With Doctor Strange, Marvel finally served up some spectacular FX eye candy
Image: Screenshot: YouTube Film Features The Marvel Moment
As has been noted in previous installments of this feature, the special effects of the Marvel Cinematic Universe were a fly in the ointment for much of the franchise’s early run. Effects work was a mandate to bring the Hulk to life, send Iron Man whizzing through space, and shrink Chris Evans into a pre-Captain America shrimp. But for a franchise ripped from the pages of comic books, Marvel Studios was slow to exploit the onscreen possibilities of adapting films from a medium rooted in visual artwork. The Avengers shook up the uninspiring set piece action with one high-flying single take, and with Doctor Strange, the MCU finally crafted dazzling onscreen spectacle as trippy and fun as the best comic book panels.
The movie smartly gets to the CGI fireworks quickly, opening on a heist in media res and twisting city streets into knots within minutes. We don’t know why Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen) is stealing pages out of a book, or who’s under the yellow hood of the figure trying to stop him. (It’s the Ancient One, played by Tilda Swinton.) But we’re immediately immersed in the strengths of the film as these characters emerge from a quiet temple and into a busy Manhattan street, which is disorienting enough even before the Ancient One manipulates it to writhe and twist around Kaecilius, altering gravity and physics to turn the city into a mind-bending M.C. Escher head-trip.
What follows feels like a waiting game until events lead Dr. Strange to the Kathmandu temple, where wizardry—special effects and the practice of—abound. The surgeon Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch, playing a chilly version of his other charismatic, arrogant types) loses partial use of his hands to nerve damage, eventually leading him to seek the guidance of the sprightly Ancient One. Once he’s admitted to her practice, barely 10 minutes pass without some CGI magic. A zooming ride through the multiverse; an apple disappearing and reappearing, bite by bite, as time moves around it; portals appearing in thin air used to toy with a taciturn librarian; “astral forms” that leave the body to zoom around like ghosts; an impish levitating cloak with a mind of its own—these could be panels in a comic book, coming from the mind of an artist and deftly translated to the screen.
The real star of Doctor Strange—and its CGI whizzbang high point—is the great big reality-bending set piece when Kaecilius pursues Dr. Strange through the “mirror dimension.” Once again, the city turns into clockwork pieces that bend and fold like origami. Reality ripples and warps; skyscrapers and taxi-clogged streets fold over each other, separating and combining into a 3D jigsaw puzzle of space and time. Gravity shifts as characters run over the sides of buildings and through upside-down fire escapes, while around them the city fractures and skyscrapers peel apart like string cheese. When the chase ends and heroes and villains do battle, it’s on a kaleidoscopic dance floor made of revolving city pieces.
It’s a scene unlike any that came before it, and one the MCU has not since matched in inventive effects work. (Though creativity-wise, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse took the animated, multiverse premise and ran with it, going whole hog into a psychedelic palette and raising the bar on visual creativity.) Doctor Strange’s consciousness-expanding origin story was paired with a director and creative team to do it justice, showing the MCU how effects can be used to advance the story and drop viewers’ jaws at the same time.
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One of the few movies I’ve seen in 3D; worth it. The Inception-y scenes were impressive.
Yeah, I don’t often opt for IMAX 3-D but this was one I definitely was on board for.
Saw it in 3D at the theater. Loved it so much I went out of my way to import a 3D BluRay from the UK since 3D BluRays had died off in the US by then. Usually I wouldn’t care but this one I definitely did.
Not normally a fan of 3D, so I saw it in 2D at the cinema, but I was excited to make some rare use of my TV’s 3D capabilities when the bluray came out. I remember mostly being disappointed at them just dropping the 3D entirely for one of the perspective trick shots. Now, to be fair, I don’t even know that it would’ve worked, but I really wanted to see a 3D equivalent of something like the dolly zoom effect (when the camera pulls out and zooms in at the same time).
Yeah, I watched it in 2-D, and then told my wife (who wanted to see it) that it would be the rare movie where the 3-D premium would absolutely be worth it.
I think it’s the only movie I’ve felt the need to see in 3-D since Avatar.
After I saw in 2D, I had to see it again in 3D.Totally worth it imo.
Tron Legacy was great in 3D. I saw it as part of an io9 meetup and walked into the theater a little late so I caught that the bits in the real world were 2D and they did a Wizard of Oz tribute by only going 3D inside the grid.
It was digging it on IMAX 3d, but those surgery scenes made me queasy.
I think the last 3D film I’ve seen in theaters, and well worth the money.
I watched DOCTOR STRANGE in 4DX, and this trippy movie actually knocked the contact lens out of one of my eyes!
True story.
Yeah but did you see it ….. ON WEED???
Doctor Strange is lesser MCU, which is appropriate, since Doctor Strange is lesser Stark.Still, it has three things going for it: the visual effects (as Caitlin outlines here), a really fun, creative ending and one truly wonderful scene – Tilda Swinton and Benedict Cumberbatch on the hospital balcony right before The Ancient One dies.
I’d also add the end battle in which a major city in un-destroyed, in what must be a meta comment on how a lot of post-Avengers MCU films handled their third acts.
And this:“You will never win!”“No, but I can lose. Again. And again. And again, forever.”Easily in the top five most heroic lines in the MCU.
Yeah, I’d probably put the movie in the bottom half of the MCU overall, but as final battles go it’s easily in the top 5.
The spirit-fight in the surgical suite was also great. Aside from some slow moments in the first act* it has a lot of rewatchability.*When Strange and Christine argue right before he goes to meet Benjamin Bratt, I could tell during my first time watching the movie at the theater that I was going to fast forward this scene in every subsequent rewatch. It was time to get to the fireworks factory as Milhouse would say.
Rickon is lesser Stark.
He went to the Charlize Theron School of Running.
Boy never did learn to serpentine.
All he had to do was serpentine. Zig when you hear the bow snap, zag when you hear the next one.
Not anymore!
The scene with Tilda and Breakfastsandwich Crumblybum out on that balcony is probably one of the best in the MCU.
It’s such an absolutely beautiful scene with a simple but surprisingly meaningful message about letting go.
Swinton’s reading of the line “It’s not about you” is so full of gentle, loving reproach – it’s beautiful.
More accurately, Stark and Strange are Awesome Facial Hair Bros.
Jesus Christ the decompression.
I know without checking that this is from a Bendis book.
Is that actually from a comic, or just some fan art?
I never read his comics so I was hoping they’d go a different way with the doctor strange personality rather being another hip, quippy genius. I was hoping he’d be introverted and awkward, a touch autistic perhaps.
Word. Unfortunately, the default MCU personality is quippy, with varying levels of genius.
My Monday morning quarterbacking is that it should have been a period piece, with a quippy Dr Strange, but by the time we meet him for Infinity War he’s more withdrawn as seeing the full cosmic scope of things has left him isolate, almost like Bran Stark.
I gotta say – Doc Strange is “lesser” in the sense of his character not being one of Marvel’s front-liners. But this movie is the one I most enjoy in re-watch, when it pops up on HBO or something. Eh, I guess with the exception of Iron Man (the first).The lead character’s story is terrific. Bandersnatch Cummerbund is perfectly cast, as ideal a fit for this character as Downey is for his. And the supporting(?) cast is absolutely top notch. Tilda Swinton is wonderful, as always. Chewbacca Ejiofor is richly drawn and compelling. Le Chifre is impeccable. The JPL director is great. And I’m not sure I’ve ever enjoyed Rachel McAdams more. I mean, fucking Rey Curtis is in there! Crazy.
There’s no throwaway characters. (Well, Supercilious’ henchpeople, of course.) The physical therapist working with Stephen’s hands? “It’ll take a while … But if it proves your arrogant ass wrong? Worth it.” The “incompetent” doctor from the first act, Dr West? He gets a rapprochement moment toward the end.
