# DOCTOR STRANGE (By the Hoary Hosts of SPOILERS)



## horacethegrey (Nov 1, 2016)

So yeah. Just watched this, and it was good. I wouldn't rank it as the best Marvel Studios has produced (that would be _Civil War_), but I'd place it alongside excellent origin films like the first _Iron Man_ and _Ant-Man_. Just to let everyone know though, I've never been a follower of Doctor Strange. I know of him and have come across many of his appearances in comics I've read over the years, but I'm not what you'd call a big fan of the character. I've never even read the issues that were made famous by Steve Ditko's mindbending artwork (I really should hunt these stories down). So really, I've no preconceived notions regarding how the character should be portrayed. With that said, let's go first to the positives of this movie.

*PLUS*

- Benedict Cumberbatch is awesome. Another casting coup for Marvel. He's got Stephen Strange's arrogance and self-absorption down pat. And even when he has his accident that severely damages his hands (thus ending his career as a top neurosurgeon), he never quite loses the arrogant streak. Though he eats a massive slice of humble pie once he starts his apprenticeship in the Mystic Arts, and finds that the world he lives in is quite small compared to the infinity that he now becomes aware of. Cumberbatch sells this character transformation pretty well, and manages to kick butt in the action scenes convincingly. And I haven't even mentioned that he does all this with a pretty convincing American accent. I wasn't so sure at first when I first heard him in the trailer, but at no point was I pulled out of the movie because of his accent. And the best part is, this is only the beginning. By the end of the film Strange is not yet the Sorceror Supreme, so there's plenty of time for him to reach that point, which means more of Benedict in the role. I can't wait. 

- Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One was a genius casting choice on the part of the filmmakers. Controversy aside, she was incredible at portraying a centuries old mystic who is equal parts formidable and warm (though not lacking in a bit of snarkiness). Her casting may have been a compromise on Marvel's part, but still, what a winning compromise it is.

- The supporting cast was pretty good. Not surprising, what with the likes of Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo and Benedict Wong as Wong (ha!) giving humor and character to what could be throwaway roles in the hands of lesser actors. Ejiofor's Mordo I liked in particular, as he's pretty much a friend and colleague to Strange right up to the end, when his disillusionment with the latter and the Ancient One makes his inevitable turn to villainy much more believable rather than the paper thin reasoning of his comic counterpart. Rachel McAdams, though pretty underused, was also good as Strange's ex-love Christine Palmer. 

- The visuals are spectacular. Let's face it, as much praise as I can give the acting, the real reason anyone is lining up to watch this flick are the visual effects. It's like Scott Derrickson scooped a portion from Steve Ditko's brain to create this amazing kaleidoscope of imagery that just dances on the screen and makes your eyes shine in wonder. 

- The final confrontation with Dormammu is one of the best resolutions to a superhero movie I've seen. It's pretty ingenious how Strange manages to win the day, by trapping a godlike being in a time loop until he can force a stalemate. It's like the writers took a solution from _Doctor Who_ and transplanted it to _Doctor Strange_. I'm not complaining though, as it's nice to have the hero save the day by not punching the problem to submission.

*MINUS*

- What a waste of Mads Mikkelsen. Casting such a great actor in such a boring role. Kaecillius was hardly grade A supervillain material, and was just put there to provide Strange an antagonist. Hannibal deserved better.

- The story was pretty rote. Really, you could fill out a checklist of all the predictable plot points (aside from the ending). Not much surprises here, but it's a minor complaint.

Welp. There's nothing more to say, other than Marvel has another win on their hands. A solid 9/10 from me.


----------



## Derren (Nov 2, 2016)

Personally I think the supporting cast was rather shallow. The most memorable character besides Strange and maybe the Ancient One was the cloak by a very large margin.

And the story was not only predictable for a Marvel movie, it was a very generic "Student turns evil, other student has to defeat him and revenge his master" story as seen in thousands of other movies.


