Spoilers Doctor Strange - Grading & Discussion
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Just in from seeing it. Saw 2D simply because the times suited me better. It looked great that way but I imagine that 3D would be pretty spectacular. Having said that, I often find that 3D screenings can look dull and muted and it would've been a shame to darken the glorious colours of this film.
Anyway, for me, Marvel can do little wrong, formula or not, and this was no exception. Yes, the story was a bit Iron Man-meets Batman Begins but the script was witty, the visuals genuinely inventive and served the story, rather than simply providing eye candy. The cast, of course, were great, though I agree that McAdams and Mikkelsen were a tad wasted. Cumberbatch's accent was a bit wobbly too.
i liked how he defeated the bad guy with his wit rather than a big CGI-fest. Perhaps it was the Cumberbatch-Moffatt connection but his solution totally screamed "Doctor Who" at me, while the bad guys' fate could've come from The Five Doctors. Obviously, this is all a plus in my book.
I gave it a possibly-slightly-generous A-. A B+ may've been more appropriate but I'm not sure I really can distinguish!
Anyway, for me, Marvel can do little wrong, formula or not, and this was no exception. Yes, the story was a bit Iron Man-meets Batman Begins but the script was witty, the visuals genuinely inventive and served the story, rather than simply providing eye candy. The cast, of course, were great, though I agree that McAdams and Mikkelsen were a tad wasted. Cumberbatch's accent was a bit wobbly too.
i liked how he defeated the bad guy with his wit rather than a big CGI-fest. Perhaps it was the Cumberbatch-Moffatt connection but his solution totally screamed "Doctor Who" at me, while the bad guys' fate could've come from The Five Doctors. Obviously, this is all a plus in my book.
I gave it a possibly-slightly-generous A-. A B+ may've been more appropriate but I'm not sure I really can distinguish!
Just got around to seeing it. It was OK. Nothing mind blowing (visuals aside) but it was a solid film that kept me entertained throughout.
Those old Marvel flaws are still present though: paper thin villain, slightly rushed third act and a "heroes journey paint by numbers" approach to structure. I get the feeling some character development scenes were dropped in favour of pacing and I can see why. Pushing the 2 hour mark is a bit risky for an adventure movie. Don't want the second act to drag too much.
If I'm reading it right the movie takes place at least over the course of two years. One from the time of the accident to his leaving for Tibet and another for his training in sorcery. Any less than that and it doesn't seem credible that he'd have gone through rehab, spent all his money on experimental procedures AND gone on his spiritual journey. So that would place the start at around the same time as 'Winter Soldier', the middle just before or after the Ultron incident and the end bringing it back up to date.
Lots of easter eggs and references, many I didn't understand but could tell they're referencing *something*. I did spot a young woman in the Hong Kong sanctuary carrying what looked like the Staff of One, which I can only assume is meant to be Nico Minoru's mother from 'The Runaways'. If so then it puts a bit of a wrinkle in the backstory as she's supposed to have been an underworld kingpin in LA for the last decade or two, whereas here she doesn't look anywhere near old enough to have a teenage daughter. Being on the wrong continent isn't much of a hindrance though, as we've seen making portals is the very first spell they teach sorcerers.
I suppose it's possible that's not Minoru after all, but then how would she get the staff out of the Hong Kong sanctum?
Those old Marvel flaws are still present though: paper thin villain, slightly rushed third act and a "heroes journey paint by numbers" approach to structure. I get the feeling some character development scenes were dropped in favour of pacing and I can see why. Pushing the 2 hour mark is a bit risky for an adventure movie. Don't want the second act to drag too much.
If I'm reading it right the movie takes place at least over the course of two years. One from the time of the accident to his leaving for Tibet and another for his training in sorcery. Any less than that and it doesn't seem credible that he'd have gone through rehab, spent all his money on experimental procedures AND gone on his spiritual journey. So that would place the start at around the same time as 'Winter Soldier', the middle just before or after the Ultron incident and the end bringing it back up to date.
Lots of easter eggs and references, many I didn't understand but could tell they're referencing *something*. I did spot a young woman in the Hong Kong sanctuary carrying what looked like the Staff of One, which I can only assume is meant to be Nico Minoru's mother from 'The Runaways'. If so then it puts a bit of a wrinkle in the backstory as she's supposed to have been an underworld kingpin in LA for the last decade or two, whereas here she doesn't look anywhere near old enough to have a teenage daughter. Being on the wrong continent isn't much of a hindrance though, as we've seen making portals is the very first spell they teach sorcerers.