I dunno man. I love this movie. It is in some ways the most “adult” of the MCU flicks. (Iron Man is as sophisticated, but it has a more impulsive energy.) It’s also somehow the “gentlest” of them. Wisest? Something. The grueling face of rehab. Master Hamir, with his stump. The sheer depth of Stephen’s assholishness. Christine’s exasperation, galvanized into full-on caregiver mode when she sees Tilda’s injury. Most of all, Stephen’s reaction to killing that henchman, even in self defense.
That sequence, from Christine sewing up Stephen, thru him leaving the hospital, esp him kneeling to check on the henchman he’s killed, then his argument with The Ancient One & Mordo: that of course is the key sequence of “transformation” / maturation where Stephen becomes the hero. Marvel underlines it by giving him the slo-mo shot of the cloak wrapping itself around Stephen. What makes him effective is that he’s as much Doctor as Strange. Mordo is focused on fighting the enemies. Stephen is focused on treating the problem.I just think there’s a shit ton of, I dunno, wisdom in this particular superhero story. Stephen is more flexible / less rule-bound than Mordo, and a better problem-solver, precisely because of the thing that makes him a lesser warrior than Mordo: the Hippocratic oath. “Do no harm” and “preserve life” are encoded deeply in him. At the same time, so is the hard core ruthlessness of the doctor who knows that sometimes a limb must be amputated, sometimes the only thing you can do with a contagious patient is quarantine him so that others don’t die too. Dr Strange is gentle, but not soft. Capable of radical measures.
That’s why I don’t see Stephen as just
“lesser Stark”. I get it, they both have that arrogant genius thing going, and Stark is definitely the greater version of that. But Stephen’s doctor-ness makes him very different.
Less lofty than all that metaphysical shit, I enjoy how the sheer practical insight of the real world is spot on in this movie. Supercilious gives Stephen the bad guy pitch, and Stephen’s all “Yeah, but, c’mon. Look at your face.” Rey Curtis saying “Wait, I do know you.” The world may not always be what it seems, but an asshole is an asshole.
Some of the adaptation choices are just fantastic. Wong is not a a servant or “body man”; he’s a sorcerer in his own right, extremely knowledgeable and a man of responsibilities. The cloak has personality. Mordo was not an ambitious schemer, pissed at being shoved aside by Stephen: he was a principled ally, loyal but somewhat self-righteous, now stung by the moral compromises involved in winning this battle. The Ancient One had her charges learning both mystical and martial arts. Christine is basically a totally new character; and she grounds this story. This version of Dr Strange’s origin is notably stronger than the one from the comics. All the same elements, but rearranged slightly to stand up on their own as a story.
Oh, and the movie is funny too! Not as laugh out loud hilarious as Ragnarok, but damn funny. “Have you ever seen that in a gift shop?” That’s not your mantra, it’s the wifi password. Mister Doctor. I’m late for a cult meeting. Christine crying out when the broom falls in the supply closet. The cloak wiping Stephen’s tear. Beyonce. I know that inserting humor is a standard element of the MCU shtick; but this is better than that, character-driven and character defining.
I, um, really like this movie.
You make a good case for it!
I, um, really like this movie. You’re not alone. As I mentioned in a different post, I seem to like this one more each time I see it. I love the throwaway referral to Iron Man 2 when Strange is getting a rundown of surgical cases he could take: “A 35 year old pilot whose lower spine was crushed while piloting an experimental mechanical suit”. To which Strange just says, no, not interesting enough. (Which might even double as a comment on IM2 but I doubt it.Given world enough and time, and a certain amount of insanity, one could edit the MCU films together in such a way that they all work chronologically. Which means that, just taking my own example here, you would be watching part of IM2 and part of Dr. Strange as one (partial) movie cut together.
I love the throwaway referral to Iron Man 2 when Strange is getting a rundown of surgical cases he could take: “A 35 year old
pilot whose lower spine was crushed while piloting an experimental
mechanical suit”. To which Strange just says, no, not interesting
enough. I love that too. It’s very mid-70s Marvel, the in-story references to other stories and how interconnected their world was.
If I may be pedantic, I believe the referral is to Cap Civil War. The Air Force colonel with the spinal injury was Don Cheadle, after Vision shot him out of the sky. Doc Strange came out ~5 months after Civil War.
When I saw it at first I took it as a reference to Rhodey as well, but actually the timelines don’t work – a) because he’s older than that and b) because it compresses the timeline between CACW and Infinity War too much to stick the whole of Dr Strange (lots of time skips in that film!), plus the settling down period between Dr Strange and Ragnarok, plus Ragnarok into that gap
I took it as a reference to Rhodey as well, but actually the timelines don’t work Oh agreed, the timeline totally doesn’t work.The whole movie is a big continuity gaffe. Supercilious steals the spell at the very beginning of the movie; then he doesn’t seem to do anything with it until after Stephen has completed his training. But how long was that training?? Certainly seems like it shoulda been years.There’s two timeline problems, right? There’s the timeline within the story: how do all the events line up, between the library theft and Stephen’s accident and Stephen’s arrival at Kathmandu and the attacks on London & New York that propel the third act.
And there’s the timeline external to the story: when do these events “happen” relative to the other MCU movies? It’s worse even than you made it out to be. Dr Strange is referenced by Jasper Sitwell way back in Cap Winter Soldier.
I try not to let it bug me too much. Comic book stories always happen in the eternal “now” anyway – I mean unless they’re explicitly set ~20 yrs ago (Marvel) or back in WW2 (Cap) or 1 (Wonder Woman). Consistency is the hobgoblin of our nerd minds and so forth. The moviemakers drop a little fan-service Easter Egg with the reference to Cap Civil War, which had been released 5 months earlier, just to reward those of us paying attention; and the story has to play out over something along the lines of two to five years; and it has to finish before Thor Ragnarok starts. Whatever.
One way to play the game is to move those other movies forward. Seeing as Endgame opens in a couple days, and it picks up right after Infinity War, which picks up 5 mins after Ragnarok, you could say that Ragnarok didn’t begin when it was released in ‘17. It began just a few weeks ago! Banner was trapped in the Hulk for longer than the two years they referenced in the movie; actually it was closer to five! It’s the eternal now of comic book time: everything happened much more recently than you read about it, except for those things that had to happen much earlier.
Seeing as our hero has the ability to manipulate time in this movie, maybe it makes even more sense here than elsewhere, to tolerate a little ambiguity.
Now I want to go watch it again.
The physical therapist working with Stephen’s hands? “It’ll take a while … But if it proves your arrogant ass wrong? Worth it.”The thing that upset me the most about the movie was from that scene. Specifically, the fact that most physical therapist actually hold Doctorates.
Technically, a physical therapist degree is a doctorate, so all full-stop physical therapists are doctors. Much of the hands-on physical therapy is done by physical therapy assistants, though, which is itself typically an associate’s degree.
The thing that upset me the most about the movie was from that scene. Specifically, the fact that most physical therapist actually hold Doctorates. Didn’t bug me. (Clearly!) An OT or PT would have decided on Stephen’s course of treatment / specific exercises etc. But an assistant would have sat with him and helped him do them. Maybe not on the first appointment, but certainly plausible on the 5th or 10th or 15th.
Anyway, the APTA only made the DPT degree the minimum educational requirement for PT school accreditation very recently, effective 2015. And I assume practicing PTs might have been grandfathered-in?? Not sure how that worked.
Stephen’s “Bachelor’s
Degree!” epithet was probably right on the money – he knew who he was talking to. Also he was the apotheosis of the arrogant surgeon.
Thanks for that info. I thought I was losing my mind because I knew my physical therapist was not a doctor and I know he wasn’t an assistant because he was the whole office except a receptionist. This was in 2007-2008.
I *loved* how they set up Mordo as a future villain in this movie. His personality and convictions change not one whit from beginning to end, but his move from ally to enemy makes perfect sense – Mordo was always more committed to principles than people, and that drives him to oppose Strange and his allies.
