DOCTOR STRANGE (2016) review
(Reviewed by Melody Werner)
Doctor Strange is a 2016 live-action addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, directed by Scott Derrickson. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch (of Sherlock and The Imitation Game fame) as the eponymous Doctor Strange, who's a long-running Marvel character created by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee. Met with critical and audience acclaim, and yet another hit in a line of Marvel flicks, this is the only superhero film from last year I was actually interested in seeing eventually. Having finally watched it, I can say it's... pretty good.
The visuals are easily the best part of the film. Take the surreal building-warping of Inception, crank that up to eleven, and throw in cosmic eyecandy and multidimensional acid trips, and you have an idea of how this film looks. It's a must-watch for any enthusiast of special effects and whatnot on that basis alone, and if the film was as strong in every other field as it is here, it'd easily be one of the best movies ever I think. Not only is it gorgeous to look at when it comes to the magic, but it also boasts immaculate set and wardrobe designs. The music is quite good, if uninspired in its generic grandness. The acting is quite good. Cumberbatch plays a good Strange, though I think choosing such a recognizable actor for the role was disadvantageous as every time I see him, I see Benedict Cumberbatch; not Doctor Strange. Tilda Swinton was a good Ancient One, so the whole arguing about her was an utterly worthless nontroversy.
The action in the film is at its best when it's high magic, spell-casting goodness. Where it falters is in most close-quarters fight scenes, which are too closely shot and just a mess to watch. There are a lot of cool action sequences but when it's throwing a bunch of legs and shit right into the camera, it's nigh Batman Begins level of unwatchable garbage.
Where the flick begins to fall apart a bit is its narrative, which is cringeworthy in how boring it is. The story is jam-packed with clichés, deus ex machina moments, predictable scenes, and a lack of adherence to the basics. Basically, this is an utter failure of writing a good narrative. Sure there aren't inconsistencies or amateur mistakes like with 13 Reasons Why, but it's blandness incarnate. But to further explain what I mean by "lack of adherence to the basics," let me point out one of the golden rules of exposition: show, don't tell. The idea being, that in a medium like film, almost every time will something have more weight if we as viewers actually experience what has happened that characters are talking about. Sometimes that's not entirely true, and in limited instances simply telling can be the perfect punctuation to a tragedy that the film or whatever is attempting to convey. Doctor Strange's greatest weakness is how it always tells something rather than showing it. It always says "Well I can't show you this--you wouldn't understand!" which is cryptic, annoying bullshit.
The film also lets itself down when it comes in its characters. Strange is thoroughly unlikable at first, and his development in the film is not believable in the slightest. The pointless love interest played by Rachel McAdams was so unmemorable and categorically useless, I immediately forgot her name before I even finished watching. The Ancient One is a pseudo-mystical bullshit device who is every mystical mentor ever. I didn't even know Baron Mordo was even in the film, and his character was so inconsistent I had no interest in him. And that's one of Strange's most iconic foes! Wong is perfectly likeable, but underused. The Cloak of Levitation was the star of the film, and livened a few scenes up despite never saying a single word. Dormammu was a waste and your standard Galactus/Satan character.
But here's some of the really good parts of the film: while it's not as full of jokes as something like Guardians of the Galaxy, every one of them lands near perfectly. The climax is incredibly clever and quite a lot of fun in how unique it was. The film starts off really slow, but once it picks up it's nonstop and unrelenting in its speed. The dialogue is well written when it's not new age babble, with some witty banter which I appreciate.
Doctor Strange is an above average flick which is really damaged by much of its writing. It's a technical marvel and an orgy of colors and gorgeous effects. I still enjoyed watching it and recommend it if you don't mind some tedium and its uninspired narrative. This is probably one of my longest reviews thus far, but there's a lot of things to unpack and disect with this film. At the end of the day, this might be up your alley. Doctor Strange gets a 7.5/10.
Good
Summary:
Despite its extremely weak plot and characters, it's a gorgeous, well-acted, often fun film with decent pacing and a fantastic finale.