I suppose it's possible that's not Minoru after all, but then how would she get the staff out of the Hong Kong sanctum?
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A+
I thought it was a great movie worthy of an A and I gave it that extra + for making the typical CGI end fight serve the story in a creative way rather than be a spectacle in and of itself which is what pretty much all of these movies do.
This wasn't the most visually stunning movie I've ever seen. That goes to Jet Li's Hero, but this one is probably a close 2nd or 3rd. The reality bending was eye-popping and I loved the concept of mystical beings fighting in their own world right in front of us. As for the 3D, I didn't feel that it added much.
As I watched, I wondered what they could do for a sequel and sure enough, it looks like we'll get something good... Mordo, a good guy turned bad and possibly a hypocrite given that he himself uses magic. He's doing exactly what the Ancient One did. I also think we'll see more Rachel McAdams next time.
I had a problem with Pangborn's paralysis coming back. From what I gathered in the beginning, he built up his mind to heal himself and that's something that can't be taken away. Then in the end, the story kind of shifted to him using magic to sustain himself. I wish they had stuck with the mind power explanation.
And remember, don't text while you drive. Funny how something like that kick started a movie like this.
I thought it was a great movie worthy of an A and I gave it that extra + for making the typical CGI end fight serve the story in a creative way rather than be a spectacle in and of itself which is what pretty much all of these movies do.
This wasn't the most visually stunning movie I've ever seen. That goes to Jet Li's Hero, but this one is probably a close 2nd or 3rd. The reality bending was eye-popping and I loved the concept of mystical beings fighting in their own world right in front of us. As for the 3D, I didn't feel that it added much.
As I watched, I wondered what they could do for a sequel and sure enough, it looks like we'll get something good... Mordo, a good guy turned bad and possibly a hypocrite given that he himself uses magic. He's doing exactly what the Ancient One did. I also think we'll see more Rachel McAdams next time.
I had a problem with Pangborn's paralysis coming back. From what I gathered in the beginning, he built up his mind to heal himself and that's something that can't be taken away. Then in the end, the story kind of shifted to him using magic to sustain himself. I wish they had stuck with the mind power explanation.
And remember, don't text while you drive. Funny how something like that kick started a movie like this.
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Okay, I'll be very up front about this. My review is going to make it sound like I hate Doctor Strange. I *don't*. But I am very disappointed in it. Let me be clear. There's very little bad about Doctor Strange. But there's nothing great about it either. It's at best, an exercise in studied mediocrity.
It's bland and uninspired. Yes, it's another origin story of the jackass with a heart of gold who becomes a hero when he realizes the world doesn't revolve around him. But moviegoers needed a context for Stephen Strange and his corner of the Marvel universe, so starting with the origin is fine. It's just not handled with any kind of flavor, personality or innovation.
I think Marvel pulled too many punches with this film. They took a risk with Guardians of the Galaxy, and it paid off big time. But instead of going for it again with Doctor Strange, they seemed scared of this one, and just tiptoed through it instead of really giving us something to wonder at.
The film tries a good bit of world building, but sets no atmosphere, so it feels sterile and hollow, and for all its lip service to world-ending threats and a multiverse of possibilities, it lacks any kind of scope. Worse still, the script provides ZERO depth to the characters, so there's nothing for the wonderful cast to dig into. Yes, I know it's a comic book film. I'm not looking for Shakespeare, here. There's *depth of character* to Steve Rogers that makes Chris Evans push himself as an actor. There's nuance that Robert Downey, Jr. brings to Tony Stark that makes him more than a caricature. There's none of that here, from anyone, nothing to inspire them to give anything more than a surface performance.
Acting wise, everyone is competent at what they're doing, even Rachel McAdams who is probably my least favorite leading lady this side of Megan Fox. That's simply because they have very little to work with. Cumberbatch is fine but wasted, while Ejiofor, Swinton, and especially Mikkelsen simply fall back on their "default" screen characters. An oddly-accented American Sherlock teams up with the Operative and the White Witch to fight Hannibal Lechter, while Irene Adler watches from the sidelines. That's what the performances boil down to. Everyone on their factory settings.
The humor is...questionable at best. I realize people expect a degree of humor from Marvel films, and that's all well and good. But slapstick and Doctor Strange are an odd pair, and it kind of takes one out of the film. There are other ways to bring humor into more serious characters. That being said, it was nice to see Carpet from Aladdin guest-starring as the Cloak of Levitation.
