Doctor Strange (2016)

User Review

• 

  buffed_film_buff

  8 / 10

  
  I know a lot of you are probably doing Wonder Woman reviews right now, and though I desperately crave to see it I just haven't had time to get to the theater yet. Instead I finally got around to watching one of the latest Marvel movies. In all honesty, I think this movie had the potential to become one of the greatest in the entire MCU. It has pretty excellent source material, but also enough space for the creative mind to flourish and produce something spectacular. Did it really live up to all that? Meh. Not really. The film starts as most superhero movies do- the bad guy doing bad things, with a little bit of foreshadowing, and then a sudden switch to the ordinary life of our future superhero. In this case, our savior is Dr. Steven Strange- an extremely acclaimed yet conceited neurosurgeon. He has a potential love interest in fellow doctor Rachel McAdams and then a tragic accident happens that makes him push away every person in his life and his career take a standstill. These first 45 minutes were not anything magical, but it was engaging enough. Then Tilda Swinton enters the picture and it gets a lot better. I'll be blunt: any scene where the CGI people are on hand is magnificent. Whether it's bending buildings in London or undoing damage in Hong Kong, the visuals were stunning- because that's where this movie really thrives. However, there was a lot of really unnecessary humor that felt forced and unnatural- pop culture references and odd quips that had no place in a serious discussion or battle. I know that this movie shouldn't be taken too literally, but it really disrupted the dystopian mood for me. I'm almost 99.99% sure the only reason this movie was made was for the line: "Mister Doctor?" "It's Strange" "It is, but I don't judge." There was a very excessive eye roll present at that. Benedict Cumberbatch is a likable protagonist, but we all know Ironman will always be the #1 narcissist in our hearts. The last act altogether is pretty clever and exciting, but there wasn't a lot of suspense in this film nor thoughtful dialogue that wasn't cliched. It was a good film that I'm giving a decent rating, but I can't help but mask my disappointment at what this movie could've been. It just lacked that mind blowing inspiration.
  Rate: 7.7/10

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