I *loved* how they set up Mordo as a future villain in this movie. His
personality and convictions change not one whit from beginning to end,
but his move from ally to enemy makes perfect sense – Mordo was always more committed to principles than people, and that drives him to oppose Strange and his allies.Totally!Also Mordo has that “every problem is a nail” thing going on. The best damn fighting sorcerer in the order! (one presumes) Exactly why he couldn’t save the Earth: Dormammu couldn’t be beaten in battle.He is going to be a huge problem, whenever he comes back.Question: Does Doc Strange have the best villains of any MCU movie pre-Thanos?
It’s a scene unlike any that came before it, and one the MCU has not since matched in inventive effects work.Hot take: Ant-Man did it better a year earlier.Doctor Strange’s sequences quickly just become CGI noise, and so you gravitate toward the real elements – the sidewalk Strange runs on, the platform that the Ancient One fights on, etc.Ant-Man doesn’t feature any obvious real sets mixed with green screen, so it’s easier to just live in the moment.Ant-Man’s sequence is also meaningful to the character, not effects for effects’ sake, but that’s a separate conversation.
I do wonder how collaborative the art/effects teams are on these things in regards to the ant man/ Dr strange connection. It’s a very subtle connection that has huge implications as to what doctor strange can do with different realms and stuff.
When watching the ant man scene in question I thought for sure that was our first look at the magic is science/multiverse world.
Watching Strange with my kids, a few times my son said, “it’s the quantum real from Ant Man!”
Probably one of the best casting choices Marvel has ever made happen. I know there was some uncertainty around getting Birthdayboy Cuddlycakes because of scheduling and whatnot, but man, am I glad it worked out. Imagine how shitastic Jared Leto would’ve been. Ugh.He’s essentially a high-functioning version of Sherlock, sure, but his arrogance works so well. I giggled when he called Tony a douchebag in Infinity War.
Didn’t Marvel try to get Jon Hamm or Joaquin Phoenix for the role?I know they said Benny C was their first choice, but I can’t help but wonder how those two would have played Strange.
I know Joaquin was definitely in the running, but I think he dropped out because he said it wouldn’t be ‘fulfilling’ or something. Smash cut to him now playing Joker. Whatever.As for Hamm, I don’t think so. He’s not mentioned anywhere on the Wiki page for people they considered, and honestly, despite what everyone on the internet seems to think, I just don’t think he’s that interested in doing comic book movies. Which is fine.
He’s just aging appropriately until he’s ready to play Old Superman in the eventual adaptation of Kingdom Come.
It’s possible the Hamm rumour was ill informed guesswork after he’d mentioned in the past about being offered superhero films, that didn’t interest him.Though that seems to have changed, after he apparently threw his hat in the ring for Batman post Affleck.
It has been my longtime assumption that if Hamm wanted to be in any of these movies, he would have been by now. His next four films are listed on iMDb. No capes in sight. Would he have been a cool Bruce Wayne a decade or so ago? Sure. I think he’s too old for it now, as I’m not really not interested in seeing another late-40s Batman. Affleck kinda broke that mold, thankfully.
I know Joaquin was definitely in the running, but I think he dropped out because he said it wouldn’t be ‘fulfilling’ or something. Smash cut to him now playing Joker. Whatever.I’d argue that his choice makes sense. Joke is an iconic character, and I’m sure there was hesitation to take on the role, but the movie appears to be taking a really unique take on the character and it’s something we’ve never seen before.Dr. Strange is nowhere near as iconic (if at all) as the Joker and I could see an established actor of his caliber wanting to do something more out-of-the-box.
I think I read that Phoenix wanted to do a very stripped-down, character-based, comic book movie and he seems to have gotten that with Joker. I’m not sure Doctor Strange would have really fulfilled him in that respect.
I thought Phoenix didn’t want the part because he didn’t want to be tied to a multi-film deal?
Might’ve been that, too. I only skimmed the Wiki page for my post. Wouldn’t be surprised.
Well, Phoenix is playing the Joker in something that looks more like a sequel to The King of Comedy than like a Batman movie. Sounds like a not-horrible idea for someone who wants superhero movie money but is also still looking for his first Oscar.There are a lot of comic book characters I could see Hamm playing. I still think he’d make a decent Superman. Hamm as Dr. Strange does not sound like anybody’s idea of a good fit.
I think too many people are dismissing my ‘Whatever’ at the end of that sentence. I get it, it’s just interesting. I’d much rather see him in something like Joker as opposed to Doctor Strange, where he’d have to be humorous and charming from time to time. I adore the MCU, but that’s not really what I want from a Joaquin Phoenix performance.
I feel like the Joker film he’s doing might be a one-off…which is materially different from being locked into 6 franchise movies, haha
I saw an interview awhile back that Hamm isn’t interested in doing these kinds of movies because he doesn’t want to be tied to a single role for years again. That was a few years back so maybe that’s changed since then. Hopefully – he’s my personal dream casting for Dr Doom.
Yeah, he’s said something like it’s too easy, that there’s no challenge in just playing the same role over and over. He does a lot of different stuff, and I’m sure he’s set up financially between Mad Men royalties and his Mercedes ads, so good on him for doing what he wants. Or doesn’t want, for that matter.
I thought the rumor was that Hamm was approached to play Tony or Steve, or was it Batman? Hell I dont even know anymore, all I know is he said he refused because other then Mad Men he didnt want to get locked into a massive franchise for years on end
It might be Batman that you’re thinking of, I’m sure he’s recently said he was interested in playing him.
From what I’ve read, Jon Hamm has been approached for any number of superhero roles, but he doesn’t seem to be interested.
oh man, hamm would have crushed.
Jon Hamm would be the only person I’d love other than Benny C.
Pity about his Joisey accent though.
Yeah, I wouldn’t have minded his regular accent. He sounds like some dick from Boston now.
I agree, I was pleased when Bengelbert Crumdybum was cast; he fits the part perfectly. I do think they could’ve made the character British without too much difficulty so that he wouldn’t have to do an American accent, but such is life.
Yeah it’s not like MCU hasn’t deviated from source material (including in this film).
Making Stephen Strange British wouldn’t have harmed the film in any way.
Wait . . . is this some sort of ongoing Gerry Dorsey joke?
It very well could be. “‘What shall we call our son so he does not get the shit kicked out of him at school?’‘We shall call him Engelbert!’‘Good, that’ll work!’”
The only part about Bumbershoot Cabbagepatch being cast in the role that I didn’t love was that they made him have an American accent. Come on, he’s a snooty upper-crust type, just let him speak normally already!
Slut Bumwala.
Slut Bumwala.What!? All right, Kringelbert Fishtybuns! Steviebuns Bottrittrundle…
Kringelbert Fishtybuns! Steviebuns Bottrittrundle…Bob Johnson! Oh, wait….
Is it just me, or does Bandersnatch Cumberbund’s American accent make him sound like Tom Selek?
Its the other way around. His Sherlock is a high functioning version of Dr. Strange.
Not sure I agree. Sherlock barely contains his disgust with basically everyone. Strange at least manages to maintain some sort of decorum.
Seriously, Jared Leto is the worst part of everything he’s in. Nobody wants him, but he’s always there! He’s the honeydew of actors!
But, I like honeydew……
I kind of like him in Panic Room and Fight Club, especially when he gets horribly beaten and shot it in the face.
It’s the part he was born to play!
Hey! You leave honeydew out of this!
Why are so many people angry about Bingletweet Clambersnatch’s accent? I thought it was fine, not too distracting. Tilda Swinton was much more out of place.
I think it’s because, even though Stephen Strange is a New Yorker, many of us longtime comic-book readers can’t help but imagine his dialogue in a vaguely British accent—or at least an old Margaret Dumont-esque Eastern Seaboard accent. He’s just got that look.