----------



## Janx (Nov 4, 2016)

I liked it.  It wasn't perfect, but Cumberbatch did a good job playing a different kind of arrogant super genius than Alan Turing, Khan and Sherlock.  He's kind of getting type cast.

I wasn't as big on the psychedelic acid trip scenes that seemed to be eye candy for 70's drug culture scene.  Woah man, that's trippy.

As I'm in the midst of writing a novel about a wizard, I liked how Strange found an out of the box solution to the big problem that didn't involve hitting it harder.  That's a theme I try to use for mine, and it made sense here as well that a really smart person with lots of tools would come up with something different.


----------



## Kramodlog (Nov 6, 2016)

Saw it with my girlfriend. We both agree the actors where great and the special effects where awesome. Probably one of the rare films worth paying for the extra IMAX 3D Dumbledore Turbo experience. 

It introduces magic to the MCU with fluidity and simplicity. I can't say it is gonna be a super memorable film though. A bit like Ant-Man was.

I look foward to seeing Strange along side Thor and Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok. It looks like that film will be a high budget sword and sorcery romp.


----------



## horacethegrey (Nov 6, 2016)

Kramodlog said:


> I look foward to seeing Strange along side Thor and Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok. It looks like that film will be a high budget sword and sorcery romp.




Strange is confirmed to appear in _Avengers: Infinity War_ as well. So Benedict Cumberbatch will be acting alongside Robert Downey Jr. Finally, two Sherlocks in one movie. 

Or as some Marvel fans are pointing out:


----------



## Ryujin (Nov 6, 2016)

Despite not particularly being a fan of Cumberbatch, I very much enjoyed it. The Ditko style sections would likely have been too much for me in iMax or 3D, so I'm glad to have seen it in a standard cinema.


----------



## Kramodlog (Nov 7, 2016)

horacethegrey said:


> Strange is confirmed to appear in _Avengers: Infinity War_ as well. So Benedict Cumberbatch will be acting alongside Robert Downey Jr. Finally, two Sherlocks in one movie.
> 
> Or as some Marvel fans are pointing out:



Not surprising considering there is the time Infinity Stone in the film.


----------



## wicked cool (Nov 7, 2016)

he have a major role in thor movie or a cameo?


----------



## UselessTriviaMan (Nov 7, 2016)

There aren't many movies that I ever recommend seeing in 3D. This, however, is one of those few. VERY worth the extra coupla bucks.

My ten-year-old and I enjoyed it. It's not in my Top 5 Marvel Movies, but it was a worthy addition to the MCU.


----------



## RedSiegfried (Nov 7, 2016)

I'll echo many others here by saying it was by no means the best MCU movie, nor my favorite, but I was definitely entertained.  I particularly enjoyed the solution to trapping the baddie at the end, though you pretty much knew there was going to be an infinite time loop situation somewhere in the movie about two seconds after it was first mentioned.  It's also good to know that Strange still isn't the Sorcerer Supreme yet so we'll get to see more of his journey.

I was most impressed by Cumberbatch's American accent though.  He sounded like he was from Wisconsin.  Good job.

Wish I had been able to see it in 3D - I think this movie is one of the rare ones that would benefit from it.


----------



## Zoey141 (Nov 8, 2016)

Benedict Cumberbatch is such a darling!  It's as if he was born to essay the role of Dr. Strange! I love Downey Jr. as Iron Man and now I've another favorite. I can't decide who is better though: Downey Jr. or Cumberbatch.


----------



## Zoey141 (Nov 8, 2016)

3D is a visual treat! I'm all set to watch it again!


