MCU Rewind #14 - Doctor Strange - Review
Release date (US): October 20th, 2016
Directed By: Scott Derrickson
Rating: PG-13
Starring: Benedict Cumberbath, Rachel McAdams, Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mads Mikkelsen, Benedict Wong
MCU REWIND REVIEW EXPLANATION: In these reviews, I will be going back to all the Marvel Cinematic Universe Films that have been released to date, reviewing each one in a retrospective manner. Expectations and background will detail how I felt about the film before the repeat viewing. This review will contain spoilers for these movies. You have been warned.
Previous Rating: 8.7/10
MCU REWIND REVIEW EXPLANATION: In these reviews, I will be going back to all the Marvel Cinematic Universe Films that have been released to date, reviewing each one in a retrospective manner. Expectations and background will detail how I felt about the film before the repeat viewing. This review will contain spoilers for these movies. You have been warned.
Previous Rating: 8.7/10
Expectations/Background: I had fond memories of this particular film. I remember this being one of the first MCU films that truly "wowed" me. Captain America: Civli War was the other film earlier in the year, and that also stunned me, but in a different way, in a more fulfilling way. This film took all my expectations, and completely upended them, truly showing what visual effects could do. Granted, I had not seen Inception, and many people had said, viewing the trailers, that the visuals "ripped off" Inception. However, keeping that in mind, I thought that the kinds of visual stunts that they pulled off were incredible. That being said, I didn't remember much from the last time I saw the movie. I remember mildly liking the film, but I was curious whether or not this would turn into an Ant-Man situation or an Avengers: Age of Ultron.
The Movie: Definitely the latter - after seeing this film, I found myself wondering why I hadn't seen this film more, as well as why I didn't like this movie more than I told myself I did. Certainly, this film isn't the most complex, the most in-depth, or most "mind-blowing" film of all time, but what really stunned me was the heart.
Positives: Getting to the performances right away, Benedict Cumberbatch portrays the arrogant, jerky, but brilliant narcissist (a la Tony Stark) in such a way that it captured the essence of the stereotype, yet differentiated itself from the likes of Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne. He also adds an extra dimension, and his performance especially shines after he was injured, as you feel his desperation and hurt going through all the different kinds of procedures that he puts himself through.
The supporting cast are all brilliant as well. There's no one specific person to highlight simply because all of them brought their A-game. Rachel McAdams was great as always, and I actually bought her relationship with Doctor Strange more than I remembered. Chiwetel Ejiofor brings a gravitas and a Shakespearean element to the film which was fun to see. And Tilda Swinton was wonderful as well. I only remembered her as the evil white Witch form the Narnia films, but in this film, I was thoroughly impressed to see a genuine, kind, yet fierce performance from her (all while being bald).
And as mentioned in the expectations, the visual effects are mind-blowing. The scenes especially where the entire New York is being flipped and inverted was something that I had never seen before (yes, granted I had not seen Inception). The scenes at the end where time is being reversed blew my mind, and to this day, I have no idea how they were able to do those.
But as aforementioned, the heart of the film was what truly made me appreciate it. It's not quite something that I could pinpoint, and I still quite can't, but I do feel that there is a beating heart through and through. There is genuine thought and care made to develop the character of Stephen Strange. From the start, you see how he goes from this arrogant prick for lack of better words, and then comes to realize that there is more to life than just his work, and by the end of the film, you really do buy his transformation into Master of the Mystic Arts.
Negatives: One small complaint I do have with the film is the humor. While it is funny on first and potentially second viewing, by the third or fourth rewatch, the humor really lands flat. This film suffers from the usual "Marvel-humor syndrome", something that Age of Ultron stumbles with as well.
Another small nitpick I have is the pacing, but not in the traditional sense. Many people have wondered how long Dr. Strange was in Kamartaj, and while the film makers have said a year or so, it didn't feel like it at all, which didn't bother me during the film, but afterwards, it was something that I thought about. Another point in the film that the filmmakers clarified was during the time-loop with Dormammu. The filmmakers said that Dr. Strange was in there for many cycles, but I didn't feel that at all.
And as great as Rachel McAdams was, I felt that her character, as well as Mordo (although they do hint that he will be back) were wasted. They played their respective characters very well, but their characters had very little to do. There was one scene in particular where Mordo was just spewing exposition, and I found myself taken out of the film for a little bit.