He definitely looks like a Blanderdank Cobblesutch.
I feel like he sounds like Charles from MASH!
You’re thinking of the Mid-Atlantic accent that many 30’s actors have?
Exactly; pardon my wording. The whole lockjawed Buckley/Plimpton thing.
I thought Benderbatch Cumberdick’s accent was serviceable. Nothing that took me out of the scenes anyway.
I can’t take him seriously with that sad attempt at an American accent. And in general I found him to be the dullest lead of any Marvel film. Yeah, part of this is because the script gives him very little to do but wave his hands around (and also complain about how his hands don’t work?) but still.
And yeah, he’s better than Jared Leto, but so is literally anyone else except maybe Johnny Depp.
Buglebort Clamcake’s accent wasn’t all that bad. About 15 minutes in, I didn’t even notice anymore.
Casting Bonnitranch Fumblecrunt for a part has become nearly a cliché, but I’m glad they embraced it in this case: the man 100% works as Strange, and that’s all there is to it.
Yeah, Barty Crouch does a good job.
I love Cumbersome Balderdash as much as the next guy, but at first I didn’t really dig him as Strange. But somehow, after Infinity War, I just cant see anyone else in the role.
Yeah, his Thor Ragnarok and Infinity War appearances were much better uses of the character. Maybe it’s because he really remained the same arrogant person for the entire Doctor Strange movie, in fact pretty much saved the day by being an arrogant annoying prick, which didn’t do much for the character’s journey. It’s like, oh, now he’s a dick with powers. In the later appearances, we don’t need a hero’s journey, so he’s fine that way.
I kind of liked how he saved the day by being willing to be an annoying prick for all of eternity until he just wore the guy down.
I do to, but it doesn’t exactly make for the best character arc. It’s practically an anti-character arc. Maybe he’s just better used as an arrogant foil to other characters.
As a Dr. Strange fan since basically birth, this was an amazing get, not just the star power, but Benedict in costume looks like Stephen Strange incarnate.
I can’t imagine anyone else doing it.
Oh I totally agree, the situation always plays to his demeanor. The fit is genuinely perfect for Burnscircles Capewinsmatch.
Probably going to watch it today. I can never get enough Bloodyboy Crunkerdance in my eyeholes.
Okay, while I’ve grown semi-tired of the usual jokes about his name, I’ll admit that “Birthdayboy Cuddlycakes” is pretty good and got a giggle out of me. Well done.
How dare you disparage Bubblybingo CanadaDay.
He’s just playing a boring standard character of his
Eh, I was really hoping for a POC Dr. Strange, preferably East Asian or Indian. But also, Chiweiel Ejiofor is right there, and he would have been great too. I think casting Marvel’s first non-white lead a couple years before Black Panther would have really lessened the whitewashing controversy over the Ancient One’s casting (and Tilda is just marvelous in that role).
I’d have dropkicked a baby if Alexander Siddig was cast.
Is that…good?
I mean, yes? I think Alexander Siddig is a better actor and a better choice for Dr. Strange.
Oh, I agree. I just didn’t understand the expression you used.
May I present for your consideration: Justin Baldoni?
You absolutely may.
I like Biscuittea Crumpetty as much as the next guy (I will still admit, out loud, to enjoying Sherlock), but I was kind of hoping Pedro Pascal would be cast.
The best Stephen Strange is Doctor Orpheus from Venture Brothers and it irks me to know that a passable impression of his voice is well within the range of Burtward Christophereeve
I think what I like most about Orpheus is that ridiculously dramatic music that’s played whenever he’s onscreen.
*dramatic music starts*
“Consider this your final warning! You do not know the risk you are taking! A whisper from my lips will open your mind to a world of ARCANE TORTURES”
The effects really were the best part of this movie. Which is conventionally the kind of statement a person makes when they want to dismiss a film as dumb and good for little other than whiz-bang spectacle, but that’s gotten a bit more complicated now that special effects have become sophisticated enough that they tell almost parallel stories to the script.The movie itself was fine -standard character intro stuff. And while I generally like Cumberbatch, I think someone else would have more fun with the role. But the effects were surreal, thoughtful and engaging -easily the most sophisticated aspect of the production. And just like Ragnarok went full Kirby, I appreciate the effort to maintain Ditko’s trippy magical realms in Strange. Hovering planetoids tied together by thin, twisted bridges, kaleidoscopic fractals, all that real far out stuff.
I just rewatched this yesterday (doing the full rewatch of the movies leading up to Endgame), and it is a bit clunky of an origin story. I get that it’s necessary to bring the character in, but until Strange fully accepts that his new path in life is to use magic to save the world, not to be a rockstar surgeon, he’s neither fun nor interesting. Strange is far more fun as a supporting character in other movies when he meets up with Thor and Loki (in Ragnarok) and Tony (in Infinity War). I’m eager to see what they’re going to do with him in the sequel.
Hey now…Surtur is straight up Simonson!
I was hoping it would have been “Dormammu, I’ve come to bargain…” since it’s a rare finale that shows the hero using his wits and ingenuity to defeat an opponent, rather than their power/strength/skill.
And his stubbornness; it’s the mystical “I can do this all dayeternity.”
But then we’d all have to think about Benedict Cumberbatch’s bad American accent.Dorrrrmammu, I’ve come to barrrrgain!
I mean, the dude can’t say “Penguin”.
I can never get my head round this in movies. The Ancient One can be a white lady with an English accent but we can’t comprehend the idea of a British person working as a surgeon in the US?He’s good though and his accent is much better in Infinity War. In Dr Strange he sounds like Dr House. And I’m pretty sure Hugh Laurie was taking the piss.
In fairness, House himself was a military brat, so moving around a lot he probably never developed a regional accent.That said, since the show was set in New Jersey, there’s a part of me that’d kill for House to have a Jersey accent.
Every damn time I see or even think of this movie, I get a bit mad at whoever told Cumberbatch that Dr. Strange has to be American, or to have an American accent. Nothing in Marvel continuity says he has to even have been born in America, unless I’m missing something. If I am, nothing says he couldn’t have done years of studying in England and come back with an accent just like a pretentious American would do.That said, I like this movie more on subsequent viewings than I did at first. They’ve paid attention to the characters’ mythology, upped some games (Wong’s) and – they included Daniel Drumm, which means, technically, that Brother Voodoo exists in the MCU.
This. Honestly, given how stilted some of Strange’s dialog is in the comics, I’ve always heard him in my head with either an English accent or at minimum Mid-Atlantic (think George Plimpton or Cary Grant). I can hear all of Ireland trying to punch its way out of Cumberbatch’s mouth whenever he uses a word with an R in it. It doesn’t quite yank me out of the film but it is a bit distracting.
We suspend our belief for all the effects, but can’t suspend our belief that baby cumberbatch watched too much peppa pig as a toddler?
He really does struggle with the rhotic r and a couple of other sounds particular to American English. It’s inconsistent at best and hard to listen to at worst.
That’s literally how all Americans sound and you can’t prove otherwise.
“That’s literally how all Americans sound and you can’t prove otherwise.” American babies don’t speak at all, so ha. Checkmate atheists!
Really? I thought all American babies came out of the womb able to chant, “U! S! A! U! S! A!”
God, he hits those R’s so hard. It’s like an American faking a British accent by flogging every T to death.
That was what saved the movie. The more films I’ve watched, the more I tend to gravitate towards Howard Hawks’ old film saw that a classic film is “three great scenes, no bad ones”. It really does help you separate some of the really great films (Winter Soldier’s elevator fight, bridge fight, discussion scene between Steve and Natasha, and climax), from the good (The First Avenger’s grenade scene, barracks dialogue between Erskine and Rogers, and Star-Spangled Man montage, minus the last half-hour of Wolfenstein cutscenes), from the okay, like this film.This one had a bunch of “. . .Eh,” but it also had two really, really good scenes. And that climax was legitimately of them, because it built entirely on Steven Strange’s ability to think laterally. He didn’t beat Dormammu, but because of the trap he’d built, he didn’t have to beat him.
