Director – Scott Derrickson (Hellraiser: Inferno, The Exorcism of Emily Rose)
Starring – Benedict Cumberbatch (Star Trek: Into Darkness, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Z for Zachariah, American Gangster), and Rachel McAdams (True Detective, Sherlock Holmes)
Release Date – 2016
Rating – 4/5
Marvel vs. DC. This is one of the longest running battles of my life. It all started when I was little. I wasn’t a comic reader but I loved cartoons and toys. Most kids love Batman and Superman but I am the complete opposite. I’ll watch the movies or shows but I couldn’t give two shits about either. The only real DC heroes that I care about Green Lantern and The Flash which I can safely say are my favorite two heroes. I love them above all else.
With that being said, I tend to like the entire Marvel universe. It’s difficult for me to pick a favorite from Marvel but if I had to it would be a tie between Star-Lord and Doctor Strange (Pre-movies). When it was announced that Doctor Strange would get his own movie I had to see it. When the movie hit blu I reached out to see if I could score a review copy and the rest is history.
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows successful surgeon Dr. Stephen Strange (Cumberbatch) who is in a terrible automobile accident where both his hands are severely damaged. He tries everything modern medicine has to over to repair his hand but is unsuccessful.
He then sets his sights on other forms of medicine and healing when he crosses paths with a man that was once paralyzed. He is then sent on a path an unlikely path where he will learn not to heal himself but to bend space and time around him. In doing so he places himself in the middle of a battle raging on between good and evil – light and darkness.**Spoiler Alert**
I had very high expectations for Doctor Strange. As I stated earlier, he is one of my favorite Marvel characters so I was expecting an amazing film. For the most part is succeeded and knocked Ant-Man down as my second favorite Marvel film right below Guardians of the Galaxy.
The acting in this one is phenomenal. Probably the best acted film in the entire MU. Cumberbatch kills it as Doctor Strange. He captures the arrogance and self-entitlement of Doctor Strange that we see in the animated movie so well. Like I said, I never read the comics so all I have to go on is the animated film and his television appearances in different shows.
He then switches gears and shows a great deal of modesty and protects the masses like the Doctor Strange that everyone loves. Cumberbatch killed it and easily gave my favorite performance from him. The supporting cast is just as good but, lets face it, Doctor Strange is center stage throughout the entire film.
The story for this one is a bit of a slow build before exploding by the halfway point. One expects to have a slow build when something as big as Marvel is establishing a character that will span several films. This doesn’t bother me and it help younger generations get to know the character the way I do.
Finally, the film is a visual feast. From beginning to end you can expect the very best practical and visual effects. I was astonished by what I saw. Overall, Doctor Strange is another powerful film in the Marvel cinematic universe. It may not knock Guardians from the top spot but it still gives it a run for its money. Check it out.
