Movie: Doctor
Release date: October 27, 2016
Language: English
Director: Scott Derrickson
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Mads Mikkelsen, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong
Spoilers: Not more than what is shown in the trailers
IMDB rating: 7.9
Rating: 
(4 / 5)
We all know why we love Marvel in general so much, but what’s up with Doctor Strange?
“A former neurosurgeon embarks on a journey of healing only to be drawn into the world of the mystic arts.” [IMDB]
The idea of Doctor Strange is something else entirely. It’s one that is both completely on crack but also super intriguing.
This movie is about a man who has his life together and is a well-known surgeon and doesn’t care much for the rules. His ego is big and there’s nothing you can say that would get him to think he doesn’t deserve an ego the size of Asia. He has a great job and a relationship. He works hard and is the best in what he does. He behaves like an arse because he has no reason not to. Then, when he gets hurt in an accident, he can’t be a surgeon anymore. Being a surgeon is such a big part of his life that he loses everything on his path to recovery. He then learns of something other than getting his hands back. He learns about mystic arts and is so into this that he then wants to become the best in that, not without getting too curious and getting tied up in something that is bigger than what he, or anyone watching could possibly imagine.
This is kind of refreshing to see in a marvel movie because a lot of the characters that get a solo movie start from the bottom or get into some freak accident that gave them their powers or they were forced to become who they eventually would be. Doctor Strange was at the top of his game when he lost everything and then chose to slowly rebuild what he thinks he must be like. It’s also one that not everyone had heard of yet. Just like Ant-Man, Marvel took quite the risk giving him a solo movie. It’s not that it’s not a good idea but that it’s not already a worldwide known character. That being said, I’m glad they took the risk and that they did it with such an amazing cast.
Dr. Stephen Strange doesn’t seem like someone who would try to save the world, he seems like 
someone who would do anything just to get himself the kind of reputation that he wants. He takes his life for granted, so it seems, and then when the unthinkable happens to him, he’s completely lost who he was before. This, in a way, happens to a lot of people on a much smaller scale. The fact that it is somehow relatable makes it interesting to watch.
Another thing that makes this movie unbelievably difficult to look away from is the actors’ performances. Not only did Benedict Cumberbatch surprise me with how well he can play someone who loves someone so dearly, he also pulls it off while at the same time playing someone who won’t take any shit from anyone and likes to live by his own rules. Having said that, I will gladly watch anything Cumberbatch acts in just to see what else he can do.
Not having seen much of the other actors who were in this movie, I was pleasantly surprised to see how comfortable the cast looked playing such odd characters.
The story told in this movie was one that was completely new to me. I had not heard of Doctor Strange, I had not read about it until a couple of weeks before the release of this film. It wasn’t hard to follow, but it brought many questions. Most answers to these questions came quite late in the film which I think can be a good thing. It made the story unpredictable.
The thing that made this movie look a little bit like the writers were on crack is one moment in which Strange is introduced to the magic and he sees a lot of things that made me laugh quite a bit. It was logical for it to be there, but I have no idea how they came up with the way to present the magic. Kudos to those who did think of this!
What added to the trippiness of the story were the special effects. Although it is a very well made movie, it looked quite realistic (apart from the fact that they bent reality) and therefore automatically confused me. The weird trips he makes throughout his healing journey and eventually the major turn of events were something I didn’t know how to look away from. There was so much happening in such a short time, I felt like whoever made these effects needed a lot of sleep and a bit of peace and quiet after they had finished the movie.
So, if you’ve had enough sleep and do not have a headache, feel free to watch this trippy montage of Benedict Cumberbatch learning magic and shaking hands. Literally. I recommend it!
In a nutshell:
Liked: Yes!
Loved it: Yes
Re-watch: Give me some time to recover.
Cinema worthy: Yes! Even IMAX 3D worthy!