Everybody seems to be loving the visuals, using words like "stunning" and "innovative" and "mind-blowing," and I just sat there looking at what might as well have been Inception 2, without the imagination.
None of this is *bad*. But it all combines to make the movie bland and uninteresting (to me), when it could have been so much more.
The one truly *bad* thing about the film is the score. It's intrusive, while also being exceptionally bland and as devoid of personality as the script, and sometimes even seems to run counter to the emotional beats of the film. Michael Giacchino remains, in my estimation, the most overrated composer working in the film industry today.
I chalk up *all* these faults to an inexperienced director/scriptwriter pair who are both out of their genre and out of their depth, and a studio that didn't actually put any faith in the film. Had Marvel really believed in Doctor Strange as a solo franchise, this movie *would* have been infinitely better. Instead, they just wanted to get him "out there" so he could show up in *other* people's movies.
The waste of potential is enough to make me weep.
It's bland and uninspired. Yes, it's another origin story of the jackass with a heart of gold who becomes a hero when he realizes the world doesn't revolve around him. But moviegoers needed a context for Stephen Strange and his corner of the Marvel universe, so starting with the origin is fine. It's just not handled with any kind of flavor, personality or innovation.
I think Marvel pulled too many punches with this film. They took a risk with Guardians of the Galaxy, and it paid off big time. But instead of going for it again with Doctor Strange, they seemed scared of this one, and just tiptoed through it instead of really giving us something to wonder at.
The film tries a good bit of world building, but sets no atmosphere, so it feels sterile and hollow, and for all its lip service to world-ending threats and a multiverse of possibilities, it lacks any kind of scope. Worse still, the script provides ZERO depth to the characters, so there's nothing for the wonderful cast to dig into. Yes, I know it's a comic book film. I'm not looking for Shakespeare, here. There's *depth of character* to Steve Rogers that makes Chris Evans push himself as an actor. There's nuance that Robert Downey, Jr. brings to Tony Stark that makes him more than a caricature. There's none of that here, from anyone, nothing to inspire them to give anything more than a surface performance.
Acting wise, everyone is competent at what they're doing, even Rachel McAdams who is probably my least favorite leading lady this side of Megan Fox. That's simply because they have very little to work with. Cumberbatch is fine but wasted, while Ejiofor, Swinton, and especially Mikkelsen simply fall back on their "default" screen characters. An oddly-accented American Sherlock teams up with the Operative and the White Witch to fight Hannibal Lechter, while Irene Adler watches from the sidelines. That's what the performances boil down to. Everyone on their factory settings.
The humor is...questionable at best. I realize people expect a degree of humor from Marvel films, and that's all well and good. But slapstick and Doctor Strange are an odd pair, and it kind of takes one out of the film. There are other ways to bring humor into more serious characters. That being said, it was nice to see Carpet from Aladdin guest-starring as the Cloak of Levitation.
Everybody seems to be loving the visuals, using words like "stunning" and "innovative" and "mind-blowing," and I just sat there looking at what might as well have been Inception 2, without the imagination.
None of this is *bad*. But it all combines to make the movie bland and uninteresting (to me), when it could have been so much more.
The one truly *bad* thing about the film is the score. It's intrusive, while also being exceptionally bland and as devoid of personality as the script, and sometimes even seems to run counter to the emotional beats of the film. Michael Giacchino remains, in my estimation, the most overrated composer working in the film industry today.
I chalk up *all* these faults to an inexperienced director/scriptwriter pair who are both out of their genre and out of their depth, and a studio that didn't actually put any faith in the film. Had Marvel really believed in Doctor Strange as a solo franchise, this movie *would* have been infinitely better. Instead, they just wanted to get him "out there" so he could show up in *other* people's movies.
The waste of potential is enough to make me weep.
B+
Enjoyable enough, but didn't blow me away as other Marvel movies have. The visuals were amazing*.
* @TJ Sinclair -- Never saw "Inception".
Enjoyable enough, but didn't blow me away as other Marvel movies have. The visuals were amazing*.
* @TJ Sinclair -- Never saw "Inception".
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As I understand it, he didn't heal himself so much as bypass his injury by channelling energy directly into his nerve cells. The physical damage is still there, he's just essentially put in a "magical" shunt. Take away the magic and the shunt disappears.
B+
Enjoyable enough, but didn't blow me away as other Marvel movies have. The visuals were amazing*.
* @TJ Sinclair -- Never saw "Inception".
I have and the only similarity I can see is the games the filmakers play with spacial bending. However I'd say Inception was *less* imaginative and took it self way too seriously.
