Doctor Strange Movie Review: How Well Did It Do?
The latest origin story in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Strange, was released in theaters Friday, November 4th. The movie, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, revolves around the story of a brilliant, yet arrogant surgeon named Stephen Strange.
Strange falls from grace after being involved in a car accident that broken both of his precious hands. Desperately searching for a cure to fix the hands that made him the popular surgeon that he is, Doctor Strange's search lead him into a magical realm that defies the laws of physics.
After failing to find a cure in the medical field, Doctor Stephen Strange sought out the help of Nepalese mystics. The doctor did not realize that this journey to healing would transform him into a powerful sorcerer. As with any superhero movies, the hero comes with a task. "With great power comes great responsibility," remember?
Doctor Strange's task? To protect the Earth from supernatural threats and defeating enemies from alternate dimensions.
The movie is, of course, based on the comic series, Doctor Strange, by Marvel. Fans have been anticipating this release for years, and now that it's finally out, it's time to hear what fans had to say.
Doctor Strange scored 91% in Rotten Tomatoes, gotten 7.7/10 from IGN.com, and scored 72% in Metacritic. The movie is very different from the normal superhero movies by MCU. It's far more than just blowing buildings, smashing the enemies into the ground and tearing other characters apart.
Instead of buildings tumbling into the ground, Doctor Strange offers magical realms and dimensions folding in on each other. Writer-director Scott Derrickson, who directed the "Sinister", and "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" movies put in plenty of out-of-body experiences with impressive kaleidoscopic visuals.
These scenes were enough for fans to wonder whether the co-writers had been binge-watching on "Inception" and "The Matrix Trilogy" while working. On the other hand, Benedict Cumberbatch delivered another brilliant performance, as he always does.
Cumberbatch has a way of making fans and viewers feel like every character he plays is tailor-made just for him. Of course, he had played similar roles to Doctor Strange before. Sherlock Holmes and Alan Turing in the movie "The Imitation Game", are just some examples where Cumberbatch played yet another vain, and cynical genius.
Read some of the reviews from different websites and papers below:
"A bizarre and beautiful detour on the Marvel journey, which culminates in a mind-bending, expectation-inverting final act. Not to be watched under the influence." - James Dyer, Empire
"Benedict Cumberbatch is unpredictable and intriguing as the Marvel superhero in a brain-melting tale that reinvigorates the genre." - Wendy Ide, The Guardian
"Visually and conceptually, Doctor Strange owes more to the inverted physics of Inception and the East-meets-West chopsocky of The Matrix trilogy. As storytelling, however, it's MCU business as usual." - A.A. Dowd, A.V. Club
