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JUST as I think I’ve had enough of superhero movies, a theme often repeated on these pages as the genre’s deluge continues, hi heg Doctor Strange comes along and reminds me why I just can’t quite bring myself to quit these tales of capes and mystical powers.
Like Guardians of the Galaxy before it, Doctor Strange works because it’s a little bit different. It features a perhaps lesser-known hero, and takes viewers on a mind-bending, magical journey through space and time.
Even better, it’s frequently hilarious and provides some of the finest wisecracs in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, an impressive feat considering the chemistry shared between the Avengers. he th film in this shared universe is somewhat contradictory.
Despite feeling very different, that’s not to say that there aren’t elements which are overly familiar. Structurally, it’s another basic superhero origin story, but on the other hand, it’s going into a trippier, more psychedelic place than any comic book movie has before.
Benedict Cumberbatch stars as the title character, the brilliant but arrogant surgeon Doctor Stephen Strange. After Strange gets in a car accident, his hands are mangled, putting an end to his career – something he refuses to accept, as he burns through his money trying every experimental surgical technique possible to repair his body.
With no medical procedure able to help him, the desperate doctor turns to other avenues and a journey to a place called Kamar-Taj, where he is led to believe he will find a more spiritual manner to restore his life to what it once was.
Instead of finding someone who practices any sort of medicine though, he encounters the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), the Sorcerer Supreme, whose many followers include the powerful sorcerers Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Wong (Benedict Wong) – and who shows Strange incredible things that quickly overcome his initial scepticism, and lead to him becoming her newest student.
A student who is particularly adept and, it seems, destined for great things. After so many comic book movies, it’s perhaps unavoidable that Doctor Strange has echoes of films that have come before.
The well off, arrogant, sarcastic guy who is brought down a peg after a near-death experience and then remade into a true hero is, after all, what the MCU was built on with Iron Man eight years ago.
And some will see echoes of Batman Begins as Strange travels abroad and studies with a secret group. Echoes or not, there is still a certain innate joy in the classic comic book origin story, so it’s understandable why the filmmaers would want to begin trange’s story in this manner. s for the film’s villain, much has been said about how bad guys are often a weak link for Marvel (which is incredible really considering their roster of supervillains) and Strange’s foe here, Kaecilius, isn’t going to do much to change that reputation.
The idea of Mads Mikkelsen playing a Marvel villain was genuinely thrilling and a must-see for fans. Indeed, he and Cumberbatch have some fun interplay – but ultimately Kaecilius
simply isn’t in enough of the movie to feel fully formed.
We are given some info on his backstory and connection to the Ancient One, but it could have been used in bigger, more indepth ways. Mikkelsen’s performance and what we see Kaecilius use magic to do are compelling enough to make him a decent antagonist, but he’s not a standout.
What really ends up making Doctor trange an entertaining film are the actors and the visuals. Cumberbatch is great as Strange, whether he’s playing him as a know-it-all or someone in awe of what he’s seeing.
Wong meanwhile is the breakout character, stealing every scene he’s in and having a fantastic dynamic with Strange. Visually, Doctor Strange is stunning. Director Scott Derrickson does a great job of portraying the mind and world-bending imagery here, which is deftly introduced in an opening encounter between Kaecilius and the Ancient One.
In fact, numerous scenes reminded me of one of my favourite films ever, Inception. There are some incredibly outrageous, surreal moments here that are true standouts, whether they involve buildings folding into themselves or mystical windows that can be changed, like TV channels, to reach different parts of the world.
Ultimately, this is a breath of fresh air for superhero films, carried by a performance of gravitas from the incomparable Cumberbatch, a script with real spark, and brilliant cinematography. The only major disappointment is another underwhelming villain, compounded by the hype surrounding Mikkelsen’s turn.
Showing in: Cineco, Seef II, Wadi Al Sail, Saar, Al Jazeera, Dana Cineplex, Novo, Mukta A2
