Anthony's Film Review - Doctor Strange (2016)

Marvel introduces a new exciting hero, one who uses visually stunning magic...

The reason that superhero movies from Marvel Studios are so successful, and why the Marvel Cinematic Universe keeps expanding so quickly, is that they follow a two-ingredient formula. Let me explain. The first ingredient is the type of superhero and superpowers. With no bounds to the imaginations of storytellers, there are a lot of options for that. The second ingredient is the non-superhero story genre. Obviously, there are a lot of options for that, too. Now consider the two-ingredient formulas already used in the MCU. Magical powers + Nordic mythology = Thor. Super strength from a lab-developed serum + World War II or 21st-century terrorism = Captain America. Size-changing technology + criminal heists = Ant-Man. You get the idea.

Let's look at Doctor Strange. The superpowers here derive from ancient mystic arts. Imagine the powers of magic and sorcery, allowing one to open portals, alter physical reality, and conjure weapons and shields out of energy drawn from worlds beyond. Whether all of this does good or harm depends on who wields these powers. In this film, there are characters on both sides of a mystical war. The side of good includes Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Wong (Benedict Wong), and the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), who eventually have to deal with the dark disciple Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen) and his minions.

As for the second ingredient of a non-superhero story genre, it's a medical drama. The title character is neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who gets into a horrible car accident that leaves his hands barely functioning. He's so desperate to get his hands back that physical therapy doesn't feel like it's enough. One day, he learns from a former patient about mystical powers that could be found somewhere in Nepal, something that not even science can explain. Strange makes the journey there, and his life will soon change.

This movie is largely about Strange's journey from an ordinary scientifically-minded surgeon to a powerful mystic wielding magical powers. It takes time for him to master these new skills, but he does it and ends up on par with Mordo, Wong, and the Ancient One. This comes just as threats from Kaecilius and his followers get serious.

I find it interesting that the medical drama portion of Doctor Strange isn't there only for introductory purposes. There are scenes that merge medicine and mysticism. Without going into too much detail, one scene involves efforts to save someone's life on an operating table, occurring simultaneously with a duel between Doctor Strange and an adversary in the same operating room while in nonphysical spirit form. It just goes to show how Marvel Studios is not afraid to meld two unrelated things into the same plot.

This MCU movie has a simple plot, a typical villain, and standard action. This is the sort of thing you'll hear me say with plenty of other MCU movies. The question then is whether there are unique elements on top of it. I've already mentioned some of them. Here's another: visually stunning effects. The best example of this is the sequence where, due to the magic being used, the city of New York gets opened up, folded, morphed, and altered in random ways, all while the heroes and villains are navigating the mess to defeat each other.

All in all, Doctor Strange is a good movie with standard MCU elements plus interesting new stuff.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Doctor Strange, visit the Internet Movie Database.