Here we are again with another Marvel origin story. Here I am to shit on it. It’s no secret that I have no love of the Marvel film franchise. I even disliked the critically successful Civil War, finding nothing there but shaky action and missed character opportunities. Will the magic of Doctor Strange finally sway me?
Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a brilliant, egotistical surgeon who suffers an accident that wrecks his hands. Unable to perform surgery, he travels East to seek the legendary healing powers of a mysterious group in Nepal. Soon, he finds himself discovering all sorts of magical abilities, and learns of an impending threat to the world as we know it.
Usually, I start with the positives. This time I actually want to get the crappy stuff out of the way. But before all that, sit down because I’m just going to come right out and say something: Doctor Strange is my favourite Marvel film to date. Good? Okay.
If you like the usual Marvel comedy, you’ll like the comedy in Strange. It didn’t really work for me, with half the jokes falling flat and upsetting the tone. I could have done with more of the villain, but Mads Mikkelsen did a great job, and this is an origin story so the villain ought to take a backseat anyway. And that’s what Strange is, an origin story, and you’d be a fool to think it transcends formula or Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. You’ve seen this plot before, but that’s the case with 99% of blockbusters.
So it’s formulaic and goes through the same motions as all the others – why did I like it? Well, for a start I liked the character. Driven entirely by his ego, he’s not a cliché of likeability. Sure, he’s wisecracking and smart, but he also flaunts his wealth and makes some arsehole decisions very early in the story. It’s odd that we’re able to latch onto him as well as we do, but I found him more compelling than the likes of his moral excellency Captain America.
Cumberbatch is, of course, natural in this role. We’ve seen him play every manner of genius, but in Strange, I found much of his development inviting and subdued. He escapes the venom of John Harrison from Star Trek Into Darkness and the intensity of his Sherlock Holmes in ways that I found refreshing. (Also, I get the comparison between Strange and Dr. House. There’s even a hospital-based walk-and-talk scene. But they are very different deep down with entirely different motivations.)
The film emphasises his smarts, too. We know Tony Stark is clever because he builds a fancy suit, but rarely do I see him apply his intellect on the battlefield. Everything Strange does is driven by his brains. He isn’t a good fighter or even good at using magic, but he thinks his way out of all the situations thrown at him. The finale actually defies elements of the Hero’s Journey, making Strange’s arc a much more satisfying one.
As for the magic, I can get really into training sequences where our hero learns about a new world. Like in Harry Potter or The Matrix, the more I learned about the universe of Doctor Strange the more I wanted to find out. From boots that defy gravity to amulets that can manipulate time, from the separation of spirit and body to creating portals in thin air, there’s so much wonder and excitement in the worldbuilding alone. It’s extensive, yet I feel like we only scratched the surface, and never does it become cumbersome with jargon and alien concepts. The magic had a unique visual style about it, too. Conjured objects and portals spin and spark as they pierce dimensions and bleed into our world.
Speaking of visuals, Doctor Strange looks unlike any action film I’ve yet seen. Awesome duels are fought across twisting buildings that contort in mesmerising, kaleidoscopic splendour. The jaw-dropping finale is especially memorable and pays off thematically better than in most action films. Even though we don’t see the villain as much as I’d like, his motive is clear and his agenda ties in nicely with the ideas – ego and selflessness.
And it really is unlike anything I’ve seen – it isn’t “like Inception” as everyone seems to say. I feel like I’m the only one who remembers Inception. The craziest world-altering effects in Inception were one city rolling on top of itself and a corridor turning upside-down. Great stuff, but constantly appealing to Inception as a comparison actually damages Doctor Strange, which does so much more.
It’s the same story you’ve seen before – make no mistake – but it does it extremely well. With great characters, engrossing worldbuilding, and not a single action setpiece that doesn’t feel distinctly Strange, it towers over every blockbuster of the summer while giving the MCU a breath of fresh air.
Now to wash my mouth out with soap.
(GRADES: Both are from 0 to 10. The left is an objective score based on artistic merit, the right is my personal enjoyment.)
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