A Look Back at Doctor Strange (2016)

 

With Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness arriving soon, it's important to look back at the first film from 2016.

Doctor Strange is a 2016 comic book movie based on the Marvel Comics' character of the same name. The movie is also the the 14th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film was produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Doctor Strange was written by Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill, and Jon Spaihts and directed by Scott Derrickson.

The story is Dr. Stephen Strange is a wealthy and critically acclaimed neurosurgeon, sadly all that comes to an end after a horrific car crash damages his hands. Desperate, Strange goes to mysterious temple in hopes of healing him. Strange soon finds out this isn't an ordinary place, and there are dark forces arriving.

• Negatives

I've got nothing. So move on.

• Mix

One of the two slight issues is with the humor. Sometimes there are jokes that just don't work. To this day I have no idea why Strange called Wong Beyoncé. That was just an odd moment. 

The other minor but noticeable problem is the pacing. In the lead up to his [Strange's] car crash and training they both happened way too fast. Thankfully there are a lot of moments were the pacing works.

• Positives

One good thing about the movie is Benedict Cumberbatch's performance. He perfectly nails the character, but what he really nailed was the character's sense of curiosity and confusion. Especially confusion, which not only works for his acting, but we can connect with that because we're also very confused about the magic that's presented.

What also makes the movie really good was the action. The hand-to-hand combat is fine, but whenever the characters are using magic or shifting the environment around them, it's really awesome and saw amazing to look at.

Another aspect that really works is the special effects. The moment the Ancient One torches Strange's head and afterwards we're given some really amazing special effects. I was very fascinated with how the characters would rearrange buildings, streets, and other stuff. Yes, you can compare that to Inception but I really don't think that should bring the movie down in the slightest.

The last thing I'll give credit and it's one of my favorite things about the film is Doctor Strange's journey. At first he's very much an arrogant full of himself doctor, then by the end of the movie he's very humble. But what I also liked about it was it was the classic hero's journey, or a version of it as I should probably say. Cause at first he wants no part of this war that's going on. But then he starts to realize that he has to get involved. He really did have some good character development, and it's one of the reasons he's become a popular character within the MCU.

Doctor Strange is definitely one of the better MCU films. It's got a great performance from our main star, fun action scenes, spectacular special effects, and our main character goes through a very good journey and comes back better than he was before. The slight issues come from the humor and the pacing.

My final rating is Good.

So that's all for me. Come back on Thursday, May 5th where I'll hopefully be reviewing Constantine: The House of Mystery. I say hopefully cause there's a chance that might not happen. Anyhow, until then, enjoy the rest of your day.