That said, I'd also say that the humour in 'Doctor Strange' didn't always land. There are some moments of attempted levity that felt ill timed.
According to this article on IGN about the Easter Eggs and references, Derrickson said he didn't intend it to be either the Hammer guy or Rhodey, which seems kind of strange to me since it was a very specific injury that was close to what we saw in other movies. He als
If that is the Master of Hong Kong Sanctum from the prequel comic, then it is Tina Minoru. I hadn't read the comics, but I heard the name Minoru thrown around in articles, so I was wondering if that was Kaecilius's brunette goon, but based on the MCU wiki your guess is a lot more likely.
I believe this is the link you were searching for.
Not sure where the wiki got that closeup image of Minoru as I don't think it was in the movie or any of the trailers. The closest (outside of the theatre) I've been able to find is a glimpse of her here in the background.
ETA: Nevermind, found it!
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I guess I enjoyed it more than most. A-
It did feel as if some of the character moments were left on the cutting room floor and everything moved very fast but I can't point out anywhere it was specifically lacking.
The supporting cast went through little in the way of character development but each of them got at least one scene that made them feel like there was something more complex behind who they were. Mordo's turn at the end felt like a natural next step for someone with his outlook who had to move on from what he saw as a betrayal of the laws he had dedicated himself to for years/decades/a lifetime. Kaecilius had reasonable (from a certain point of view) but clearly misguided goals multiplied by an ignorance of the true consequences, and when he did get a chance to talk it was easy to see he thought he was right in his zealotry; he was even a little convincing for a moment there.
The visuals were fantastic and every action scene had at least one shot that made me think "Why hasn't anyone done that before?" Inception may have bent a city years ago, but they straight up Eschered the shit out of it here.
I also didn't notice more than the occasional hiccup in Bendiedink Crumblestarch's accent. At times bordering on deliberate in his enunciation, but certainly no worse than Hugh Laurie's efforts in the first few seasons of House.
It did feel as if some of the character moments were left on the cutting room floor and everything moved very fast but I can't point out anywhere it was specifically lacking.
The supporting cast went through little in the way of character development but each of them got at least one scene that made them feel like there was something more complex behind who they were. Mordo's turn at the end felt like a natural next step for someone with his outlook who had to move on from what he saw as a betrayal of the laws he had dedicated himself to for years/decades/a lifetime. Kaecilius had reasonable (from a certain point of view) but clearly misguided goals multiplied by an ignorance of the true consequences, and when he did get a chance to talk it was easy to see he thought he was right in his zealotry; he was even a little convincing for a moment there.
The visuals were fantastic and every action scene had at least one shot that made me think "Why hasn't anyone done that before?" Inception may have bent a city years ago, but they straight up Eschered the shit out of it here.
I also didn't notice more than the occasional hiccup in Bendiedink Crumblestarch's accent. At times bordering on deliberate in his enunciation, but certainly no worse than Hugh Laurie's efforts in the first few seasons of House.
Oops thanks. I was in a hurry and forgot to double check my links.I believe this is the link you were searching for.
Not sure where the wiki got that closeup image of Minoru as I don't think it was in the movie or any of the trailers. The closest (outside of the theatre) I've been able to find is a glimpse of her here in the background.
ETA: Nevermind, found it!
So how canon would the name be since it appears to just be from the comic? Would it be binding on the Runaways series?
I didn't get a chance to post my thoughts before.
I enjoyed it. I didn't think it was one of Marvels best, it wasn't quite at the level of Winter Soldier or GotG, but would probably be at about the level of Iron Man 3 or Thor:The Dark World ,both of which I like but not as much as some of the others.
My favorite part was definitely the visuals, especially the big fight in the Mirror Dimension.
I also liked how the fights scenes were kind a combination of magic and martial arts.
The whole cast did a great job, even if a few of them, especially Mad Mikkelsen and Rachel McAdams weren't given a lot to do,
I do have to agree that the overall story is kind of a by the numbers hero origin, but it was still done well enough, with good humor, fun action scenes, and amazing visuals to make up for it.
I'd give it a solid A.
Well Linda Louise Duan is credited as Tina Minoru on IMDB. It would seem odd with 'Runaways' reportedly in the pipeline that this is anything but an intentional tie-in. It does seem odd that they cast someone so young given the backstory. Maybe something happened when Strange put the Hong Kong Sanctuary back together and instead of being brought back with everyone else, she somehow got sent 20 years into the past? Perhaps she cast some spell with the Staff of One? Maybe she actually chickened out in the battle and fled?
