It’s November, and Marvel Studios has released their newest film in their expansive universe. This year, it’s Doctor Strange, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, his pretty terrible American accent, Tilda Swinton, and Mads Mikkelsen.
The movie begins by establishing that protagonist Steven Strange (whoops,  I meant “Doctor” Steven Strange) is one of the best neurosurgeons in his field, known for having never messed up a case. He is immediately established as a cocky, arrogant person, a crucial feature to later developments in the movie. In a moment of self-gloating, Strange looks to see his next patient while driving too fast, and end up in a fatal car crash, ultimately paralyzing his nerves beyond repair. Strange starts looking for the most radical solutions to fix his body, because he “is nothing without his work.” Upon the suggestion of a man who seemed to recover when he had to hope, Strange ventures to Nepal, where a group of sorcerers (led by Swinton) teach him how to use magic to improve his life. At the same time, a former student named Kycelius is threatening to destroy the world in order to achieve eternal life. It becomes the duty of Dr. Strange and the other sorcerers to fight against him and save Earth from entering into an age of darkness.
In my opinion, this is one of Marvel’s weaker films. Rachel McAdams, who plays Steven’s love interest, and Benedict Cumberbatch don’t have very good chemistry, and the character of Steven himself is not very likable. Also, the plot of the movie tends to be confusing and hard to follow at times.
On the other hand, the supporting cast is what saves this from being a really bad movie. Benedict Wong and Chiwetel Ejiofor are really great as other sorcerers at the school, and Mads Mikkelsen is fantastic in the villain’s role. Another thing I liked about the movie was the stunning visuals, which were very impressive, and greatly heightened the drama of the fight scenes in this Marvel movie.
Doctor Strange will most likely be involved in upcoming Marvel movies, and even though I didn’t like the movie that much, I’m interested to see where they go with this character.