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My Rating:
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REVIEWED: Dr. Strange (2016)
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch | Chiwetel Ejiofor | Rachel McAdams | Benedict Wong | Mads Mikkelsen | Tilda Swinton Genres: Fantasy | Action | Adventure IMDB Synopsis: While on a journey of physical and spiritual healing, a brilliant neurosurgeon is drawn into the world of the mystic arts. |
Here be spoilers.
Imagine if Dr. Gregory House was suddenly given extraordinary magical powers. Sure, he’d do good things with them, but he’d be a total ass the entire time because let’s face it, strength without humility is a frightening thing. If you can imagine this scenario, then you can imagine Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), the newest superhero to be introduced by the powerful Marvel Studios.
Beginning Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Dr. Strange has an intriguing, complex character and some of the best visuals since Guardians of the Galaxy. Cumberbatch seems perfectly tailored to play a highly successful surgeon whose steady hands, excellent reflexes and sharp mind have made him almost as legendary in medical circles as he is in his own mind. While his arrogance is infuriating, it’s difficult to argue with his success in the surgical theater. His success in other parts of this life, particularly in his romantic relationship with Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams), is more elusive however. But everything changes when Strange sends his sports car careening off a mountain road, shattering most of his body including his priceless hands. Although surgery keeps him intact, his career is over — even though his pride won’t allow him to accept this.
In desperation, Strange travels to Kathmandu in search of a hidden society called Kamar-Taj, where practitioners of the mystical arts can apparently cure the incurable. Initially expelled from the sanctuary, the clan’s leader, known only as The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), eventually comes to appreciate Strange’s persistence and agrees to train him. Once embraced, Strange ravenously absorbs the brotherhood’s arcane knowledge and, in the great tradition of every martial arts film ever, the arrogant student learns humility and compassion. As his powers increase, he finds himself embroiled in a metaphysical war against a former student of The Ancient Once who’s helping a malevolent force jump through dimensions to conquer Earth. In order to stop this incursion, Strange must master his most potent weapon — the manipulation of time itself.
Dr. Strange has been compared to Inception (2010), another film which dealt with the fragmentation of reality and was filled with stunning visual effects. Certainly you can say that Dr. Strange takes the Marvel films to a new dimension on many levels and will undoubtedly serve as a lynchpin between the various franchises. All of this makes Dr. Strange both an important movie as well as a compelling one. Unfortunately, it’s also a rather dull film. Cumberbatch does a fine job playing an insufferable dick, but it’s hard to watch him because, you know, he’s an insufferable dick. When the character’s inevitable redemption comes later in the film, I found I didn’t care very much. Add to that a plot filled with tired martial arts tropes and you get a product which is attractive without being very satisfying. While Dr. Strange is not a bad film, it’s reluctance to explore new territory makes it one of Marvel’s more forgettable offerings.
Imagine if Dr. Gregory House was suddenly given extraordinary magical powers. Sure, he’d do good things with them, but he’d be a total ass the entire time because let’s face it, strength without humility is a frightening thing. If you can imagine this scenario, then you can imagine Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), the newest superhero to be introduced by the powerful Marvel Studios.
Beginning Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Dr. Strange has an intriguing, complex character and some of the best visuals since Guardians of the Galaxy. Cumberbatch seems perfectly tailored to play a highly successful surgeon whose steady hands, excellent reflexes and sharp mind have made him almost as legendary in medical circles as he is in his own mind. While his arrogance is infuriating, it’s difficult to argue with his success in the surgical theater. His success in other parts of this life, particularly in his romantic relationship with Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams), is more elusive however. But everything changes when Strange sends his sports car careening off a mountain road, shattering most of his body including his priceless hands. Although surgery keeps him intact, his career is over — even though his pride won’t allow him to accept this.
In desperation, Strange travels to Kathmandu in search of a hidden society called Kamar-Taj, where practitioners of the mystical arts can apparently cure the incurable. Initially expelled from the sanctuary, the clan’s leader, known only as The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), eventually comes to appreciate Strange’s persistence and agrees to train him. Once embraced, Strange ravenously absorbs the brotherhood’s arcane knowledge and, in the great tradition of every martial arts film ever, the arrogant student learns humility and compassion. As his powers increase, he finds himself embroiled in a metaphysical war against a former student of The Ancient Once who’s helping a malevolent force jump through dimensions to conquer Earth. In order to stop this incursion, Strange must master his most potent weapon — the manipulation of time itself.
Dr. Strange has been compared to Inception (2010), another film which dealt with the fragmentation of reality and was filled with stunning visual effects. Certainly you can say that Dr. Strange takes the Marvel films to a new dimension on many levels and will undoubtedly serve as a lynchpin between the various franchises. All of this makes Dr. Strange both an important movie as well as a compelling one. Unfortunately, it’s also a rather dull film. Cumberbatch does a fine job playing an insufferable dick, but it’s hard to watch him because, you know, he’s an insufferable dick. When the character’s inevitable redemption comes later in the film, I found I didn’t care very much. Add to that a plot filled with tired martial arts tropes and you get a product which is attractive without being very satisfying. While Dr. Strange is not a bad film, it’s reluctance to explore new territory makes it one of Marvel’s more forgettable offerings.
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