Jankowski's Film Watch
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Reviews
  • Review Search
  • Reviews: A Look Closer
  • Great & Not-So-Great
  • Contact

Movie Reviews

Doctor Strange: Movie Review

11/4/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture

The mind-bending new twist to the Marvel Universe

Doctor Strange is the 14th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, being the 2nd film in Phase Three, following Captain America: Civil War. It stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Rachel McAdams, and is directed by Scott Derrickson. 

Stephen Strange (Cumberbatch) is an arrogant and know-it-all neurosurgeon whose career is suddenly halted when he gets into a violent car accident and loses the use of his hands. Strange, frustrated with his situation, learns of a man who was once a paraplegic, but mysteriously began to walk again. The man points Strange to the location of The Ancient One, a sorcerer with the power to manipulate space and other dimensions. The Ancient One eventually decides to teach Strange in the ways of the mystical arts. 

So far, Marvel has explored basically the entire galaxy. Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy have adventured through many different planetoids and regions of space, while Iron Man, the Hulk, Ant Man, and Captain America oversee the troubles going on around Earth. Now comes Doctor Strange, whose time and space-bending powers are a noticeable shift in gears for Marvel. It's also definitive proof that the MCU knows no boundaries, basically going anywhere and everywhere imaginable (Captain Kirk would be jealous). 

Topics of inter-dimensional exploring and the ability to manipulate time and space are probably the most bizarre concepts that Marvel has had the ambition to take on. And yet, we can walk out of Doctor Strange having little to no confusion as to what happened and what we just saw. What we see is a fresh superhero, a new and welcome face in Benedict Cumberbatch, and a visual effects extravaganza that will make your eyes pop. 

High Points: 

- The visual effects. Marvel has given us all sorts of epic-scope visual effects, but the visuals in Doctor Strange are unquestionably the best in the MCU by far. Imagine looking through a kaleidoscope on steroids. That's what you see in Doctor Strange; with buildings, walls, and streets all being flipped, stacked, and twisted, making the similar effects in Inception look like child's play. 

- Benedict Cumberbatch, who is an interesting fit for Stephen Strange. Strange continuously questions how the mystical arts could be possible, trying to reason his stance from a scientific viewpoint. He argues how the cells in the human body could work to potentially fix nerves and broken bones, while The Ancient One claims she heals the human body through spirit and other mystical forces. Cumberbatch does not have the Hulk Hogan-like physique that Thor and Captain America have, but that's what makes him so suitable for the role, and it contributes to what makes him a nice addition to the Marvel heroes clan. 

Low Points: 

- Once again, Marvel insists on using as much humor as they think they can possibly squeeze into one of these films before it falls into the comedy category. The humor is not bad at all; there are a lot of funny exchanges of dialogue ("It's the Wifi password. We're not savages") and other tiny, humorous moments, but no director or writer of almost any of the MCU films seems to know when enough's enough. Like I said in my Civil War review, I certainly encourage humor in these films, but not to the point where I begin to question if the characters are really taking their current predicament seriously. If you're fighting a villain to save Earth or the galaxy, is cracking jokes and one-liners something you would go out of your way to do? 

I suppose critics and audiences, for some reason nowadays, highly demand humor in superhero films, which must contribute to why Marvel has been so successful. DC's superhero films, on the other hand, are sometimes accused of being not fun enough. Yeah, I wouldn't call The Dark Knight, a "fun" movie that is filled with humor, yet it's considered one of the greatest superhero films ever made. 


Despite the over-reliance on humor, Doctor Strange keeps Phase Three of the MCU moving right along, packed with splendid visuals and a welcome new-face in Benedict Cumberbatch. I, and many others, look forward to what new adventures come Strange's way, both in his own films, and in the next Avengers. He will be in Avengers 3, right? 

Recommend? Yes 

​Grade: B+ 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    About

    Here you'll find my reviews on just about any film you may have seen. I try to avoid major spoilers as much as possible. I structure my reviews in the following way: 

    -An introduction of the film: Its genre(s), year of release, notable actors/actresses, director, etc., and any big awards that the film won 

    -A brief outline of the story 

    -High Points: Parts of the film that I liked, such as an actor's performance, a specific scene, and/or the soundtrack 

    -Low Points: Parts of the film that I did not like 

    -Overall thoughts and a recommendation to see it or not 

    -A grade, ranging from an A+ (the film is absolutely fantastic and a must-see) to an F (the film is a complete disaster and a waste of time) 

    Archives

    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016

    Categories

    All
    A+ Films
    Animation
    Cinematic Dumpster Fires
    Every Best Picture. Ever
    Horror
    Monster Movie Mayhem!
    Y'know A Kid's Movie!

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Reviews
  • Review Search
  • Reviews: A Look Closer
  • Great & Not-So-Great
  • Contact