What a phenomenal climax. Legit top-tier MCU sequence.
Came here to say exactly this. The fact that Strange wins with an old-fashioned logic trap rather than punching and, when that doesn’t work, punching harder, really rocketed this movie to Awesometown, in my book.
I just watched that scene as I’m typing this, and I think it’s probably one of my favorite MCU movie endings yet. The time-stop scene on the street is fun, but that was truly something original. I really like the end of Thor: The Dark World with Mjolnir flying around through the portals, too.
Hmm a somewhat strange choice IMO. I thought the ending battle where Strange is reversing time as they take on Kaecilius is the more impressive one and the scene with Dormammu is the best of the movie given it subverts expectations for a final conflict in a superhero movie.Anyways, I really want to see the sequel to this movie that builds on Mordo changing sides.
Yeah, the movie was sold as “mind-blowing effects!” and did not really deliver there for me — as other people above have noted, they’re fairly Inception-y and people punching each other in a kaleidescope is still people punching each other. But the ending did take me by surprise and I liked it a lot, it’s clever and makes use of magic in an interesting way. The article mentions Into The Spider-Verse and to my eyes that was far, far superior at creating effects that were both true to a more comic-y style and the opportunities there but also were unique to a movie.
I’m surprised. Did you watch it on an airplane or something? Honestly I felt the picture got snubbed when The Jungle Book won the Oscar for best visual effects. The city-bending chase near the beginning was especially “Inception-y”, and your “kaleidescope punching” dismissal is a fair criticism, but those were like the sixth- and fifth- most impressive and inventive scenes in a movie packed with creative spectacle. I’d say Dormmamu’s realm, the reverse-time setpiece, Strange’s first acid trip, and even just the scene where lightning flashes in ultra-super-slow motion are utterly unique and exhilarating.I think only the story was unremarkable… like, that famous actress who plays a doctor or nurse in this movie I can’t even remember, Mikkelsen’s inexplicable character motivations… *shrug*
I did watch it at home on my basic-ass TV, so that could be a factor (although I just rewatched the LOTR trilogy on the same setup and that held up just fine). The cape was pretty good! But the story being unremarkable probably hurt my appreciation of the effects as well, what I remember most is that ending and while effects certainly help, it’s the choice and how it plays out that makes it interesting.This will always be the best time reversal scene in movies:
Enecs taht evol.
I’m looking forward to Ejiofor in a bigger role. He is basically playing a flipside of the Operative – a true believer who becomes disillusioned, but it causes him to start getting murdery instead of stopping.So is there some wisecracking wizard Nathan Fillion can play so I can get a stealth Serenity sequel?
Before Civil War, I’d had hopes that Ejiofor would one day end up being cast as T’Challa, and although I’m perfectly fine with how things turned out, I was glad to have him here. I also look forward to seeing him more in the sequel, hopefully. He’s always a good watch.
Fillion already had a part in Guardians of the Galaxy. Granted it’s only a voice role, but still.
Off topic, well not really…I’m guessing Scott Derrickson already has his villain chosen for Doctor Strange 2, however I’d love for it be Morgan le Fay.
As an extra kicker she should be played again by Jessica Walter, having already done so in the failed tv pilot from 1978.There’s no logical reason why she couldn’t play the character again and it would be a good in-joke for Marvel nerds.
I would completely love this… although we might be the only two people in the world who would appreciate it. (I don’t encounter many people who’ve seen the ‘78 show.)
I’ve only seen half of it once, when it was shown on British telly in the early 90’s. The fact that Jessica is in it makes it even better.
I remember it too! Better than the Spider-Man show that was on then.
I remember having to petition my mom HARD to let me stay up late enough to watch it since the movie ran well past my normal bedtime.
I’m hoping it’s Strange’s greatest nemesis: Benjamin FranklinYes, there’s a comic where Ben Franklin slept with Dr. Strange’s girlfriend.
Now I really wish Jon Krasinski had been cast as Dr. Strange.
Pfft, I love it. It’s like a “Venture Bros” gag.
Ghost of Ben Franklin isn’t my favorite Deadpool supporting character (that would be Agent Preston who’s also in that panel) but he’s up there.
The ghost of Benjamin Franklin gets a good run in The Adventures of Dr McNinja. I highly recommend it (best webcomic ever made IMO).Drmcninja.com
That’s just terrible.
The shocking thing isn’t that there’s a comic where Franklin slept with Clea. The shocking thing is that it wasn’t *in* Dead Presidents that it happened.
To be fair, didn’t Benjamin Franklin sleep with everyone?
I think he wants to use Nightmare.
Wasnt Nightmare used in the first Ghost Rider? Not saying he cant be used again and no one wants to be reminded of them. It just popped up in my head.
No, you’re thinking of Mephisto’s son Blackheart.
Ah ok thanks. I remember blackheart now…more from the Marvel vs Capcom series.
Makes sense. Agents of SHIELD may have already teased it.
Kind of a waste when you’ve already made a big show of setting up Baron Mordo.
I hope Mordo doesn’t go down in the first five minutes like Crossbones did in Civil War.
More Jessica Walter is never a bad thing.
“Here’s your cape back, Steven. No, I’m withholding it. Look at me, getting off.”
I wish this series would find a way to laud the current entry’s achievements without shitting on what the earlier movies had achieved. It’s interesting to me that the eye candy is being focused on as being notable in terms of achieving what the comics panel was capable of. What I remember most when this movie came out is the discussion of how relatively mundane and Inception/Nolan-esque they were compared to the Ditko-esque psychedelia that was so memorable of the source material. The Dormammu climax was sort of the only gesture in that direction. IW got closer with how batshit you could go with the Dr. Strange visuals during his battle with Thanos. I’m hoping for more stuff like that in the sequel, and less magic kung fu.
His fight with Thanos is the shit. I watch it over and over again. The butterflies, multiple Stranges, the red ropes, all so good.
I think Dr. Strange’s on movie did a good job laying the groundwork for the character and magic in the MCU, but Infinity War really knocked it out of the park – THAT Dr. Strange was what a Sorcerer Supreme looks like.
Completely agree. I do like this movie a lot, and while its structural bones are pretty simple and rote, the character beats he gets in IW make it absolutely worth it. Can’t wait to see what he does in Endgame and his eventual sequel(s). Putting a horror director like Derrickson in charge of him was a really cool idea.
I agree. Strange nearly defeated Thanos on his own. And AFAIK Strange is about to destroy Thanos with another Dormmamu-esque strategy trap (and Strange won’t even be alive to participate while it happens). Thanos said Strange never used the time stone, but Thanos only thinks of it as a force to bend reality. The idea that you can use it intellectually, as a limitless strategy-map to future victories, never occurred to Thanos.
We don’t have a full grasp on what exactly Strange did, but I hope that it turns out he’s the post-humous (and probably pre-humous) savior of the day, because he’s one of the few characters that actually feels like he’d have earned it, weirdly enough.If Stark or Captain America does it, we know that it’s basically going to be through sheer force, willpower, and out-of-universe name recognition. If Captain Marvel pulls it off it’ll feel a little forced to me; they introduce a character solely to solve the problem they created just before introducing her. But Doctor Strange is playing smart, playing to his strengths, and playing with what was already set in motion. It also shows personal growth on his part, because his core flaw in his own movie was him being a smug, self-centered prick, but if his plan works it’s after his unceremonious death, likely without anyone fully knowing or appreciating what he did. It feels right to have Strange’s plan succeed, and I really hope they honor that.
All of it is fantastic, but my favorite part is definitely “Magic!” “More magic!” “Magic with a kick!” “Magic with a -” Great use of Strange’s powers combined with the winning enthusiasm of Holland’s Spider-man.
