Doctor Strange

Can I be honest here?

I'm getting tired of Marvel movies.

Okay, before you break out the flamethrower, let me elaborate. Civil War, Age of Ultron, and all this, it's all starting to become samey. Big action setpieces, big explosions, CGI, Robert Downey Jr. I'm getting bored of it. Yet I still yearn to see what's happening next because I really want to see some change. I'll admit, the announcement of Doctor Strange was very strange (lolpun) to me, and I was skeptic. But there was one thing for sure, it would be something very, very different. And different it was.

The story follows Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), a world-renowned neurosurgeoun, famed for his steady hands and quick wit. However, when he suffers from a car crash, rendering his nerves damaged, he seeks relief. He's turned to the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) and her masters at Kamar-Taj, where he embarks on a journey to become a master himself, learning the magic involved. He's then thrust into a battle with Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen) where he proves himself as a true sorcerer.

Okay, so, yeah...this was actually quite surprising here. You've got what appears to be a usual Marvel storyline on the outside, but it's actually a pretty coherent and mystical story about love, struggle, and someone losing it all but going right back to the top. It's really good and better than the usual "dude's gonna take over the world," fare that we're used to from Marvel. The script's really nice, the token Marvel humor doesn't detract too much. And the cast and characters are phenomenal, especially Cumberbatch, who manages to wow me with each performance he gives.

The bad, well, while I love me some Mads Mikkelsen (see my review for Casino Royale), his Kaecilius is very one-note Marvel villain type. He's a character with some really good and witty lines and I'd love to see him come back but I know that isn't happy, and that's a damn shame. Also, some of the scenes just...aren't that necessary. But I guess they're not terrible. I'm stretching this out.

Doctor Strange really surprised me, I'm happy to say...I'm giving it a 9.4/10. It's nice to see a Marvel movie that isn't so hamfisted in wowing people with big action setpieces and convoluted plots...and I really can't wait to see more of Cumberbatch in this role. Nicely done, boys...now...what about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.