BurtonReviews Doctor Strange: Who needs a wand
Marvel fans,
who’d of ever thought that we would get the Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange on
the big screen? Well rejoice because that day has finally come and Marvel’s
foremost master of the dark arts has finally been brought to life and joins the
many other titans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as director Scott Derrikson,
responsible for the horrifying Sinister
in 2012, takes us on a reality warping journey through the magical side of
Marvel.
(Video sourced from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xoxeCWpZyU)
The story of
Doctor Strange follows Doctor Stephen Strange, a brilliant but arrogant neurosurgeon.
After a terrible car accident his hands are crushed and broken. Desperate to repair
them Strange searches down every avenue, until his last hope leads him to Karma-
Taj, where he not only learns that impossible magic is real, but how to use it
and protect our vulnerable little home of planet Earth with it. As you can tell from the synopsis, this movie delves into some wacky and big concepts with the films plot dipping its toe into multiverse conversations and being able to project an astral projection of yourself. So yeah, this film could’ve been a big nonsensical and confusing mess, but somehow Marvel has done it again and portrayed a grounded view of the character and his strange world without losing any of it’s magic (pardon the pun).
The
Movie does a great job of explaining this magical realm that hovers just above
our own. The manner in which Strange manifests these “spells” and how they are
shown on screen isn’t jarring, but somehow fits perfectly into the world of the
MCU like a puzzle piece that was just waiting to comfortably slot in. To quote
Doctor Stranger’s teacher, The Ancient One, “Not everything has to make sense,
and that’s okay.” This is a concept I feel the film not only acknowledged but
ran with fantastically, they give you just enough explanation for you to buy
into the events of the film whole heartedly, but don’t get so weighed down by
the explanation that they forget to have fun with such a trippy and marvellous character.
(Image sourced from https://www.cnet.com/news/doctor-strange-trailer-first-poster/)
And where
the film has the most fun is how the CGI of the film depicts the larger than
our reality events of the films. We’ve seen Captain America punch and kick his
way through hordes of enemies, but in Doctor Strange we are treated to a whole
new type of action. Less Kung-Fu, but just as intense, the spell hurling
battles of this film left me breathless. Not only do the deadly spells in the
film feel raw and powerful, but the city warping visuals of one of the most
hectic but astounding scenes of the year is jaw droppingly awe inspiring. As
Derrikson skilfully wields the camera through buildings that are concaving In
on themselves, as streets are tearing in two and gravity ceases to exist as
towers peal like bananas for a sundae I was left with one word in my mind, “wow.”
But while
the visuals are astounding, none of that would matter if we didn’t care about
the people being flung through these trippy landscapes. Thankfully Marvel has
done it again and assembled a loveable and greatly talented cast to bring these
beloved characters to life. While Benedict Cumberbatch’s shaky American accent for
the titular Doctor Strange did sometimes sound jarringly fake, his natural charisma
and powerful gravitas made the character likeable even when he was being less
than an honourable man, and made you know that when it was time for Strange to
bring out the big guns, he is more than capable.
(Image sourced from https://plus.google.com/+RandyMosiondz)
However one character
that fell painfully short was the villain of the film Kaecilius, played by Mads Mikkelsen.
To no fault of the incredible actor who has more than proven his savage edge in
roles such as Hannibal in the phenomenal TV show; the character was simply not
given anything to. While his motivations were beautifully given in a speech by
Mikkelsen, the character never felt threatening, more like just a thing for
Strange to deal with when he has the time.
Overall this
film is a blast of a time. Strange and his friends are loveable, the new
magical world this film opens up and explores is visually astounding and
conceptually fascinating, and the action delivered by this film gives us a new
flavour of combat outside of the traditional punching and continuous kicking.
Doctor
Strange = 7/10
Why not check out my YouTube channel, BurtonReviews,
where I upload awesome gaming montages put to badass songs or scores every
Sunday. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbUfnyezvQsVsDgN3TGRh1Q
Thanks for
reading and I hope you enjoyed.
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