I do love that bit, but Strange’s meet-cute with Spidey is so great. ‘Oh, we’re using our made-up names. Then I am Spider-Man.’Holland is routinely wonderful.
“Mr. Stark! It smells like a new car in here!” Adorable.
I thought that nicely highlighted that Peter really does think of himself asa capital S superhero. Like, a lot of the other characters were something else (surgeon, soldier, industrialist, etc.) and then fell into this life when something monumental happened to them. But Peter really jumped into the superhero life, making himself a costume and choosing a name and everything, so it makes sense to him that now they’re in serious mode, using their hero names.
There’s a version on YouTube that cuts the Titan fight together with anime sound effects. The other great one is the one with health bars.
Got a link?
Are those not the crimson bands of cytorrak?
I’m not a comics guy, so you would know more than me.
“The crimson bands of Cytorrak bind thee!” This makes me pine for a DOOM 2099 movie. ::sigh::
Even using his cloak as a separate entity (“Don’t let him close his fist” *ZOOM*) was awesome
Loved all that scene. Seeing the techniques Strange was using convinced me that a DBZ movie faithful to the source definitely can be made.
A thousand times this. I was underwhelmed by the effects in Dr. Strange, save that one brief psychedelic interlude where The Ancient One knocked the good doctor’s astral soul out of his body. They were just manipulating stuff that was already there, which, as said, had been done, but also the resulting effect was so busy that I had a hard time figuring out what the fuck was going on. Also disappointing: the only other “magic” going on was making glowing orange portals and melee weapons. Boring! These are WIZARDS, people! Have them cast some goddamn spells already!I dunno, maybe they were afraid of making people associate it with Harry Potter?
I hate the whole conjuring melee weapon and shields thing they’ve developed as the main outlet for Strange and his magic. I know I maybe in the minority, (or maybe it’s just the way Cumberbatch does it) but I think his gestures to activate them look stupid.
I haven’t seen ‘Doctor Strange’, but I thought the hand gestures in ‘Infinity War’ looked pretty stupid.
there’s so much of this movie that is by the numbers and boring, but once Strange tells Dormammu he’s come to bargain it’s worth it.Also, why did they saddle Cumberbatch with that bad Greg House impression?
This movie is solidly decent. Plotting and characterization are pretty standard “House Marvel Style”, and I’m glad they went with the special effects for their focus, it’s the one truly standout element in the film (except for probably the climax, arguably the most inventive resolution for a film so far in this franchise)I’m really glad Infinity War paired Strange up with Stark. The two characters go through very similar arcs of pride->fall->redemption, and putting the two side by side really shows the differences between them via contrast. Stark became a very public figure and is still a bit of a diva; Strange instead starting saving the world in private…they both still have an ego, but it’s directed in very different ways.
I know some people complain about Strange being Stark/Iron Man 1-lite, but the key change for me is that Stark’s arc in the first film is jumping so hard into heroism that he might kill himself just from the effort, where Strange’s arc is more about resisting his past life and accepting the call to something higher. Same hero template, but two different ways they went about it.
Stark and Strange form an interesting contrast for me – the former started out as a weapons dealer, who became a hero to try and atone; the latter spent his career saving lives (even though he was in it for the glory), and was reluctant to fight.The scene where he’s horrified and pissed after killing a guy is low-key one of the best character moments in the MCU, I reckon.
Yeah it’s a great beat for Strange; I imagine a lot of movies would’ve glossed over it, but it was nicely in character for Strange to be taken aback at taking a life after being a doctor for so long
A lot of this movie felt rushed to get to infinity War as quickly as possible, but Cumberbatch does a great job at playing a much more disciplined version of Tony Stark after he gets properly trained. Also the final fight scene is very good
This article and the discussions are reminding me of how many good scenes are in this movie. One really underrated moment for me is after Strange kills one of Kaecilius’ followers in self defense during a fight in the Astral Plane. He has a real emotional reaction to it and declares that he’s never killing again. It’s one of the few times the MCU movies actually explore the morality of heroes killing, and it’s very fitting for Strange’s character (as he points out, before any of this magic hero stuff, he’s already taken an oath to save lives, not take them).
Was this movie any good? It’s the only one I skipped over and I hated Strange in the Comics always. So I had no interest in this. In Infinity War he was at least good to play off how annoying he and Tony both are.
Only one way to find out.
FIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGGGGGTTTTTTTTT!!!!**Harry Hill joke for Brit AVCers
Not really, I’m old and don’t have the time to watch that many movies anymore. People close to 50 are grumpy and set in our ways.
I’m 46. I watch movies all the time. Get off your hemorrhoid donut and watch a damn movie.
I watch a lot of movies but this one with “Ohhhhhh it’s magic” didn’t do it for me. Plus I hated him in the comics as my post said. I’m 45 you old fart.
Oh, the one you didn’t watch didn’t do it for you? Say no more.
The trailer’s and Strange in general doesn’t do it for me. I was asking people in general who may have been in the same boat to give me advise. It doesn’t matter if I don’t know them but AV Club is usually a decent place. Congrats on being an old troll. You must be happy.
For what it’s worth, I, a total internet stranger to you, really liked it.
Ha, hey not many of my friends watched it as well since I’m the head comic geek. But thanks for your input, well done.
He’s not as cool or fun as he is in IW but that’s to be expected; it’s an origin story. He’s a colossal asshole for most of it, in dire need of humility, so he definitely won’t win any sympathy points if you already hate the character, but the VFX, fight scenes, and world-building are outstanding.But if you still intend to skip it, the mid-credits scene was a preview of his scene in Ragnarok (and there’s a reveal near the end of the main film that the Eye of Agamotto is an Infinity Stone) so you didn’t miss how it ties into the rest of the MCU.
Yes. The scene this article is about and the reverse-time fight at the end are creative, unique and stunning. A perfectly cromulent film and well worth your time.
*once you get past the backstory setup. It’s possibly the weakest of the MCU films in that regard but the 2nd and 3rd chapters make up for it.
The magic looked neat. It’s fun. Worth a watch.
I fell asleep during this movie haha, guess it was too slow for me.
I liked it, but your mileage may vary on how much you like the character, because it all rides on him (it’s a perfectly competent origin story with some gorgeous visuals and typically funny MCU humor otherwise). I am a big Strange fan, so I am completely in the tank for it.That said, it is worth watching the final act for its sheer ingenuity; it was awesome to see a climax in a superhero movie where it didn’t boil down to a superhero punching a CG something or other, but using his wits and skill set.
My opinion is, it uses the Marvel formula fairly well. It’s nice to look at but the plot is standard.It is probably the only MCU film I have only watched twice. And the second time was because my wife wanted to watch them all leading up to Infinity War.I’d say it is lower middle on my list, if I were to rate them.
It’s hovering right around the median for Marvel movies, if you ask me. Worth a watch or two for the special effects alone.
So weird to me that you would see 19 out of 20 movies in a series but not even like rent the last one you haven’t seen and watch it while you clean the living room or something.
Personally, it’s my favorite of the MCU.
I am not a Marvel comic reader, so I can’t speak from that perspective. I will say it’s enjoyable enough as someone who has seen all of them at least once and who is rewatching them in anticipation of Endgame. Not the best MCU movie, but certainly not the worst. It was a pleasant enough rewatch. I’d say it’s worth watching at least once. Just steel your ears for Benny’s occasionally mediocre American accent. (Very much agreed that they should have just allowed the Doc to be British. Not that it would have made a damn bit of difference in the movie since there’s no reference at all to his upbringing or nationality.)
It would’ve been slightly better if they’d let Cumberbatch use his own accent, rather than doing an impression of Jack Bauer, but it’s a really fun film. It’s also gorgeous—I actually regret missing it in theaters, and it’s the film that most tempts me to get one of those “Watch all the Marvel movies in a row!” tickets.
