Doctor Strange is a 2016 production from Marvel Studios. The screenplay is directed by Scott Derrickson, who was also a part of the writing team alongside Jon Spaihts and C. Robert Cargill. The movie boasts a host of newcomers to the Marvel Cinematic Universe including Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tilda Swinton, Rachel McAdams, Mads Mikkelsen and Benedict Wong. The movie marks an alright 7.5/10 on IMDb and received a 72 Metascore.
A Summary
Dr Steven Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) just performed surgery on a patient as Dr Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams) walks up to him telling about a potential next patient. Realising that he could save this patient from his death, they rush to the ER. The confident Strange saves another life in his already glorious career. That night on his way home he crashes his Lamborghini into the river when he is distracted by his call.
Next thing he wakes up after hours in the operation room. He is badly hurt with his precious fingers containing pins in each of them. His work as neurosurgeon seems done until Strange hears about a miraculous recovery from a man who was almost fully paralyzed. He hears from that man that he needs to visit Kamar-Taj, so Steven sets out on his adventure.
In Kamer-Taj he meets Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), an apprentice of The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton). She tells Strange about the mystical secrets of the universe. For example, how there are multiple universes and people can harness the power of other universes. He joins the temple and starts an intensive training to learn to master these powers.
The temple has an extensive library, guarded by Wong (Benedict Wong), where Strange often goes to read about the mystical forces. Wong tells him about a certain few books that are reserved for The Ancient One only, one of which pages were stolen out of by Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen) when he left the temple. Those pages explain a spell that calls upon Dormammu, an evil being from the Dark Dimension who wants to take over the world.
One night, when Wong isn’t around, Strange takes a relic named the Eye of Agamotto and uses it to see the missing pages from the book. Mordo and Wong find him reading them and are quick to tell him how dangerous that is. They go on to explain the three Sanctums in London, New York and Hong Kong, which protect Earth from evil beings out of other universes.
The movie picks up the pace when Kaecilius attacks the New York Sanctum, where Strange happens to be. They fight and Strange briefly teleports back to Christine in the hospital when he is injured. In the end, Kaecilius manages to escape as Mordo and The Ancient One assess the damage. She says Strange should take charge of the New York Sanctum but he is not interested in her wishes. He read in the missing pages that The Ancient One draws power from the Dark Dimension to prolong her life.
Kaecilius is quick to return, this time he mortally wounded The Ancient One. Strange and Mordo are now the last protectors standing. Knowing that the next target will be the Hong Kong Sanctum they head there but they are too late. The Sanctum has already fallen and Dormammu’s Dark Dimension is spreading into the city.
Strange uses the Eye of Agamotto to reverse time but he couldn’t fully complete the process because Kaecilius attacked him. Strange has a new plan though. He flies into the Dark Dimension and visits Dormammu but not before he sets up a safeguard. Dormammu kills him but Strange uses the Eye to create an infinite time loop which ends up frustrating Dormammu soo much that decides to cancel his attack.
The Story
I have to admit that I have become a huge Doctor Strange fan after seeing this movie for the first time. I already loved Benedict Cumberbatch from roles like Alan Turing, Sherlock Holmes and Smaug. With his performance as Dr Stephen Strange, he received more of my love. He offers something completely different from the standard punching in the MCU with his unique fighting sequences.
I do feel that his character arc starts a bit weak. He is an arrogant and wealthy doctor who doesn’t seem to care about anyone but himself. That sets him up for his later redemption arc but does create some negativity towards him. About that redemption arc, the build-up proves to be excellent and well-paced to give the viewer a pleasant viewing experience while also showing off some of the story’s bests plots.
Strange’s time in training at Kamar-Taj are among the best minutes in this movie. It explains a lot of needed background to understand the later threat of Dormammu, whilst also showing Strange’s progress in training. I feel the scenes at the library are of great importance as well. They provide some comedic relief with Wong alongside some valuable lessons for Strange.
The main plot point is the possibility of immortality. We get to see the extreme wrong side of it with Kaecilius plus a bit more nuanced version with The Ancient One. I really felt the confusion that Mordo was experiencing as well, who was doing the right thing here? Whilst The Ancient One may not have done the right thing, Kaecilius was a bit more extreme in his actions which, of course, makes the viewer root against him.
We end with Strange confronting the main behind the scene villain in Dormammu. At this point, he is willing to live an eternity in a loop, dying every single time, only to help out the people on Earth. It completes his arc and makes him a true master sorceror as he is able to force a being of great power in the Multiverse into submission.
The Characters
Doctor Strange
I have already spoken about Doctor Strange extensively in my story review. Therefore I will use this space to give his cape some attention. The cape chose Strange as his master after he made great strides towards being a better person. The relationship between him and the cape then provides some excellent scenes, for example, the scene where he wants to grab an axe except cape keeps pulling him back.
The Ancient One
I did expect something better from someone named The Ancient One. The character didn’t seem to have a consistent personality. She would be very serious at times while other times she seems to be just joking around a bit. As someone who is supposed to be extremely old and powerful, that felt a bit out of character.
Kaecilius / Dormammu
As the main villains of this movie, they provide an excellent story and challenge. It’s not like Tony Stark in his first Iron Man movie, where he needs to deal with some guys with guns. Stephen gets immediately thrown into the deep end with an almighty inter-universal being. As I said earlier, Kaecilius provides some believe arguments for his cause but after all the antagonists are made great by Dormammu and his might.
The Production
The movie was nominated for an Oscar for Best Achievement in Visual Effects in 2016. You can see why. The thing that has helped draw me into Doctor Strange-fandom were the powers they used. Drawing energy from other universes to forge weapons and making portals out of thin air. However, those are just the basics, both on the story-level as well as the special effects-level.
Mirror dimensions with moving parts all around are the real stuff here. These dimensions are insanely elaborate with some great use of gravity whilst also being a plot device to keep city undestroyed. The fighting scenes withing these dimensions are wonderfully created and remarkably well-thought-out.