communicate with him and keep his true form hidden really makes him all that scarier. It's little touches like that along with the way the watch is used for subtle symbolism throughout that really turn this movie into something special for me.
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| Mads Mikkelsen as Kaecilius |
I'm not sure what it is, but Doctor Strange (2016) is a really great movie, and is probably up there with the MCU's best. I'm excited to see what they do with this character and the Mystic Arts in general moving forward, though we still have a long way to go to get there. 9/10.
Next, it's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
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