Thanks, my friends were iffy on it after they saw it but they also know my lack of interest in Strange. Maybe I will give it a try on Netflix if I have the time.
Yeah, a lot of people dislike Strange in the comics. I wonder if for many of them, their exposure to Strange has mainly been how Bendis and other Marvel writers have used him in crossover events: as a boring deus ex machina character who stops by in the final act of the crossover to monologue whole pages of stilted exposition and then literally handwave a bullshit way to help fix things. (Moises Chuillan had a beautiful rant on this on a podcast; I forget if it was one of his own Giant Size podcasts on comic book crossovers or if it was The Incomparable’s episode on House of M.)One of the nice things about MCU Dr. Strange being an origin story, it’s that he doesn’t know all that much to exposition about, yet.
I will say most of my readings of Strange were the crossovers going back to the 80’s. So that is a big part of it, I did enjoy the Marvel Animated Strange Movie.
You’d probably like the J. Michael Straczynski miniseries Strange (which I think was the main source for the animated movie, and a strong influence on the MCU version). I’d also recommend Matt Fraction’s take on the character in his short-lived Defenders series.
I actually remember Strange from some of my late 70’s early 80’s hand me down Defenders comics. That team was uber powerful. Thanks!
Do what I do, watch “Everything Wrong With X” and “Honest Trailers: X” and if you’re still interested, go ahead and watch it!
Love this one. This is my Black Panther, I get emotional and tear up everytime I see it.
This article series seems to have devolved into giving us reasons why we SHOULDN’T give a damn about the Marvel universe thing.
Strange there hasn’t been a sequel yet. I really hate the American accent and just wish he’d speak in his regular voice, even if it isn’t true to the comic.
Okay movie.
Needed more Mads Mikkelsen.
The true Marvel moment is off-screen, when Marvel says The Ancient One shouldn’t be played by a Asian man because it’s play into racist tropes, so they cast Tilda Swinton. Asians responded with ‘uh, Asian WOMEN exists too guys’ and Marvel is all “… but we got Tilda Swinton! :(” in their response.
Uh, you understand that racism and sexism are different things, right?
Everything needs more Mads Mikkelsen, and this movie could’ve used more of him, but the second act fight with Strange was a great showcase.
A waste of Scott Adkins though.
And Michael Stuhlbarg!
Mads’ delivery of “Maybe. Who am I to judge?” is one of my favorites in the MCU.
Like most Marvel villains, they kinda wasted a good actor – but he does get that line, the best in the film.
He didn’t die! He could come back!
Best line in the film, and in the conversation for the whole MCU.
Honestly, crass as it may be…“we got Tilda Swinton” is justification enough for just about anything.
Probably the weakest entry in Phase 3, which is saying something. I enjoyed this film despite it suffering some Origins story syndrome. It does repeat a lot of Stark’s origins but when it diverges, it does so in a spectacular way.The biggest criticism I have is that the antagonist is a waste of a good actor.
I pointed out to someone else – hey, he didn’t die! He could return!
As has been pointed out many other places, Marvel definitely has a villain problem. And it’s certainly not as a result of the actors they’re casting. Right now, Tom Hiddleston’s Loki towers over the rest as the best and most memorable villain (I guess we just have a thing for tricksters – that’s why we keep coming back to Batman’s Joker). The rest have been played by some truly great actors: Jeff Bridges, Hugo Weaving, Robert Redford, Christopher Eccleston, Lee Pace, James Spader, Mads Mikkelsen, Kurt Russell, Guy Pearce, Michael Keaton (Batman himself!), Michael B. Jordan, Andy Serkis, Josh Brolin, and Jude Law. One might argue that Cate Blanchett’s Hela (another Thor villain) is maybe the one who has come the closest to Loki in memorable villainy in the MCU. The rest? Great actors who didn’t get the ability to fully shine in their villain roles. (Not saying they’re all terrible. I would just argue that Marvel doesn’t use them to their fullest abilities and that maybe the best thing about most of them is their casting, not the characters themselves.)I can’t say if this is just a movie problem. There are also a few really great villains in the Netflix MCU series: Daredevil’s Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Jessica Jones’s Kilgrave (David Tennant) come immediately to mind. The rest, though, are varying degrees of eh. It’s possible some of the less than stellar villains from the movies would have been far better given more time to develop and breathe. (Loki certainly got the option of being the baddie in TWO movies.)There is also possibly an argument to be made (and don’t ask me to defend this argument because I don’t read the comics at all) that Marvel just doesn’t have the villains the same way that DC does. Apart from the Brotherhood of Mutants from X-Men (not yet part of the MCU), there aren’t a lot of Marvel villains who managed to work their way into common pop culture the way DC villains had (before the movies). Marvel’s strength seems to have always been a large gallery of excellent heroes, not a great rogue’s gallery. It’s probably not a coincidence that Loki has been seemingly reformed to being on the side of good (you know, assuming they resurrect him at the end of Endgame).
Now that they’ve got their hands on the FF film rights, Marvel can do Doctor Doom, who definitely has some pop culture cachet outside of comics. They can even have him use some mystical powers if they want, now that they’ve set that side of the universe up with ‘Doctor Strange’.
There is definitely something to be said about brand recognition. The two most famously known rogue galleries are Batman’s and Spider-Mans. If you asked me about who all of Dr. Strange’s enemies are, I really couldn’t tell you. Therefore a lot of the MCU films are doing double the work because often the audience isn’t as familiar with them.There is something to be said about giving villains more airtime allows for them to develop more. Loki is a memorable one, however I also enjoyed the handling of Pierce and Zemo in the latter Captain America films. Probably my favorite villain of the Phase 3 era though was Vulture as Michael Keaton played him well and the angle they went with him made him quite a bit more interesting.Hela was a scene chewer but I think we weren’t given enough time with her. And this sort of highlights the other issue with most villains. MCU overall has a better track record of NOT killing its villains off in one outing, so when that does happen it generally disgruntles me. Hela needs another film some time, especially since I don’t think Ragnarok really nailed a solid closure for Valkyrie in the ending.
I think Keaton, Bruhl, Brolin and Jordan stand head and shoulders above Blanchett’s shouty, scenery-chewing Hela.Hell, Serkis was more memorable, having an absolute blast as Klaw.
One of the few movies I’ve seen where Serkis gets to show his face, too!
Don’t forget mahershala ali and alfre woodard in luke cage, tbh. Both of them killed it.
I know these aren’t necessarily characters Marvel has the rights to, but much of Spidey’ rogue’s gallery has potential — I thought Raimi did right by Goblin and Doc Oc, anyway (Goblins stupid mask aside). And with the Fox buyout, maybe we’ll get a decent Dr. Doom. And there’s the Netflix Marvel Universe’s Kingpin.
Doctor Strange is the opposite of most MCU films, in that the second half is noticeably better than it’s first. It takes way too long to get into the swing of it, but once the world is established, it’s a film that keeps getting better.
This irritates me to no end and I’ve now seen it twice on this site. The opening fight sequence between Kaecillius and The Ancient One happens in LONDON. Not New York! There’s a double-decker bus, multiple classic black cabs, all the license plates are EU, it’s London.
Watched again last night, there are also clear Union Jack flags.
Just wanna mention I follow director Scott Derrickson on Twitter and he’s a genuinely nice guy with a real passion for genre film. His family was recently displaced by the California fires, but fortunately they’re doing okay and rebuilding.
And he regularly responds to fan tweets, too, which is nice. You’re correct – he does seem like a decent guy.
He does! He responded to one I tweeted at him about devout Christians enjoying secular horror films. Fascinating discussion that night.
I don’t tweet anymore, but I had a nice chat with him and C. Robert Cargill one night about Star Wars. Two really nice guys. And I kinda ‘know’ Cargill from the old Ain’t It Cool days, so that was fun.
Yeah nice to have reminders that the people who make the stuff you like aren’t all a bunch of douchebags in real life.
