By Nadia Ranaputri
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| Source: Entertainment Weekly |
Director:
Scott Derickson
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tilda Swinton, Mads Mikkelsen,
Rachel McAdams, Scott Adkins, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Benjamin Bratt.
If the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) movies have
taught us anything, it’s that their movies never look the same when it comes to
visual aspects. Each of their movies serve different tones within their visual
canvas, with Guardians of the Galaxy (which
is currently my most favorite MCU movie so far) having an 80’s sci-fi kind of
tone with the old-school music, the familiar aesthetic of a classic sci-fi
movie, and a whole lot of kick-ass galactic action; while Captain America: The Winter Soldier serves as an espionage and
political story disguised as a superhero movie; and The Avengers as the ultimate fun superhero film with visually fun
action and a well-hearted story to boot.
That being said, the MCU is also known for their
all-familiar formulaic storyline. Yes, Doctor
Strange is no exception. Even with its trippy visuals, it still boasts a
storyline familiar to a certain white man with a suit made of iron.
Doctor
Strange is the 14th entry in the MCU, telling the
story of a brilliant yet arrogant American neurosurgeon named Stephen Strange (played
by the ever enigmatic Benedict Cumberbatch). He’s the kind of neurosurgeon that
you can go to if you: a) have bucketloads of cash or b) your condition is
interesting enough (or basically bad enough) for him to at least take a look,
and most importantly, c) have both options a) and b). In other words, it is
nearly impossible for anyone really
to get an appointment with this a-hole (even Strange rejected a case of a
certain Colonel who had a damaged spine while being in a test suit, so make of that
if you will).
All this changes when Strange recklessly gets into a
car crash (with a pretty reckless buildup of a reason that causes this crash),
with the worst damage being in his hands, which were his vital tools for
success; since Strange is known for having the steadiest hands, therefore able
to perform surgery with precision and ease. Due to the crash, his hands twitch so
violently every second that he couldn’t even steady his hands to properly write
his own name, let alone perform surgery.
With his career seemingly destroyed, Strange embarks
on a quest to heal his hands, spending his own wad of cash on treatments that
have no effect even to the slightest to cure his hands. Eventually he finds his
way to Tibet, spending his last bag of bills in his final attempt of curing his
hands. Strange then meets with the so-called Ancient One (played by Tilda
Swinton), who shows him a stranger (pun totally
intended) and more mystical world, as well as a bigger purpose for his
coming.
In terms of the cast, the cast is what James Gunn
had said in his own post for the movie: nearly pitch perfect. He’s right, in a
certain extent. Benedict Cumberbatch excels as Stephen Strange, and though it
takes a while to really get in to his faux American accent (he actually slips
on his accent a couple of times), his performance adds much needed gravitas as
Strange is hit both physically and emotionally. In other words, Cumberbatch fits
the role like a glove. However, he’s surprisingly humorous, which doesn’t
always seem to work (more on that later).
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| Source: HeroicHollywood.com |
Tilda Swinton nearly shines as the Ancient One, but
with the controversy surrounding Swinton’s casting, I really can’t help but
wish that they kept the race of the Ancient One as Tibetan or Chinese (either
works for me); because as good as the Ancient One is, it really wouldn’t hurt
to put an Asian female out there to portray the character.
Chiwetel Ejiofor is a literal scene stealer as Karl
Mordo. Originally set to be Doctor Strange’s eventual nemesis, here he becomes
Strange’s ally, with subtle hints of his own motivations that still seem grey,
which makes him a fascinating character on his own. See, when I say subtle, I
mean it.
Mads Mikkelsen makes an overall good villain as
Kaecilius. If MCU movies have a fatal weakness, it’s their villains. They’re
mostly underwritten and they usually come off as “just evil for the sake of
evil”. There are a couple of MCU villains on that list, but Kaecilius does not
join that list. Kaecilius is still underwritten, yes, but his intentions are
clear and you get why he does what he does. It’s overly similar with Darren
Cross from Ant-Man. In my personal
opinion, Darren Cross is also a villain whose intentions are well delivered,
yet still underwritten in terms of his own storyline. Kaecilius joins Darren
Cross in that particular group. Rest assured, Kaecilius was definitely a better
villain than Malekith from Thor: The Dark
World.