----------



## Zoey141 (Nov 8, 2016)

horacethegrey said:


> Strange is confirmed to appear in _Avengers: Infinity War_ as well. So Benedict Cumberbatch will be acting alongside Robert Downey Jr. Finally, two Sherlocks in one movie.
> 
> Or as some Marvel fans are pointing out:
> 
> View attachment 78176




  <3


----------



## Scott DeWar (Nov 12, 2016)

*Hoary Hairy Hoards of Hilarious Hungarian Hivers -- HIDE!!!!*

zoomed to the end of the thread to say this: I am getting ready to go watch it right now. I will comment later to day.

edit:

tickets,3-d showing of Dr. Strange - Matinee
14.18
tax
1.35
round trip bus ticket
3.40
coffee atpanera's while waiting 40minutes
2.04
total
20.97

chance to see non-euclidian geometry in 3-d




oops,sorry mi'Lord
*ahem*
with Master Cthulhu's permission





  . . . . .And, why yes. that is HE when HE is happy . . . . .
priceless - purchased with MasterCard.


----------



## hopeless (Nov 12, 2016)

*Dr Strange*

So no love for the Cloak of Levitation?


----------



## Scott DeWar (Nov 12, 2016)

*Hoary Hairy Hoards of Hilarious Hungarian Hivers -- HIDE!!!!*

I loved that thing. especially when it was wiping tears.


----------



## trappedslider (Nov 13, 2016)

best line in the movie IMO


----------



## Scott DeWar (Nov 13, 2016)

*Hoary Hairy Hoards of Hilarious Hungarian Hivers --  HIDE!!!!*

Yes, that was HI-Larious! I laughed at that as well as about half of the people there. 10 in all I think- it was a matinee

in retrospect, Mads Mikkilson is one of few who could have done that scene with a straight face.


----------



## Mad_Jack (Nov 13, 2016)

Re: Villain origins and motivation, and trippy background scenes and such...

It's important to remember the context of them - If you're not a comic book fan, you should know that the first comic book appearance of Doctor Strange was in the early 19*60*'s...  The character's been around a loooong time, and thus the origins and motivations of most of the supporting characters/villains in his story were established in what you might call "a simpler time"...


----------



## Silver Moon (Nov 24, 2016)

Mad_Jack said:


> If you're not a comic book fan, you should know that the first comic book appearance of Doctor Strange was in the early 19*60*'s...  The character's been around a loooong time, and thus the origins and motivations of most of the supporting characters/villains in his story were established in what you might call "a simpler time"...



Saw it yesterday, loved the movie.   Last night I re-read the early appearances from Strange Tales, and in retrospect they did an excellent job of staying with the source material.    There were even three improvements:  Mordo, the Cloak, and Christine Palmer (who was last seen in the Nightcrawler maxi-series).


----------



## Mad_Jack (Nov 24, 2016)

I saw it recently... I think the movie could have been a bit longer as some of the plot development seemed a bit rushed at points. I liked the fight scenes - it was very _Mortal Kombat_ meets _Inception_.


----------



## Altamont Ravenard (Nov 24, 2016)

I'm glad they cast Aladdin's carpet as the cloak of levitation.

AR


----------



## Silver Moon (Nov 24, 2016)

Mad_Jack said:


> I liked the fight scenes - it was very _Mortal Kombat_ meets _Inception_.



Exactly!  That meant that it was different than all of the prior Marvel Studio movies.  At this stage in the process they need to mix things up.


----------



## MistyF (Nov 26, 2016)

Mad_Jack said:


> I saw it recently... I think the movie could have been a bit longer as some of the plot development seemed a bit rushed at points. I liked the fight scenes - it was very _Mortal Kombat_ meets _Inception_.




As for me it was too long, the second part was a bit strange and looks shorter than the first part.


----------



## Istbor (Nov 28, 2016)

Janx said:


> I liked it.  It wasn't perfect, but Cumberbatch did a good job playing a different kind of arrogant super genius than Alan Turing, Khan and Sherlock.  He's kind of getting type cast.
> 
> I wasn't as big on the psychedelic acid trip scenes that seemed to be eye candy for 70's drug culture scene.  Woah man, that's trippy.
> 
> As I'm in the midst of writing a novel about a wizard, I liked how Strange found an out of the box solution to the big problem that didn't involve hitting it harder.  That's a theme I try to use for mine, and it made sense here as well that a really smart person with lots of tools would come up with something different.