Doctor Strange was fun, but light. The third act fight in Hong Kong is great, probably up there with Ant-Man when it comes to the most inventive and entertaining “final battle” scenes in the MCU.
True. Doctor Strange racked up the cinematic candy points with those kaleidoscope-ish scenes. And if you believe that’s all to making a movie be a movie nowadays, yeesh, sucks to be you. That flick was so boring—one comic book origin cliche after another—just check the cliches off the list. I practically fell asleep while suffering thru the boredom.
Have to say I enjoyed the movie…the effects were probably as close to Dr. Strange creator Steve Ditko’s visuals as the could currently get!
The movie smartly gets to the CGI fireworks quickly, opening on a heist in media res and twisting city streets into knots within minutes.I can’t make sense of this sentence. What does “opening on a heist in media res” mean?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_medias_res
Thank you!
I had totally fell behind on MCU movies, and I’ve been catching back up. I just watched Dr. Strange for the first time, and I was blown away. It’s potentially my favorite in the series. The effects were wonderful (as mentioned above!), and the setting and story really takes you far away from the more “normal” superhero concepts out there… there’s fantasy, science fiction, mythology, magic, and mysticism — and some superhero-y stuff… all whirled together. And all of those more extravagant themes nicely contrasted with the very realistic setting of a hospital! And even when Strange was performing the surgery earlier in the movie, I was on the edge of my seat. I’m shocked out how underrated this one is in contrast with other “side” movies (I’m really thinking of Black Panther — great message and ethical conundrums, but so-so plot, effects, and action — it would’ve worked better if there was even more time spent on the message, given the “eh” nature of everything else). Strange really makes me want to check out the comics — especially since Ditko did the original issues!!!
… in other news that’s 2-3 years old…
Last time I seen something good like with that scene was Inception. Obviously Dr Strange steps it up a notch.
Now Marvel have DOOM back, if the second Strange movie isn’t an adaptation of Triumph and Torment they are fuckin upppp
You need to re-edit.Somehow, your spellcheck took the “I’ve come to bargain” scene and turned it into something else.
You need to find less annoying-dweeb-style ways of expressing your own opinions.
They sure can take falls in these movies quite well can’t they? If anyone in the Marvel Universe had ankles, the plot would’ve been over a long time ago!
To me, this is one of the best Marvel movies in terms of risk taking, and just going for it. I hope we get a good sequel to this.
It’s one of Marvel Studios’ safest, most formulaic, most thoroughly boring movies. Its pseudo-“trippy” sequences don’t do anything except exist in between quips and people shooting CG beams at each other from their hands.
As a fan of Inception’s visual depiction of dreamscapes and their manipulation, I really dig what was done in Dr. Strange. It makes me optimistic for an eventual MCU exploration of other trippy Marvel material like Silver Surfer in addition to future Dr. Strange movies.
Why? Inception used a small handful of techniques in service to its story, which honestly wasn’t a great story without them; Dr. Strange just uses a bunch of flashy, chintzy crap all over the place for no reason, and, of course, its story is tepid bucket-water even for Marvel Studios.
I liked Dr Strange and yes credit has to be given to Marvel for delving into the dimensional realms so vividly. The city chase scene is incredible and looks awesome on any blu ray / 4k tv. Hope they have even more confidence to go further with the mystical elements for the sequel. Hopefully we get a stronger villain this time as Mads Mikkelsen was so wasted in his role.
Doctor Strange is “trippy” as long as you’ve never actually tripped and just have vague ideas about what it’s like from TV shows. Which is fine, I guess, because Steve Ditko didn’t do drugs.It’s also interesting that pop-culture writers have given up on using “single take” correctly. Like, I get that subtle CG can sometimes make it ambiguous, but if that Avengers sequence was a single take, then, uh, I guess the Incredible Hulk is literally real…?
I thought the effects were really well done. But…
It bugged me that they looked mechanical, like magic was some sort of tech. I always loved how Ditko (and his successors) drew Strange’s magical abilities and world as very, very organic…almost like all of the energy and matter were actually alive and could be coerced into doing weird stuff.
Yeah, Marvel Studios movies present a fundamentally boring world in that regard. They feel they constantly have to remind everyone that magic is exactly the same as science, that people fighting with magic looks exactly like people fighting in robot suits, etc.
Honestly I didn’t love the visuals in this. FX’s Legion has consistently had trippier visuals to mirror its metaphysical conceits, this felt like “Kaleidoscope effects, the movie!”The last fight was pretty better as I enjoyed the double dose of timey-whimey stuff (the reverse fight scene and the perpetual defeat conceit).
I recently rewatched this for the first time, reluctantly because i didn’t enjoy it the first time. I appreciated it much more on the second viewing. Despite suffering from the usual origin story rut, this movie makes up for a lot of its flaws with the inventiveness of its visuals. There are a solid 5-6 great scenes that use special effects in different ways. It was really artistically shot and for once I wasn’t mad at the overuse of CGI. I also think it laid the groundwork for what’s to come in the series with introducing Mordo (who I hope will be the villain for the final movie) and Night Nurse (I have a faint hope they expand her character and have her cameo in upcoming Marvel movies). As with almost every Marvel movie the villain gets wasted and as is usually the case, it was a good actor. The finale is definitely one of the standouts in the MCU, an epic battle but not a hard to follow smackdown. This movie is an introduction to my favourite aspects of the Marvel comics which was the magic and characters like Dormammu and The Living Tribunal (which they hinted at) are some of the Marvel characters that always interested me the most. I don’t want them to really explore these characters too in depth because I fell like they will lose some of the mystery/mysticism associated with them but I appreciate that we get to see them and acknowledge that there are some massive entities in Marvel and the MCU films will occasionally bring them to screen.
I still have a faint thought that in the end Strange manages to feed Thanos to Dormammu.
Its visuals are not at all inventive
Ant-Man was pretty trippy too!
I don’t get the hype. It’s just Inception-lite to me.
It’s based on people who have never tripped once in their lives puttering to the theater in their Honda Fit or whatever to watch a “trippy” movie
This is one of the few Marvel movies that I feel like gets better on rewatch. It isn’t a great movie but it is fun and clever.
My only criticism of Strange is the almost complete lack of color. The cityscape freak-out was groovy, but grey. Even the bright red cape was muted to almost brown. As a lifelong Strange fan, it is the bright colors and near infinite details (also Strange constantly coming to the realization of what is true, and what is illusion ) that make this comic the psychedelic powerhouse that it is.
I just want to say when I read Dr strange comics I read his dialogue is Christopher Walken’s voice and it makes the comics amazing.
Of all the great special effects action sequences in this movie, my favorite is Doctor Strange and Mordo’s final battle with Kaecilius where Strange reverses time so that Hong Kong gets rebuilt after being destroyed. It’s a subtle rebuttal to all those other climactic battles where the heroes destroy the city while fighting. And, they make great creative use of the buildings being put back together as they fight.
There is one thing that consistently bugs me thruout this movie, which I otherwise love.(Careful, this is like one of those things from the How I Met Your Mother Episode “Spoiler Alert”, where once you’re made aware of it you can’t un-know it.)Cummerbund sounds like he’s imitating Dr House, every time he opens his mouth in the movie.
I’ve loved being a part of the discussions on the ‘Marvel Moment’ series, but I can’t really contribute here because I haven’t seen ‘Doctor Strange’. (I really don’t enjoy watching Benedict Cumberbatch.) One thing that surprised me is how blasé everyone is about magic in ‘Infinity War’. Did a memo go around to everyone saying “Heads up, magic is real”? You’ve got Tony saying the word “wizard” like it’s normal, heroes incorporating Strange’s spells into their plans like they’ve been doing if for years, even Peter Quill doesn’t seem shocked that it’s there. I guess the existence of the Infinity Stones themselves, which are essentially magic, smoothed the path a bit.
Also, Thor is a person they know and are friends with.