WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Yes I managed to get the day off work purely to go see the first showing on opening day of Doctor Strange. If I wasn't living in such a small town where the cinema screen only has 20 seats it would have made the experience just that little bit more enjoyable but nonetheless the movie was amazing so lets dive deeper into that. Let me start off by saying this movie could not have been done the same time the first Iron Man was released. The visual effects in this movie is out of this world and is totally unlike anything you have ever seen before. I had heard comments that compared it to Inception but I think it's on a whole new level. They have opened up a whole new area in the Marvel Universe that hasn't been uncovered before. Like most of the origin stories, it follows a similar template to the other movies in the MCU however it does it in such a visually exciting way that it feels fresh. If we look at the movie without the visual effects, it is a story about an arrogant man who is brilliant in his field but learns important lessons about saving humanity after a life changing incident. Let's face it we have seen this type of movie time and time again
Stephen Strange is a former world class surgeon who is brilliant and talented but also self-centred and arrogant. In the beginning of the movie Strange is more interested in material objects and becoming famous in his field. His career comes to a halt when he is in a devastating car crash after getting distracted by using his phone (don't text and drive kids) that completely crushes his hands. Desperate for a cure, he ends up in Kathmandu and ends up discovering something far bigger than him. He meets a mysterious woman known only as The Ancient One who may hold the key to him repairing not only his hands, but his mindset. She warns him that it will take years of studying and practicing the mystic arts however due to his brilliant mind and photographic memory, Strange quickly becomes a top student. As Strange builds up his skill set by training with the current top disciple Mordo, a previous pupil named Kaecilius is gaining power by practicing dark magic. By accessing the dark dimension, Kaecilius hopes to end all life on Earth. Once the Ancient One punches Strange's soul out of his body and he becomes a sorceress we see him explore the multiverse through bizarre and rather trippy imagery. The scene where he first witnesses the kaleidoscopic trip through time and space looks like it's ripped straight from a Doctor Strange comic. The sorcerers in the movie can bend physics to their will and can enter other dimensions such as the 'Mirror Dimension', similar to ours in every sense but where gravity shifts and skyscrapers can warp. It is purely for these scenes I wish I could have seen the movie in 3D as those scenes are surreal and visually stunning.
Similar to what Robert Downey Jr is to Iron Man, Benedict Cumberbatch was born for this role. He certainly looks the part and he's cynical, sarcastic but I look forward to what we get to see from him in upcoming movies. I didn't think he had much chemistry with Rachel McAdams who plays his former colleague and ex-girlfirend. She doesn't play a damsel in distress, she mainly plays his on call surgeon who just kind of goes along with all the weird crap going on around her. Mads Mikkelsen who plays the villain Kaecilius is rather one-dimensional but then again the villains in Marvel movies are rather flat so he is rather forgettable and his eye makeup is rather distracting making all of his lines forgettable. I think the easter egg at the end with Mordo was far more interesting as he is a huge enemy for Strange in the comics. Tilda Swinton had so much controversy around her role in the movie but I think she did fantastic as the ancient one. She has this mysterious presence whenever she is in a scene and has impressive martial arts skills, she also makes bald look good.
Like previously mentioned the visuals in the movie are beyond stunning, there is never a dull moment where the CGI lets the movie down. Audiences get to see cities such as London, New York and Hong Kong through a kaleidoscopic trip that goes beyond anything we had previously seen in Christopher Nolan's Inception. I never doubted how well done the visuals would be done in the movie, but one thing that did surprise me about the movie was the humour. Stephen Strange is a rather sarcastic character but some of the punch lines felt a bit forced. There was a Beyonce reference and when we see Wong listening to Single Ladies it seemed like recycled humour from Guardians when we see him listening to Peter Quill's cassette tape.
As an origin story, it works well possibly due to the fact it uses the same formula audiences are already used to but the CGI sets it apart from anything out there. It is clear that the character is going to play a big part in the MCU in the future now that it has been revealed that he has an Infinity Stone. It's not quite up there with Guardians of the Galaxy or Captain America: Civil War for me but as far as the visual effects go it is definitely on par with Guardians. It has also opened a new door to the mystical aspects of the MCU which for anyone that enjoyed the final battle scene, should be exciting.
Easter Eggs
#1 Infinity Stone
It has been long speculated that Doctor Strange now holds the Time Stone in his possession and was finally confirmed by Wong at the end of the movie that the Eye of Agamotto is actually an Infinity Stone. The Time Stone is able to command power over the progression of time and reality. It allows the user to see visions of possible futures, time travel and control over the age of beings. It can also be used as a weapon by trapping enemies or entire worlds in endless loops of time like we saw in the final act of the movie. Wong even implies that he's aware someone is seeking them (hint: it's Thanos).
#2 Spine victim
Whilst Strange is driving to the conference before he plunges into the river, he is on the phone discussing potential patients he could take on next. The first one he turns down is described as a "35 year old Marine Colonel, crushed his lower spine in some kind of experimental armor." Most people assume this is Rhodey after his accident in Civil War but the age doesn't match up, his suit also isn't experiemental as Tony wouldn't let Rhodey even near a suit if it wasn't ready. Most sites have also said it is referring to one of the soldiers testing Justin Hammer's rip-off Iron Man suits who gets his spine twisted. If you re-watch the court room scene from Iron Man 2 it discusses it as let's face it not many people think of Iron Man 2 to be memorable. However the director has said it is neither it could be possible that it is a reference to an accident we don't know about yet.
#3 Thor meets Stephen Strange
In the mid-credits scene we see Doctor Strange meet Thor offering him self-refilling beer and discussing Loki being in New York. Strange admits he has a list of threats he keeps on eye on with Loki being one of them. Thor explains that he and Loki are on Earth to look for their father, Odin and Strange offers to help them look. This means we can probably add Doctor Strange's name to Thor: Ragnarok.
#4 Baron Mordo origin
In the beginning of the movie we are introduced to Mordo as another one of the Ancient One's pupils. In the post-credits scene we see him start to become a larger threat to Strange as a future villain for Doctor Strange 2. Mordo confront's Jonathan Pangborn, the man who suggested Strange travel to the Middle East who uses magic to cure his paralysis. Mordo tells him "I've been away for many months now, and I've had a revelation. The true purpose of a sorcerer is to twist things out of their proper state. Stealing power. Perverting nature. Like you." He then removes Pangborn's magical abilities explaining there are "too many sorcerers" in the world. To those who read the comics this will come as no surprise as Mordo and Strange are archenemies in the comics.
#5 Stan Lee Cameo
Since the movie is only out in the UK currently I couldn't get my hands on his cameo in Doctor Strange but I'll explain it the best I can. As Doctor Strange tumbles through a kaleidoscopic Manhattan he hits the side of a bus which Stan Lee is riding as a passenger. He is seen chuckling over a copy of Huxley's Doors of Perception, which is an account of Huxley's use of hallucinogenics with affects similar to LSD. This is a reference to the early work on Doctor Strange and the closest the film comes to advocating illegal drug use.
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