And finally the villain. Kaecillius was not the worst MCU villain, but out of all the MCU Phase 3 villains we've had (and almost all of them have been great), he was one of the worst. He had very little motivation, he looked like a maniac, and I didn't feel for him at all, unlike Thanos or Killmonger.
Positives: Getting to the performances right away, Benedict Cumberbatch portrays the arrogant, jerky, but brilliant narcissist (a la Tony Stark) in such a way that it captured the essence of the stereotype, yet differentiated itself from the likes of Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne. He also adds an extra dimension, and his performance especially shines after he was injured, as you feel his desperation and hurt going through all the different kinds of procedures that he puts himself through.
The supporting cast are all brilliant as well. There's no one specific person to highlight simply because all of them brought their A-game. Rachel McAdams was great as always, and I actually bought her relationship with Doctor Strange more than I remembered. Chiwetel Ejiofor brings a gravitas and a Shakespearean element to the film which was fun to see. And Tilda Swinton was wonderful as well. I only remembered her as the evil white Witch form the Narnia films, but in this film, I was thoroughly impressed to see a genuine, kind, yet fierce performance from her (all while being bald).
And as mentioned in the expectations, the visual effects are mind-blowing. The scenes especially where the entire New York is being flipped and inverted was something that I had never seen before (yes, granted I had not seen Inception). The scenes at the end where time is being reversed blew my mind, and to this day, I have no idea how they were able to do those.
But as aforementioned, the heart of the film was what truly made me appreciate it. It's not quite something that I could pinpoint, and I still quite can't, but I do feel that there is a beating heart through and through. There is genuine thought and care made to develop the character of Stephen Strange. From the start, you see how he goes from this arrogant prick for lack of better words, and then comes to realize that there is more to life than just his work, and by the end of the film, you really do buy his transformation into Master of the Mystic Arts.
Negatives: One small complaint I do have with the film is the humor. While it is funny on first and potentially second viewing, by the third or fourth rewatch, the humor really lands flat. This film suffers from the usual "Marvel-humor syndrome", something that Age of Ultron stumbles with as well.
Another small nitpick I have is the pacing, but not in the traditional sense. Many people have wondered how long Dr. Strange was in Kamartaj, and while the film makers have said a year or so, it didn't feel like it at all, which didn't bother me during the film, but afterwards, it was something that I thought about. Another point in the film that the filmmakers clarified was during the time-loop with Dormammu. The filmmakers said that Dr. Strange was in there for many cycles, but I didn't feel that at all.
And as great as Rachel McAdams was, I felt that her character, as well as Mordo (although they do hint that he will be back) were wasted. They played their respective characters very well, but their characters had very little to do. There was one scene in particular where Mordo was just spewing exposition, and I found myself taken out of the film for a little bit.
And finally the villain. Kaecillius was not the worst MCU villain, but out of all the MCU Phase 3 villains we've had (and almost all of them have been great), he was one of the worst. He had very little motivation, he looked like a maniac, and I didn't feel for him at all, unlike Thanos or Killmonger.
The Verdict: I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this film. It has action, humor, spectacular visuals, and a beating heart that pulls you in. It shows you that you can take whatever concept, whatever character, and as long as you put him in the right story with the right supporting cast, you find yourself with a great movie. Letter Grade: B+. Number Score: 9.1/10
Should I Skip?: Definitely not, especially with as integral of a role he plays in Infinity War and potentially moving forward.
9-10: Nearly Perfect
Should I Skip?: Definitely not, especially with as integral of a role he plays in Infinity War and potentially moving forward.
**IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER**: Letter grades and Number grades do not mean the same thing. Just because I give a film an A does not mean it gets a 9.5 or above. They do not line up like a traditional school grading system To see specifics, see below.
A- to A+: Amazing
B- to B+: Enjoyable, but Flawed
C- to C+: Redeemable in some cases, but heavily Flawed
D- to D+: Nothing but Flaws
F: A Failure of a Film
8-9: Very Good
7-8: Good
6-7: Okay
5-6: Average/Mediocre
4-5: Apparently Flawed
3-4: Heavily Flawed
2-3: A complete and utter mess
0-2: A Failure of a Film
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