I agree that he is somewhat being type cast now. However, you did forget one Arrogant genius, Smaug.  How can we leave out one of the most arrogant of the arrogant? 

I liked the movie, and I am one of those people that is beginning to grow tired of the super hero march of movies.   

I think the 'magic' was refreshing and explained fairly well.

That moment that Dormammu started to realize a serious case of Deja Vu was great. 

Not very thrilled about Mordo turning coat.  I get why he might do it, just think that we could get something different than another old friends turn enemies that has been told again and again.


----------



## Tonguez (Nov 28, 2016)

Istbor said:


> I agree that he is somewhat being type cast now. However, you did forget one Arrogant genius, Smaug.  How can we leave out one of the most arrogant of the arrogant?
> 
> I liked the movie, and I am one of those people that is beginning to grow tired of the super hero march of movies.
> 
> ...




you  do know that Mordo going bad comes straight from the comics? The refreshing thing in the movie was Mordo starting off as a friend and his turn being motivated by righteousness rather than him simply being a comic book villain.

I liked the movie and the way they used the 70's soundtrack to tie back to a more psychdelic era without going full hippy. 
Nonetheless I was a bit disappointed the movie didn't have more of a horror vibe and instead gave us "action movie magic", sure I acknowledge that Dr Strange for all the mystical trappings is still superhero genre, but I was hoping we might see something a little more 'out there' rather than being seemlessly integrated with the Stark & Banners brand of Comicbook 'Science'


----------



## Istbor (Nov 28, 2016)

Tonguez said:


> you  do know that Mordo going bad comes straight from the comics? The refreshing thing in the movie was Mordo starting off as a friend and his turn being motivated by righteousness rather than him simply being a comic book villain.
> 
> I liked the movie and the way they used the 70's soundtrack to tie back to a more psychdelic era without going full hippy.
> Nonetheless I was a bit disappointed the movie didn't have more of a horror vibe and instead gave us "action movie magic", sure I acknowledge that Dr Strange for all the mystical trappings is still superhero genre, but I was hoping we might see something a little more 'out there' rather than being seemlessly integrated with the Stark & Banners brand of Comicbook 'Science'




Yes, I do know this. I don't have any disagreement on the reason for him turning.  I am just not sold on the need for a character like that at all in this particular version of Dr. Strange.  I am perfectly fine with some departure from Comic Book.


----------



## Jhaelen (Nov 29, 2016)

Istbor said:


> Not very thrilled about Mordo turning coat.



While I didn't know the comics, I immediately suspected he'd turn into a villain sooner or later - the name is simply too telling!


----------



## Scott DeWar (Nov 29, 2016)

*Hoary Hairy Hoards of Hilarious Hungarian Hivers -- HIDE!!!!*

so is the actor! He seems like the previous incarnation of his character in serinity.


----------



## doctorbadwolf (Nov 29, 2016)

I just wish they had waited longer to have Mordo do a heel turn. On of my few big complaints toward hero movies lately is the lack of patience in the stories.


----------



## Istbor (Nov 29, 2016)

Scott DeWar said:


> so is the actor! He seems like the previous incarnation of his character in serinity.




That is true, he is type-cast as a turncoat.  Serenity, Children of Men, Dr. Strange.  Trying to think of some others without depending on IMDB...

Maybe that is the real reason I didn't like that in the movie, like Sean Bean he is a walking spoiler of sorts.


----------



## MarkB (Dec 2, 2016)

Scott DeWar said:


> so is the actor! He seems like the previous incarnation of his character in serinity.




Except that he seems to have gone on the exact opposite moral journey. Which is, in some way, more dejecting than if it had been some other actor.


----------



## Scott DeWar (Dec 2, 2016)

Well, he is Neutral evil. what do you expect?


----------