This is just me but at this point I've stopped trying to compare and rank the Marvel films. I mean we're at what, fourteen now? I'm just going to take each on their own merits and only compare them to their direct sequels.
Perhaps Tina maintains her youth in the same way that the Ancient One did (and without the guilt). Perhaps her youth is an illusion spell. There are ways around it.
Doctor Strange is the most visually stunning film in the MCU. Marvel has taken the Inception technique and almost perfected it in a way that I regret seeing this movie in 2D instead of 3D. I think I might see it again in 3D, mainly to get the essence of the effects, especially the scene where Strange is first introduced to the idea of the mystic realms and the multi-verse.
What it makes up for in Visual effects it loses some in story. Don't get me wrong, it's a great origin story with decent characters, but I was a little confused as to how this whole Multi-verse thing worked in terms of spells and mysticism and sorcery. Maybe it's not a big deal in the long run, but I almost feel like you need to read the comic to really understand Marvel's version of the Multi-verse and how it exactly works. I almost feel like the deeper I go into the MCU, the more weird and wacky it will become. Maybe it's good that I did rewatch most of the MCU (I haven't rewatched Age of Ultron or Ant-Man yet) this year to get some kind of idea, especially since we have the next Avengers movie which this one kinda set up.
I did like Dr. Strange, in a House kind of way. Here is an arrogant guy who thinks he knows more than he actually does and this movie is basically a journey into self discovery that he doesn't. I do have a question though. I think it was Captain America Winter Soldier who mentioned Dr Strange and I was wondering when in the MCU does this take place? Is this after Civil War, and if it is, what was the context of his mention in that previous movie? If not, was this after the battle of New York, which might make a little more sense.
Marvel's propensity for uninteresting villains also continues as these guys weren't all that great. I'm probably not going to remember them a month from now as I did with Loki or Kilgrave from Jessica Jones. I wish there was a villain who can truly be as good as Loki, because I don't think Hiddleston wants to do these films forever.
Overall, it's a very enjoyable film, but it's one that makes me a little worried about if I will truly understand what is to come. I'm sure I will, but the deeper this universe gets, my main concern is the more convoluted it will get as well. I guess that goes with the idea of "Franchise" territory.
I gave it a B
What it makes up for in Visual effects it loses some in story. Don't get me wrong, it's a great origin story with decent characters, but I was a little confused as to how this whole Multi-verse thing worked in terms of spells and mysticism and sorcery. Maybe it's not a big deal in the long run, but I almost feel like you need to read the comic to really understand Marvel's version of the Multi-verse and how it exactly works. I almost feel like the deeper I go into the MCU, the more weird and wacky it will become. Maybe it's good that I did rewatch most of the MCU (I haven't rewatched Age of Ultron or Ant-Man yet) this year to get some kind of idea, especially since we have the next Avengers movie which this one kinda set up.
I did like Dr. Strange, in a House kind of way. Here is an arrogant guy who thinks he knows more than he actually does and this movie is basically a journey into self discovery that he doesn't. I do have a question though. I think it was Captain America Winter Soldier who mentioned Dr Strange and I was wondering when in the MCU does this take place? Is this after Civil War, and if it is, what was the context of his mention in that previous movie? If not, was this after the battle of New York, which might make a little more sense.
Marvel's propensity for uninteresting villains also continues as these guys weren't all that great. I'm probably not going to remember them a month from now as I did with Loki or Kilgrave from Jessica Jones. I wish there was a villain who can truly be as good as Loki, because I don't think Hiddleston wants to do these films forever.
Overall, it's a very enjoyable film, but it's one that makes me a little worried about if I will truly understand what is to come. I'm sure I will, but the deeper this universe gets, my main concern is the more convoluted it will get as well. I guess that goes with the idea of "Franchise" territory.
I gave it a B
If that's the case, you'd think he'd be able to just cast the spell or channel his own energy again.
OK, I wasn't sure how the character was actually credited in the movie. Would Marvel have already been planning Runaways when the movie was being written? It just seems a little hard to reconcile the character from the comics, which will probably be close to the show, with even the little bit we know about the character from the movie. It seems odd that the Master of the Hong Kong Sanctum would also be a crime lord in LA, and she seems a little young to have a teenage daughter.
I just found out that we missed the second post credits scene, I was thinking they only did one.
Always stay until the end just to be sure unless you know beforehand.
The only two MCU movies that don't have a tag at the end are The Incredible Hulk and Age of Ultron.
Didn't Incredible Hulk have the ending scene with Tony Stark walking into the bar?
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