Film A Strange Movie
Dr. Strange is, appropriately enough, a strange movie. It is both something new and yet the exact same thing we've come to expect from Marvel Origin Movies lately.
The story of Steven Strange is one tread upon repeatedly, using what I like to call the Marvel Origin Movie Formula: Person has a problem, finds solution via gaining/making powers, training montage of improving those abilities, enter main villain, small fight with villain leading up to bigger fight with villain. There are, however, several points that this movie vastly breaks away from the mold. The first point is the setting. Magic might have been touched upon in Thor, but they go head first into the deep end of using magic in this movie. It helps it to stand out from the other films. Second is the climax. It's a clever change from the usual ultimate battle finale we've come to expect from these films, having Strange use his brain instead of his power to win.
The characters are, unfortunately, total retreads as well. Dr. Strange particularly feels like another Tony Stark. A lot of the character development is easy to see coming, though I have to say there are a few scenes that, again, help to break away from the usual for Marvel. The villain of the picture has a nice monologue that, gasp, gives him character. Not a lot, but it's more than usual for many Marvel movie villains. Unfortunately, he and a particular other villain seem to be cast aside, but thankfully there's a chance left open for both of them to come back rather than just outright crossing them off. There's a touching and interesting scene with the mentor of the film, and it's nice that, in a refreshing change of pace, everyone is willing to call out the main character for his...Stark-ness.
The effects in this film are most definitely the main star. They are amazing to see. The magic blends perfectly with the live action, it's almost impossible to tell it's fake. That said, however, the 3D isn't sold on me. I don't know if it's because I've gotten used to 3D or what, but it seems to still fall a little flat.
The action in this movie is pretty damn cool, mostly because of said effects being incorporated into it. There is one particular shot in the movie that I think was meant to be the big "HELL YEAH" moment, and I am so very, very glad that it wasn't spoiled in advertising because it made that shot all the more glamorous.
The long and short of the film is this: If you love the Marvel Origin Movie formula, you'll love this movie. If you're getting tired of the formula, you'll be pleasantly surprised with a couple of things in the film and enjoy the new atmosphere made by being immersed in the magical side of the MCU. Strange is a good addition to the MCU, but it's hard to look past the fact that Marvel's kinda stuck in a rut with the formula. Here's hoping Spider-Man and Black Panther will break the mold.
9/10
Film Everything Wrong with: Doctor Strange
God damn this movie was great ! But it was still an origin story, as trippy and original as it was, it's still a god damn origin story. It felt like the creative potential was bounded by this overused format, and it did as well as it could, and the results are there, the movie is great, but why isn't it the best ? Well you can blame the format first. With the time you'd think that they'd understand that origin stories aren't good idea, but no here they go again. But this time it's different, because Doctor Strange is such an iconic character, a figurehead of the magic, that showing him inexperienced made me question his true abilities. The only real "Doctor Strange" moment was in the first post credit scene. He should be at the same level as the ancient one, if not above. They should have showed his true power right from the start and introduce his backstory through flashbacks. Though I liked that he wasn't an extremely good fighter right from the start, he kinda on his magic. And that's the character, but they want to address his flaws and fix him, but that's what make the comic character so good: he's an asshole, he's very serious and practical. Don't show one of the most powerful character who's so full of himself in a not experienced position. And let the public learn to love to hate him, because all characters can't be lovable (and damn it did well for Tony Stark).
I just wish they spent more time explaining the diversity of magic, there is so much more to magic in pop culture. We get the eye of Agamotto as and infinity stone, and this was really a very good element lf the movie, it allowed a better resolution at the end. Visually speaking, that movie is a gem, but it looked a bit like they relied on that for the whole movie, it sure added to the identity, but you have to see past this. They took advantage of this multiple universe story to go everywhere BUT earth. We didn't quite get to understand the scale of it since we're stuck with Strange in Nepal. Now, the soundtrack is very good sounding but I don't think it fits the character, it was very much like the Star Trek soundtrack: too hopeful toward the end of the main part but with a great melody. But Doc Strange shouldn't be like that, he should be mysterious in some ways. All of those three composed in a theme music that would fit every of his apparition. The idea of using a harpsichord was great, exactly what I wanted to so for Doctor Strange, this creepy vibe. This movie was really good, as good as an origin story can be thanks to the extraordinary visuals. Benedict Cumberbatch is the man, really good. They did good when they could have done bad, now they have everything they need to make a better sequel with a Doctor Strange who's like the kingpin of all magic. And for god's sake give us structure, structure for the movie (an original one) and structure for all magic in the MCU, give details !
Film Don't Like Marvel Movies? Watch This One Instead
It's almost November now, and I don't think many could say it has been a good year for Superhero movies. With the exception of the decent Deadpool, Marvel movies have been trotting out their safe, bland, slightly boring Avengers fair. X-men squandered the goodwill created by Future Past with their own crappy third entry. And DC have been doing their damnedest to release nothing but awful movies. I hadn't seen a superhero movie this whole year that I would actually call good. Doctor Strange is good.
Benedict Cumberbatch seems an unlikely choice as a superhero lead. Stereotypical British super villain maybe, but as far as these movies go, they have always favoured two-fisted beefcakes over skinny intellectual types. But it turns out to be an inspired choice to present an altogether different kind of superhero.