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| Source: Entertainment Weekly |
The cast is great overall, but let’s get to the
negatives first before I get to the best part of the film: it’s formulaic and
similar to another certain origin of a rich a-hole who’s brilliant, yet still
remains to be an a-hole; who eventually learns selflessness by becoming the
hero the world needs. I’m not saying that it’s completely bad, but it would be
nice to see a completely different take on their stories. Doctor Strange is packed with insane visuals that we’ve never seen
before in the MCU. But at its core, is a very familiar storyline, and the
longer I think about it, it’s almost a repetition of the first Iron Man movie, just with magic and
mystic. Guardians of the Galaxy still
remains to be my most favorite movie of the MCU, because like Doctor Strange, Guardians isn’t afraid break boundaries when it comes to their
visuals. But what made Guardians such
a standout from other Marvel movies for me was that it boasts quite a fresh storyline
(though it might be similar to the classic sci-fi space movies) as well as a
unique visual style complete with a wicked soundtrack. Doctor Strange does have
that unique visual style, but the storyline lacks that freshness and
originality that would have made it stand out more. Because of that, the story seems a little generic, but just a little.
Which brings me to my next negative. The first act of the movie felt rushed, and the pacing was a little off. Some parts in the first act could have been longer and could have been delved deeper, especially during Strange's training in Kamar-Taj (which was the story aspect that I was actually worried about because Strange trained for a long time there, and I was curious to see how they'd show it).
Another negative aspect for me was the humor. I
don’t mind the humor in the MCU movies, but Doctor
Strange doesn’t need that many
humor, especially with its title character; as he is already interesting on his
own complex route of a storyline. Stephen Strange’s quips sometimes put me
off-guard, and it kind of took me out of the movie for a second. The humor,
mostly from Strange; sometimes puts the movie off, and you’re completely taken
out of what is already a good and progressive sequence.
Now to the best part: the visuals. I’m not going to
spoil much, but the visuals are insane.
Doctor Strange is not afraid to go
beyond and break boundaries when it comes to the visuals. In fact, their visual
effects give Christopher Nolan’s Inception
a run for their money. Doctor Strange’s visuals are more than just bending streets and buildings. It
literally takes you to dimensions that are shown like colors of crayons and
paint being poured on blank canvas. I watched the film in 2D, but it’s obvious
that this film was truly made for 3D (IMAX, even) with all the immersive
visuals that become the film’s greatest strength. The film’s use of magic is also
stunning, and each action sequence gives plenty of variety to the way magic is
used in a fight.
Despite the film's slight drive to a generic story, it's the film's third act that made the film for me. I won't spoil anything other than the fact that it's creative, fun, and trippy. Some people might not be satisfied with the third act, but I found it to be refreshing. The film's third act manages to dodge the usual superhero film climaxes, which is why I loved it.
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| Source: Entertainment Weekly |
Another great positive was the score. Michael
Giacchino’s unique of a score added many needed layers throughout the movie,
with the best tracks being in the film’s emotional scenes and action sequences. Trippy visuals come with trippy music, and this score is damn close
to being as trippy as the visuals in the film.
With that, I still think that Doctor Strange is
another solid addition to the MCU. It’s almost on par with my expectations, but
not quite there yet. Doctor Strange
really would have been more if it backed off the humor a little bit and let the
overall story talk. As for the story itself, I think it would have stand out
more if it went with a slightly fresher take on the story as a whole, going not only
beyond borders by the visuals; but also by storyline.
Stars: 3.7/5
Also, there are two post credit scenes that are pretty vital to future MCU movies (I nearly screamed in the theater at the first post credit scene [mid-credit scene, to be exact] which shows a very familiar face).
