Review of the latest MARVEL blockbuster based on the classic sorcerer supreme himself, Doctor Strange
By Carter Bagley
It seems that just a few years ago everybody’s minds were blown when MARVEL announced they were making an Avengers movie. Being a younger kid at the time and an avid comic book reader I was beyond excited because nothing like that had ever happened before. When I was younger the closest thing I had to that sort of experience was an animated direct-to-DVD Avengers film. Since then it seems that comic book characters 
left and right have been adapted into feature films although the most surprising one yet is Doctor Strange. Created by Steve Ditko in the mid-60’s he’s always been a wildly unique character that brings in original and psychedelic storylines. It definitely must have been extremely difficult to bring it to life but yet again MARVEL has done it. Scott Derrickson who made two impressive horror films with “Sinister” and “Deliver Us From Evil” was hired as the director which was a very interesting move and showed they really wanted a great tone for the mystical elements. Benedict Cumberbatch does a fantastic job portraying Dr. Stephen Strange who’s a very skilled neurosurgeon. He’s a very selfish and conceded man but when he gets into a brutal accident and gets irreparable nerve damage in his hands his beloved profession is taken away from him. After hearing of alternative ways of healing himself he travels to the far east to seek new ideas when he comes in contact with The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) and Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who are both masters of the mystic arts and he soon starts training to be healed. Though when a mysterious threat is determined to destroy their world, everything they know is put at risk as Strange is put to the test of defending his planet. Being more of a focus on the character of Doctor Strange the film works very well and sets up a character you start to really like and the film definitely leaves you wanting more. They didn’t forget to give Strange a sense of humanity as his old life and sweetheart Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams) are often pulled back into his life and gives more depth to his character. However the only big fault I have is that the villain played by Mads Mikkelsen wasn’t very fleshed out and didn’t have the clearest of intentions. Overall though It managed to stay true to it’s source material while still being an original complete film that anybody who hasn’t read a comic book can enjoy. Many of the film’s action sequences were fantastic also and there’s many times when scenes are completely psychedelic and many of them I won’t soon forget. “Doctor Strange” is an entertaining, exciting and original film that you should definitely check out.
Rating: 8.5/10
American Graffiti 