I didn't know a damn thing about Jonathan Strange as a comic book character, going into this movie, so I had no idea what to expect. The movie starts with a fancy new Marvel logo that goes on for about twenty minutes. When the movie gets to start, we are treated to a snappy, efficiently established story. Cumberpatch does his version of House, giving us a brilliant yet arrogant neurosurgeon who pisses all over his colleagues. He ruins his hands in a car accident, and when cutting edge medicine fails to get his livelihood back he journeys to Nepal, to find what he hoped was an experimental new medical technique but is actually a temple of reality bending wizards instead.
There are a few things that makes Strange stand out. Firstly, it knows how to balance its action and plot development. There's none of this previous business of frontloading all the exposition and then saving the action for a 40 minute slug out at the end. Speaking of the action as well, it is consistently more visually interesting and imaginative than anything Marvel has thrown at us before. This is a psychedelic world where architecture rapidly refolds and forms fractals throughout fights. It feels like all the most interesting parts of Inception thrown in to a much more condensed package.
Then there's the humour. Marvel have always depended on a smartarse lead to throw out smart remarks, but this one feels a lot funnier than other superhero movies. Cumberbatch and Tilda Swinton have a wonderful chemistry, where they bounce quick little bits off one another over cups of tea, often making the thing feel closer to a BBC period piece than a Disney blockbuster.
The final difference is that we have a protagonist who doesn't want to fight people. Dr Strange is constantly reminding people he's a Doctor (goddamnit) and its not his job to punch people or blowup monsters. It's refreshing to see a smarter hero who tries to resolve conflict by refusing to join in.
Strange is a funny, clever and thoroughly entertaining comic book movie that is perfect for people who are tired of comic book movies. Go watch it.
Film Formula isn't a bad thing.
I am a die-hard fan of the MCU. It isn't perfect, and not every film/TV show within in it is flawless (looking at you Iron Man 2 and Thor: The Dark World), but they've yet to release a single truly bad piece of work. That having been said though, each film does follow a particular formula in terms of story structure, and all (especially the origin films) share similar elements:
- Down on his luck/arrogant main lead.
- Gets powers usually under dire circumstances (Tony being trapped by terrorists, Thor being unworthy, World War II in Cap 1 etc.)
- Love Interest that starts off kind of bossy but grows warmer to the main lead once he goes through character development.
- Villain who shares similar powers to protagonist
- Lots of quips
- Lots of big, CGI filled action sequences
- Cast of colorful side characters
It even manages to overcome a few staple Marvel flaws, as the soundtrack is amazing and Mads Mikkelsen's Kaecilius, whilst he won't be on anyone's top 10 best villains of all time list, is still a solid foe due to his coherent motivation and Mikkelsen's menacing performance.
Flaws, however, are a plenty. There is a bit of inconsistency with how the magic works, Rachel Mc Adams has pretty much nothing to do throughout the entire film and feels perfunctory, the pacing is wonky at times...and then there's the Ancient One. Tilda Swinton is great as the Ancient One, she might be my favorite character in the film, however, this doesn't change the fact that the character is white-washed. I realise there were extenuating circumstances behind the casting choice but it doesn't remove the implications of having taken away the role of asian character and given it a white person. Being white myself, I can't really talk about this, as I'm not knowledgeable enough, however I do believe it is a mark against the film.
All in all though, Doctor Strange is fun, and worthy of a hearty recommendation. Oh, and stay through the credits. DORMAMMU, I'VE COME TO BARGAIN WITH YOU!
Film Good, but not impressive, MCU origin story
Many superheroes have joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe over time, and the latest is the sorcerer known as Doctor Strange. This film takes on the necessary task of telling his origin story, and does it well, albeit not spectacularly.
The plot's essentially similar to some of the other MCU origin stories- a hero acquires power and after learning how to use it, must defeat a foe who started out similarly but went down a dark path. As a result of this, it spends a lot of time on the hero training and undergoing Character Development, resulting in a relatively slow pace in the early to middle film.
This film nicely expands on the MCU by exploring the concept of magic and the existence of the multiverse. It's clear that Strange and his fellow sorcerers occupy a different sphere and deal with different threats than the Avengers, but it's clear that the two groups will likely end up interacting later on in the franchise, which should be interesting to see.
One unfortunate part, though, is that Strange himself is unlikable for much of the story. He starts out as a Jerk Ass who lashes out at those trying to help him after a disaster that he brought upon himself, and initially chooses to learn magic for fairly selfish reasons. He does ultimately change for the better, but it comes off as a bit forced. He does have a knack for good one-liners and snarky quips, though, which does help make him entertaining to watch.
The special effects are quite impressive, and do a good job of depicting sights from modern cityscapes that are spatially twisted and folded to alien universes like the Dark Dimension. The fights aren't all that impressive to watch, but it's quite nice to see Strange win with brilliant plans rather than raw power.
All in all, I'd recommend Dr. Strange to anyone who's enjoyed the MCU thus far, but if you're not too fond of the franchise or the formula for its origin stories, don't expect it to change your mind.