Benedict Cumberbatch
Movie Review | “Doctor Strange” is Not Your Usual Marvel Superhero Movie and It’s a Good Thing (Spoilers Ahead)
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Disclaimer: Spoilers Ahead. Leave now if you haven’t watched “Doctor Strange” yet.
Before watching “Doctor Strange”, I had little information about it. But I was very curious because I felt he was an unusual superhero. So, Marc and I spontaneously watched it on the first day.
Just a note: Since I was exposed to the usual Marvel movies full of physical action and almost having the same formula (Iron Man, Thor, Avengers, Captain America, Civil War), I expected “Doctor Strange” to be like that. However, the moment the first scene came out, I knew it’s gong to be an interesting Marvel movie. So I sat back, relaxed, listened, and watched.
Another warning: Everything after this post will contain spoilers. If you haven’t watched the movie yet, it’s best to stop reading and just look at my other blog posts haha XD
“Doctor Strange” is not your usual Marvel movie and that’s good. It was something new, giving everyone a different perspective on what being a superhero is about.
Cinematography/Visualization
One of the things that I loved about “Doctor Strange” is the visualization. Seeing the magical and colorful visuals made the movie more awesome than the usual brawns of other Marvel movies. For lack of better term, it is livelier with sorcerers using magic together with physical combat.
While the visuals and special effects are all over the movie, they don’t feel forced are not that hard to follow. Well, there were times when we got dizzy of the kaleidoscope visuals done by the magic (which actually reminded me of Inception). But after a few minutes, we got used to it and was actually great to watch. I guess these visuals are one of the reasons why I love “Doctor Strange”. You don’t get to see those in past Marvel movies.
Characters
The characters were also different from the usual Marvel roster. However, in my opinion, I think Dr. Stephen Strange is the most complex superhero---more complicated than Hulk or Iron Man. This is because he faced many non-stop mental, physical, and emotional hardships.
Dr. Stephen Strange was a great and well-known surgeon who is also arrogant. I guess fate interfered and taught him a lesson. Strange got into a car accident and, while he was alive, his hands were damaged so bad that he can’t perform surgery anymore. After looking and trying on different medical procedures to fix his hands, Strange swallowed his pride and asked for help on how to heal them.
He ended up in Katmandu, where he had his mind opened by the Ancient One about the multi-universe and other dimensions. Strange trained not only to find a way to heal his hands, but also to open his mind on things he never thought existed. Yes, Strange is stubborn and arrogant (which, I think, never disappeared), but he was willing to learn about other things that are beyond what he can see, feel, touch, taste, or hear.
Benedict Cumberbatch portrayed Strange so well. He specifically showed viewers the struggles of Strange on whether he should accept his destiny or just go back to being a doctor with his “healed” hands. It’s not easy to act out a very complex character, but Cumberbatch did it so well that I can’t help but be at awe to his acting the whole time I was watching. I’m glad Marvel decided to get Cumberbatch to envision Strange.
Throughout the movie, Strange had difficulty choosing of either thinking about himself or thinking about others. In the end, he saw the importance of saving others first before himself through his new powers and abilities. While he may still be a bit arrogant, Strange has truly opened his mind and accepted a new path of selflessness. He became a man of science to a man of faith who traverses on both worlds. Despite his big ego, I learned to love Doctor Stephen Strange.
Apart from Doctor Strange, I loved Wong because of his (lack of) sense of humor. Then there are Karl Mordo and the Ancient One, some of the serious characters of the movie. While I still don’t agree with the whitewashing of the Ancient One, I have to admit that Tilda Swinton did a good job.
All in all, with the diverse characters, I never got tired of watching and getting to know them. Each character has their own unique personality that made me curious on why they are like this and why they are like that. It’s very interesting to watch the characters that you will never get bored.
Story/Flow
While “Doctor Strange” is an origin movie, it’s not the usual one that focuses on the lead character’s beginnings, training, and then fighting the enemy for a long time. In fact, I like the fast-paced flow of how Strange injured his hands all the way to training his new abilities. If I read it correctly, his training took one year, but the movie narrated it in just a few minutes. But I didn’t get lost because when I saw Strange mastering his new powers, I realized that training took months.
The flow is also perfect, organized, and detailed. I really listened to the whole movie because there were some talkies about magic, science, dark dimension, and multiverse. Since I am not familiar with those topics and with “Doctor Strange”, I had to watch and listen carefully to understand everything. And it paid off because when Marc asked me at the end of the movie if I had any questions, I answered “none so far” (though I had 1-2 questions, but they were just minor).
Despite the story being more on magic and a little bit of physical combat, “Doctor Strange” had a smooth flow in terms of story and plot.
Overall Say
Overall, “Doctor Strange” is indeed a breath of fresh air from the usual Marvel movies. It's different, but in a good way. Since I am used to the physical and science aspects from past MCU movies, seeing “Doctor Strange” is very refreshing---something that is pleasant to both the eyes and ears. And also, I learned about other aspects of the Marvel Universe that I have never knew before.
I am putting Dr. Stephen Strange as one of my favorite Marvel characters because of his abilities and his willingness to open his mind on things unheard of. While watching, I was hoping that Strange will embrace his destiny and show everyone that he can be a great superhero in his own right. And I’m glad he did.
Oh and can I just say: I love Strange’s red cape. I want one. Period. :D
I really recommend watching “Doctor Strange” while it is still showing in theaters. And watch it in the cinema! Don’t wait for the download, DVD, or Blu-ray. Watch it in the cinema because it is here you will truly appreciate everything about the movie.
~Hainrihi
