Many people believe that superheroes are their own genre. While that may be true, I think it’s overly simplistic as under the overall ‘superhero’ umbrella, there are as many genres as one would find in all other movies. We find everything from the comedy of a ‘Deadpool’ to the dark political thrillers of a ‘Captain America: Winter Soldier, to the fancifulness of Thor all under the title of a “superhero movie”. Whatever your proclivities are, there is a superhero to fit them. ‘Doctor Strange' is a foray into the world of magic and mysticism in the super hero world, which we have not yet truly seen in the Marvel onscreen offerings. Fanboys have been wanting to see Doctor Strange come to life on the screen for a longtime (one doesn’t count the embarrassingly bad TV movie from 1978). Marvel has once again proven it’s ability to make a crowd pleaser and ‘Doctor Strange’ is a welcome addition to the annals of the Marvel onscreen universe. In addition, Marvel demonstrates their ability to perfectly cast their roles and Benedict Cumberbatch is an inspired choice as he embodies the essence of Doctor Strange by the end of the movie.
I was a fickle fan of the Doctor Strange comics growing up. Created in the psychedelic era of the 1960’s by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Doctor Strange was a mind bending psychedelic trip into other dimensions fueled by Steve Ditko’s LSD visions (that’s what artists did at the time). At its’ worst, Doctor Strange was just weird (fitting given his name), but at its’ best, it was an exploration of other realities and thought provoking concepts. While I was not a follower per se, some of the most moving and epiphany producing stories of my youth came from the pages of this comic book series. That is what art is about and for that Steve Ditko has my utmost respect.
Marvel did a fantastic job transferring the pages to the screen. Director Scott Derrickson pays homage to Ditko’s 60’s
psychedelic visions in creating other dimensions and universes directly from Ditko’s storyboards as well as grabbing inspiration from more main stream artists, such as MC Escher, during some of the spectacular battle scenes. Everything you’ve heard about the visual power of this movie is true and the film could be enjoyed on that merit alone. However, what makes Marvel successful is that, despite the fanciful premises, their films are character driven and inhabited by flawed human beings (mostly human). Benedict Cumberbatch captures the arrogant Doctor Strange persona in much the way Robert Downey Jr did with Tony Stark: He is able to take an arrogant, narcissistic, and abrasive character and make them engaging and sympathetic. No easy task and a credit to both the writing and the acting.
The story is standard super hero fare which involves a tragedy, in this case the famed neurosurgeon Doctor Strange losing the use of his hands after a horrific car accident. Given that his entire egotistical self image is tied to his greatness as a surgeon, he spends every last resource he has searching for a way to restore his hands. A chance encounter leads him to Nepal in search of the mysterious ‘Ancient One’ (a politically controversial casting of Tilda Swinton, but she owns the role) in hopes of a non-traditional cure. Rescued from a Nepalese gutter by Baron Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a skeptical Doctor Strange is introduced to a world beyond the comprehension of his scientifically trained mind. Although, in the Marvel world, magic is just science that has not yet been discovered. What follows is the standard teacher/pupil training montage for which I’m a complete sucker.
While never fully explained why the Ancient One would choose such a narcissist as Strange into her order, it is apparent that she sees strength in him. The film’s villain, Kaecilius (Mad Mikkelson) embodies Marvel’s weakness for having mediocre villains, but being the wonderful actor that he is, Mad is able to embody his character with the appropriate level of sinister. Kaecilius has given himself to the Dark arts and worships a Dark Lord named Dormammu who promises eternal life. If it sounds a little Star Warsy, just remember that Doctor Strange was created a full decade before Star Wars and George Lucas was a big comic book fan. Rounding out the cast is a modernized version of Wong. In the comic books, Wong was Doctor Strange’s faithful manservant, embodying all the Asian stereotypes one would imagine. In this version, Wong (coincidentally, played by British actor named Benedict Wong [hmm, two Benedict’s in the same cast])) is more of Strange’s guide and drill sergeant on his journey to mastering the mystic arts.
Despite all this, this film is a standard ‘origin’ movie which the critics predict everyone is getting tired of. I would disagree as the box office receipts prove. There are untapped heroes and genres still out there and while sometimes it’s refreshing to see a hero just dropped into a film fully formed (eg: Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War), there is something inherently gratifying about seeing the creation of a hero. ‘Doctor Strange’ deals with dark and mystical forces, but in the tradition of Marvel, never loses its’ fun and humor when needed. I won’t say this is the best film Marvel has produced, but I am definitely glad it was made. It expands the Marvel Universe to introduce us to other dimensions and multi-verses only briefly hinted at in films like Thor and Ant man. This is another fun time at the movies
I give this film *** 1/2 stars
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