Doctor Strange- Film Review

Doctor Strange- film review

Doctor Strange is directed by Scott Derrickson and stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachael McAdams, Mads Mikkelsen and also Tilda Swinton. The film is about a very talented neurosurgeon Steven Strange who is involved in a car crash which effects his abilities to perform as surgeon, and Strange tries western medicine fails to restore his hands, Strange heads out to find a solution for his hands and Strange eventually becomes to sorcerer supreme known as Doctor Strange, and he must use his newly acquired skills and powers that he has learnt from the ancient one and then use the skills and powers to stop an evil force known as Dormammu and restore the balance and order to the world. This is a concept that Marvel haven’t really tried before because the films that they have released have been quite safe to a certain level with the most experimental property being Ant-man in 2015. However, Doctor Strange is a comic book character which is more experimental compared to other properties and this is film which should be going beyond the safe boundaries that they have established for themselves.

Where to begin with Doctor Strange? The performances and the characters are probably the best place to start in this review, Doctor Steven Strange is played by Benedict Cumberbatch who has had some excellent roles like the hit BBC television show Sherlock and has been in films such as The Imitation Game and Star Trek into Darkness. In Doctor Strange his performance is strong but it is not like his other performances that he has done in this past, Benedict Cumberbatch is good in this film and he is one of the strongest actors in this film. The character that he plays is a bit like Tony Stark and he is arrogant person and he is one of the best surgeon, however the character experience something which changes him, he is involved in a car crash and he ends up becoming the sorcerer supreme Doctor Strange. The character arc in this film for Doctor Strange is very strong but it is very similar to arc in Iron Man. He is a man who is rich because of some skill that he has and something happens to him which changes his mind set and Strange becomes the sorcerer supreme after the car crash. There are other characters in this film such as Tilda Swinton who plays The Ancient One in this film and her performance is very good in this film, she seems to understand the character and knows how to portray the character. Swinton character in this film is the mentor character to Doctor Strange, the character is very well written and while the character has the typical fate of the mentor which is a cliché at this point but the character is well written and well-acted. The other minor roles in this film are also great, Mads Mikkelsen is a very interesting villain, the acting by Mikkelsen is the best in this film and while you don’t understand why the character is the antagonist and is trying to destroy the earth. However, Mikkelsen is the best part of the film because he is a combined mixture of comedic and serious, this is one of good aspects in this film.

There are some other things to like about this film, the other thing would be that the action sequences. The action sequences are not like the hand-to-hand sequences in Captain America: Civil War but Doctor Strange has some good elements in the action sequences, because the action is very easy to follow with some good camerawork and good editing which shows that the director was onset making sure that the action is clear and easy to follow, the hand-to-hand combat action sequence are good, but the better action sequences happen when the narrative includes the action in the dimensions that the narrative has set up. The best part of this would be during the action sequence that happens in the glass dimension. This is an action sequence which has some great elements compared to the others in this film. The finale is also different compared to the other Marvel Cinematic Universe, most other films have a big end action sequence which a city is destroyed, this is a film which has a final battle sequence which is very interesting because while the destruction happens to a city, the narrative calls for it to be reversed and this is interesting because you believe that the narrative will end up one way but ends up another way. There isn’t much in terms of action but it is how the end is concluded. The action is very good overall and while the action is good and clear which makes the action easy to follow, the action is not revolutionary and this is something to note when watching the action sequences, but they are strong enough compared to the other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Everything that is technical about this film is near perfect, the CGI is some of the best that has been put to film, because all of the CGI has been done to a very high standard and the CGI in this film is much better than most of the other films. The CGI has been integrated very well with the live-action elements, the special effects are good because of how much time and effort has been put into this film. The special effects are outstanding and the only small flaw with this would be that the special effects in the far distance of the shots haven’t had enough attention and maybe they could have spent more time rendering the elements. This is also a very good looking film, this film is shot very well with the creative team understanding how to communicate thoughts and emotions through to the audience, the cinematography is excellent from the start to the end. The direction is solid and considering that Scott Derrickson has only eight credits to his name in terms of directing including the remake of The Day the earth stood still. The direction in this film is great from the start to the finish.

There are some negative aspects to this film though, the character of Christine Palmer who is played by Rachael McAdams could have had a bigger role in this film, the character only appears in this film when she is useful to the plot and this is some which is quite poorly done and maybe she could have had a bigger role in the film. The other negative aspect to this film would be that the second act of the film feels more like exposition and the creative team behind the script could have rewritten elements which could have written the exposition and given it to the audience in a much cleverer manner and rather than tell the audience the film could have shown more rather than tell because this would have kept the attention of the audience during these sequences.

Conclusion

This is very well directed and acted film which has some interesting visual elements when the final act comes around. There are some good action scenes with some very creative elements, this film comes close to one of the best marvel films to date. Doctor Strange was a gamble for the Marvel Cinematic Universe but the film has paid off for them and this is one of their most enjoyable films.

Rating: 8/10.