(originally posted: 6/3/2017)
Doctor Strange is a 2016 live-action addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, directed by Scott Derrickson. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch (of Sherlock and The Imitation Game fame) as the eponymous Doctor Strange, who's a long-running Marvel character created by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee. Met with critical and audience acclaim, and yet another hit in a line of Marvel flicks, this is the only superhero film from last year I was actually interested in seeing eventually. Having finally watched it, I can say it's... pretty good.
The visuals are easily the best part of the film. Take the surreal building-warping of Inception, crank that up to eleven, and throw in cosmic eyecandy and multidimensional acid trips, and you have an idea of how this film looks. It's a must-watch for any enthusiast of special effects and whatnot on that basis alone, and if the film was as strong in every other field as it is here, it'd easily be one of the best movies ever I think. Not only is it gorgeous to look at when it comes to the magic, but it also boasts immaculate set and wardrobe designs. The music is quite good, if uninspired in its generic grandness. The acting is quite good. Cumberbatch plays a good Strange, though I think choosing such a recognizable actor for the role was disadvantageous as every time I see him, I see Benedict Cumberbatch; not Doctor Strange. Tilda Swinton was a good Ancient One, so the whole arguing about her was an utterly worthless nontroversy.
The action in the film is at its best when it's high magic, spell-casting goodness. Where it falters is in most close-quarters fight scenes, which are too closely shot and just a mess to watch. There are a lot of cool action sequences but when it's throwing a bunch of legs and shit right into the camera, it's nigh Batman Begins level of unwatchable garbage.
Where the flick begins to fall apart a bit is its narrative, which is cringeworthy in how boring it is. The story is jam-packed with clichés, deus ex machina moments, predictable scenes, and a lack of adherence to the basics. Basically, this is an utter failure of writing a good narrative. Sure there aren't inconsistencies or amateur mistakes like with 13 Reasons Why, but it's blandness incarnate. But to further explain what I mean by "lack of adherence to the basics," let me point out one of the golden rules of exposition: show, don't tell. The idea being, that in a medium like film, almost every time will something have more weight if we as viewers actually experience what has happened that characters are talking about. Sometimes that's not entirely true, and in limited instances simply telling can be the perfect punctuation to a tragedy that the film or whatever is attempting to convey. Doctor Strange's greatest weakness is how it always tells something rather than showing it. It always says "Well I can't show you this--you wouldn't understand!" which is cryptic, annoying bullshit.
The film also lets itself down when it comes in its characters. Strange is thoroughly unlikable at first, and his development in the film is not believable in the slightest. The pointless love interest played by Rachel McAdams was so unmemorable and categorically useless, I immediately forgot her name before I even finished watching. The Ancient One is a pseudo-mystical bullshit device who is every mystical mentor ever. I didn't even know Baron Mordo was even in the film, and his character was so inconsistent I had no interest in him. And that's one of Strange's most iconic foes! Wong is perfectly likeable, but underused. The Cloak of Levitation was the star of the film, and livened a few scenes up despite never saying a single word. Dormammu was a waste and your standard Galactus/Satan character.
But here's some of the really good parts of the film: while it's not as full of jokes as something like Guardians of the Galaxy, every one of them lands near perfectly. The climax is incredibly clever and quite a lot of fun in how unique it was. The film starts off really slow, but once it picks up it's nonstop and unrelenting in its speed. The dialogue is well written when it's not new age babble, with some witty banter which I appreciate.
Doctor Strange is an above average flick which is really damaged by much of its writing. It's a technical marvel and an orgy of colors and gorgeous effects. I still enjoyed watching it and recommend it if you don't mind some tedium and its uninspired narrative. This is probably one of my longest reviews thus far, but there's a lot of things to unpack and disect with this film. At the end of the day, this might be up your alley. Doctor Strange gets a 7.5/10.
Good
Summary:
Despite its extremely weak plot and characters, it's a gorgeous, well-acted, often fun film with decent pacing and a fantastic finale.
(originally posted: 6/3/2017)
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