May 31, 2017
You know, I really didn't wanna have to write this review right now (at 11 in the morning). But then if I leave it for later, then I'm racing to get it done before dinner, which is when I watch the movies. I just felt lazy for one reason or another, because the fact that I don't wanna write this out now is not a reflection of what I thought about this movie. In all honesty, I thought this was a very good movie. Not one of Marvel's best, particularly when compared to Civil War (which I still think is the best movie in all of MCU). But let's move on. I remember Scott Weinberg saying on twitter (he's a film critic I follow on that site) that he's impressed by how much work it takes to put together a movie (or a television series) that fits within Marvel's Cinematic Universe. Not only does it have to be a good standalone film, it also has to fit in within that same continuity. There's so many details that have to be kept track of that what Marvel has managed to accomplish with its cinematic universe is nothing short of amazing. Admittedly speaking, though, I think this film manages to exist in its own little cocoon without having to adhere too much to the rest of the continuity from other established franchises. That's not saying that they ignore it, because they don't, but what I mean is that there's not connectivity to other franchises in Marvel's Universe as, say, in Captain America or Iron Man's respective films. And that's a really smart choice, because you're introducing a brand new character to audiences. You need to establish this film's characters and world first before you have Doctor Strange interacting with the Avengers. As far as world building, this isn't as effective a movie as, say, the first Guardians of the Galaxy. And the narrative itself is very basic. Parts of it remind me of Thor in that Doctor Strange is certainly a very arrogant and self-centered individual. He doesn't look at his job (he's a neurosurgeon) as a way to save people, he sees it as a way to elevate his own status in life. This all changes when he gets into a pretty bad car accident in which he loses the use of his hands. After exhausting all methods in the West, he is told of this man, who was completely disabled, who is now able to walk again. This man tells him of this place called Kamar-Taj, where he learned all he needed to heal himself, and he tells Strange to go there. Strange goes to this place, in Nepal, and meets the Ancient One, the Sorcerer Supreme, who opens his eyes and mind to a world of magic that he never thought humanly possible. The narrative is fairly simple and straightforward, it's just an origin story, how this man became the superhero people know and love today. There's also a thinly-written villain, Kaecilius, that is elevated by the badassery of one Mads Mikkelsen. Basically, this villain wants to bring this multi-dimensional being from the Dark Dimension over to earth in order for it to enslave us and, in theory, give us eternal life. The film, to be perfectly honest, doesn't do a great job exactly at explaining what it is that Dormammu exactly does. He is called the destroyer of worlds, of course, and that gives you pretty much everything you need to know about him, but if it wasn't for that, then you wouldn't really know much about him. And, another thing, I know Dormammu is an evil fucker from another dimension, but why is he collecting worlds? What is his reasoning? There really is nothing there, as everything you know about Dormammu is told to you by other people and not the actual being itself. So there's certainly some weaknesses with the scripting. It's your basic good vs evil story with a few twists. Those few twists relate to how the visuals in the film play out and the fact that we also deal with some very intriguing issues relating to time loops and how certain actions Strange takes weren't manipulating space-time continuum, they were breaking it. But let's move on to the visual style of the film. Let's just say that this is, certainly, the trippiest film in Marvel's Cinematic Universe. That's really just the best way to describe it. Kaecilius, and other sorcerers in the mirror world, can distort the world around them. For example, they may stretch out hallways, or bend and twist buildings. One of the coolest scenes in the entire film sees Strange and Mordo escaping from Kaecilius and his zealots while they distort the world around them, removing streets entirely or completely changing the direction of their path. I don't really know how to describe it in great detail, but it's really freaking cool. There's no way my words would be able do it justice, even if I could find a way to accurately describe the insanity. But I think that is what, to me, pushed the film to getting 3.5 stars. Well that and the fact that Benedict Cumberbatch is pretty fucking great in the film. The action is good, though it's not great. I will say, though, that the climactic battle sequence that plays out in reverse, as Strange has manipulated time to ensure that an attack by the zealots doesn't happen, is pretty fucking great. Perhaps it might not be as great as something you would see on, say, The Raid or Mad Max, but it gets extra points for creativity. The casting is strong all around, no complaints on that front. Personally speaking, while I understand that this is an origin film, I just wish that the narrative would have been a little more interesting than it was. I think the fact of the matter is that they were able to get away with maybe not having the most compelling of narratives because of the fact that the film is so trippy and surreal with its visuals. And there's something to be said about that, but I think that's a major part of the reason why I don't feel comfortable giving this 4 stars. The narrative just falls behind everything else. I'm not saying that it's bad, it's not, but it could have been so much better. I will say, however, that they do set up potential sequels fairly well and, it seems obvious to me, that Doctor Strange will play a big part of Thor: Ragnarok, so they're clearly already gearing up Doctor Strange for his inclusion in the next Avengers movie, Infinity War. I don't know what else to say, really. This review, at least from when I started writing it, went by quicker than I would have imagined. I'd say this was a very good movie, but I'd put it in the second tier (out of five) of Marvel movies. It's a very fun popcorn movie, but I don't think it strives to be anything more than that. This is a positive because it allows the uninitiated to join in without having to have followed the MCU from the start. It's a negative in that, after Civil War, this movie just doesn't explore as many interesting concepts as the former. I'm sure the sequels will make up for that. But, I digress, I would recommend this movie for the visuals and for Benedict's performance. I had a lot of fun watching this, in spite of its flaws.
Verified