In the past year, there has been recurring debate over which comic book/film company is superior: DC or Marvel. While this debate may seem mundane, there are billions staked in the future of these franchises. Batman v Superman alone may have cost Warner Bros. over half a billion dollars to make and promote, and had disappointing returns both commercially and critically. Marvel Studios, however, is thriving, with both of their releases this year garnering fresh ratings of around 90 percent on aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. The second of these releases, Doctor Strange, is getting significant buzz for purportedly being a more risky venture. I have seen Doctor Strange twice, and I can safely say that it takes few risks, relying on state-of-the-art visuals and an incredible cast, while coming up short in the areas of plot, villain, and audience engagement.
Seeing Doctor Strange was an overall satisfying experience. The visuals really stand out, especially in IMAX 3D. While not vastly different from anything that has come before, new developments in film production technology allowed director Scott Derrickson to create mind-blowing visages. The film is reminiscent of such classics as Inception, which is high praise that I never expected to direct towards a Marvel film.
Another area in which Doctor Strange excels is acting. For starters, the picture boasts an impressive cast; leading among them, of course, is Benedict Cumberbatch. While perhaps not as enthralling as usual, Cumberbatch lends important humanity to a character who is so far out, and certainly makes Strange a compelling man, even when he is vilified in the beginning as somewhat of a materialist. As always, it is interesting to hear the efforts of Brits to take on an American accent, and Cumberbatch does not fail to entertain. I found myself wondering at various junctures whether he had prepared for the role using clips of Adam West. That being said, his accent was far superior to others attempted by his countrymen. While Cumberbatch is the star, Tilda Swinton truly shines in her role as the Ancient One. The Academy Award winner commands attention every time she sets foot on screen, and has a compelling arc as well. Altogether, the film boasts an accomplished cast, with four members being nominated for an Academy Award, and Swinton winning one.
However, Doctor Strange falters when it comes to plot and comedy. While the odder sequences shone, it seemed the writers had trouble coming up with scenes to fill in the time in between. Many scenes seemed completely extraneous; even the staple comedy from Marvel seemed useless and boring. For example, while the valet Wong had his moments, it seemed they played up his character’s lack of comedic recognition, without a great payoff. Additionally, Rachel McAdams did not contribute much to the film, with her character being barely more than a tease for Strange. The comedy falls flat: most of the attempted humor comes from Strange’s witty comments and his cloak’s antics. This grows old quickly, and when the cloak strangles enemy after enemy, I found myself wanting to fast-forward the film to the next, more interesting scene.
Another major problem with the film seems to be one that is discussed after every Marvel movie—the villain. Here again, the main foe falls flat, with the Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen) receiving nearly no backstory except that he is similar to Strange in temperament and attitude and is confused often, as shown by his ready acceptance of Dormammu and his “Mister Doctor” episode.
Speaking of Dormammu, he was represented in the film to an extent that would be confusing to those who hadn’t read the comics. It seemed that Disney had in mind an audience of people familiar with the comics, but this was an unlikely assumption. Luckily, I have read my fair share of Doctor Strange, and I knew what was in store, and I must say the scene with Dormammu was handled quite creatively. That said, I cannot imagine the average viewer having the faintest idea of what was going on. Maybe next time, rather than publishing prequel comics that no one reads, Marvel will find a better way to prepare the audience for their film. Hopefully, at least some of these problems can be rectified in the inevitable sequel.
Despite these issues, I did enjoy Doctor Strange. I don’t know how much of it was the comic reader in me, but I was engrossed by the admittedly wild and thin plot, waiting on the edge of my seat for more. I even thought the film had some good philosophical advice in the realm of selfishness and the like, even as it mocked materialism and, to a lesser extent, science. So all in all, I would recommend seeing Doctor Strange, especially in 3D or even IMAX if you can, but if you fancy yourself a critic of a sort, you may want to save your money.