'Doctor Strange' A Review

Doctor Strange is a superhero film about obnoxious genius neurosurgeon Stephen Strange(Benedict Cumberbatch) who's hands are crippled after an auto accident. After modern medicine offers no solution he travels east to delve into mysticism and magic for an answer. Under the tutelage of The Ancient One(Tilda Swinton) and Karl Mordo(Chiwetel Ejiofor) Strange learns of the fight against fallen student Kaecilius(Mads Mikkelsen) and his service to malevolent being from the Dark Dimension Dormammu.

Cumberbatch is charming and wry as the titular hero, offering a pleasing and engaging lead if a character relatively similar to Iron Man's Tony Stark. Rachel McAdams as the love interest is grounded in reality and provides a freshness previously unseen in the MCU. Swinton, Ejiofor, and the villainous Mikkelsen all put in fun turns but depth is sacrificed for visual splendor and action.

The imagery of the film is incredibly rich doubling down on the ascetic of Inception with its kaleidoscoping cityscapes and interiors. The magic is also captivatingly rendered, an original realization of the "mystic arts" helps elevate the playful if relatively formulaic plot.

Fun and likable performances, fresh and stunning visuals, if a somewhat too tried and true origin story.

See It.