Doctor Strange review

[matty_ae]

There are easy criticisms to be made of this film:

- Benedict is playing the same role as Sherlock
- Origin stories by their nature are too formulaic
- Marvel care more about the overall arc to the next Avengers film than this.

So whilst all of those points have small truths in them, this film is pretty damn enjoyable and satisfying, not least to Steve Ditko's amazing visuals.

It is jaw dropping what you see on screen. The fights are more magical than Potter and there's a logic at work even in the most bonkers action. Marvel even provides a worth villain

And Benedict if anything comes across more like a likeable version of House, so he's got some range.
So I'd give it a solid B+ and now the character is established you can do even more off the hook stuff with him.

[Fungus]

Sounds very positive, BC a good choice too. Catching a different film tonight (in theory, we'll see...), but I do read the comic and maybe it'll be the first ever Marvel movie I can make to the end before bailing out 

[Michael Knight]

Im excited about this movie, but im intrigued to hear that Jacquin Pheonix was originally approached for the role. Wouldn't have minded seeing him in role. Nothing against Cumberbatch just find him so overexposed in media lol 

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

I'm going on Saturday

[Keef Monkey]

Tickets booked for Sunday. I've gone off the boil a lot with Marvel films (Guardians was the last one I really enjoyed, Avengers 2 was the last one I watched and it didn't really do it for me so couldn't muster up the enthusiasm to watch Antman or that Civil War thing) and can't seem to care either way about this one, but my wife wants to go and I'm setting my expectations to fun throwaway popcorn entertainment. Maybe it'll surprise me!

[Satanist]

Antmans good, Civil War not so much.

[Jim_Campbell]

Antmans good, Civil War not so much.

Civil War is fine, it's just no Winter Soldier. Ant-Man came out of nowhere to end up as my joint-second favourite movie of last year (tied with John Wick, behind Fury Road).

Dr Strange is great. He isn't Sherlock; he's House.* The plot, it's true, is a little by-the-numbers, but the film is visually stunning and well worth sitting through in front of the biggest screen you can get to. 3D, for those that can stomach it, really works well.

(Also, worth sticking around for the mid- and end- credit sequences, BTW.)

*Yes, I know House=Sherlock, but Strange is pretty much actually House for the first twenty minutes or so of the movie...

[PsychoGoatee]

Really enjoyed Doc Strange, best Marvel movie in a while for me. Nicely done engrossing self-contained story, pretty intense drama at times and different from the Marvel formula of late, thumbs up!

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

The spectacle of the fight while time reverses was Oscar worthy, I think. Well worth the admission* to a great action romp.

*I got free tickets. Your value may vary

[TordelBack]

Great fun, this. The whole family enjoyed it, even my 7 year old, who I thought might have found the mystic instruction lectures dull - not a bit of it. I have a few niggles (there was no real moment where Stephen first 'did' magic, just one where he got better at it; similarly his physical quest amounted to getting a plane to Nepal, his destitution rather undercut by his laptop: all a bit easy), but thought it did a great job of being distinctive and complete in itself, not unlike Antman in that regard.

I loved the design of the various psychedelic sequences, and I particularly enjoyed how Strange essentially talks his way round Dormamu rather than punching him or zapping him with some CGI. I also thought Kaecilious was an unusually plausible and rounded baddie, helped by a great performance. In fact despite the rather obvious casting choices, everyone was brilliant, even the underused McAdams. The broken watch as symbol was well handled.

And again, full marks to Marvel for embracing the silliness of the costume and having fun with it.

I got a very pleasant nerd-buzz from realising that Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Spidey now all live/work in the same movie city as Dr Strange. What a time to be alive.

Heaven help Wonder Woman following this tour-de-force...

[Jim_Campbell]

I particularly enjoyed how Strange essentially talks his way round Dormamu rather than punching him or zapping him with some CGI.

I was especially struck by this. A very refreshing change from a welter of meaningless CGI sound and fury -- plus a smart and appropriate way for Strange to find a resolution.

[Smith]

Now you probably convinced me to see the movie.

Ant-Man was okay,but it was pretty much a repeat of Iron Man.

[Jim_Campbell]

Ant-Man was okay,but it was pretty much a repeat of Iron Man.

How?!

[Smith]

Its a pretty similar formula.A guy makes/gets a high tech suit,fight a corrupt buisnessman in  a similar suit.

[TordelBack]

Ah, I see where you're going with this. See also Batman (damaged guy builds armoured suit and gadgets v damaged criminals with gadgets),  Captain America (guy gets given muscles and hi-tech shield v secret societies with hi-tech gubbins), Wolverine (guy given unbreakable bones and claws v various corupt military types with cybernetics and tech or evil counterparts), Spiderman.. etc etc. 

I think you may be happier avoiding superheroes althogether, cos generally they acquired some kind of techno-magical super-advantage and fight corrupt/evil types with similar advantages: you might indeed call it a formula . A superhero formula.

Or alternatively focus a bit more on the differences between them, like the differences between Scott Lang's story and Tony Stark's. Although I should warn you that many films these days feature moving images in colour, and some form of musical accompaniment, and thus could be considered virtually identical.