Doctor Strange: Movie Review

Doctor Strange hits the movie industry as one of the best movies to come out of Marvel Cinematic Universe, arguably the best MCU movie since Iron Man. Its visuals are the best comparable only to Guardians of the Galaxy. Its plot cleverly treads the line between super hero genre, kung fu cinema, occult-horror subgenre and magic/fantasy pictures.

The director/writer, Scott Derrickson creates a world class master piece that is a large combination of Iron Man, The Matrix, The Conjuring and a little bit of Harry Potter, a dash of Inception and a pinch of Nightmare on Elm Street. Scott Derrickson, director of the hit horror movie Sinister displayed pure talent on this project, mixing this thriller with the finest sensibilities in horror film making.

Benedict Cumberbatch also outdoes himself on this one, dishing out an emotional performance that truly is one of his best to date. The character Doctor Strange may seem like a simple one but I assure you, this character’s complexities go way beyond what is seen on screen.

Doctor Strange is a man who overcomes certain flaws, flaws that go much deeper and influences the course of his life in ways that have long term ramifications. Cumberbatch expertly enters this role such that Benedict Cumberbatch becomes Doctor Strange.

Plot Overview

Doctor Strange Theater Poster

The magic of this marvel blockbuster lies in its simplistic plot that is coupled with mind-blowing and eye popping visuals which make this movie a must see.

Arrogant neurosurgeon, Doctor Stephen Strange loses the ability to use his hands due to a severe nerve injury after a terrible car crash. Unable to perform his highly reputed neurosurgery, his life becomes a repetitive tale of recuperation, rehabilitation and recrimination that causes him to be alone, isolated from everyone including his long time girlfriend Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams).

With time he realizes that traditional western medicine can’t help him. In his search for a remedy to his paralysis, he hears of an ancient cult in Kamar-Taj and this restores his hopes. He heads east to Kathmandu where he meets the ancient one (Tilda Swinton) who places him on an unusual healing course.

During the course of his healing, Strange’s insatiable thirst for knowledge helps unlock his infinite magical powers and through the ancient one, her acolyte Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and her stoic librarian Wong (Benedict Wong), he learns that the peaceful enclave is the front line in the battle against unseen evil forces.

Leading these forces is Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen), a former favorite of the ageless oracle. He betrayed her trust by stealing a forbidden spell and opening the dark dimension. The result of this action gains him the knowledge of the secret of the eternal life.

Strange’s enthusiasm sees him accelerate through the ranks and when he ascends to high level sorcery, he’s faced with two important choices – go back to his former life of fame and fortune or become earth’s foremost protector against paranormal threats. Of course he chooses to fight paranormal threats.