“Mysticism is not the absence of reality, but the presence of more reality than we can comprehend.” – Scott Derrickson
Directed by: Scott Derrickson
Written by: Jon Spaihts, Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mads Mikkelsen
Swift shot: I’ve always admired Dr. Strange books from afar. I only thumbed through his comics as a kid, because I thought they were a bit too far out there for me to grasp back then. But, as I have gotten a bit longer in the tooth, I have been exposed to more things on this Earth than simple science can explain. (See my Insidious review for what I mean). Scott Derrickson brings a very complex, multi-dimensional and magical script to a grounded reality that even a novice guru wannabe can grasp. And, he has a lot of fun telling the origin of Marvel’s now 14th standalone MCU film!
Dr. Stephen Strange (Cumberbatch) is an arrogant asshole, not only does he love what he does, he has the humbleness of Midas. But, as with most myths, the old adage rings true about pride goething beforeth the falleth – so to speak. The only person who doesn’t openly detest Dr. Strange is his one time fling and co-worker Dr. Christine Palmer (McAdams). She tries to cultivate Strange’s skills to help people.
In one telling scene, Strange scoffs about her work in the ER, saving just one person, when his work potentially saves thousands. You get the idea this guy is really full of himself, and he doesn’t really ever lose that edge, which I appreciated. As he transitions from excellent Doctor to Super Sorcerer, he is initially just as arrogant. It isn’t until he faces his real fear that he finally grasps the flawed nature of his ego.
Strange has one major blind-spot, he thinks he’s invincible. He isn’t! After a horrific crash (which should have killed him) leaves him unable to use his hands for even basic handwriting. He’s done as a surgeon.
After exhausting every option Western medicine has to offer, he meets a man who traveled to a remote place in Nepal called Kamar-Taj. It’s here that Mr. Strange’s journey into mysticism begins, but the enclave is dealing with a civil fracturing where Kaecilius (Mikkelsen) has accused his former master, the Ancient One (Swinton) of hoarding immortality. All Strange wants is to be able to use his hands as a hot-shot surgeon again, but the universe has other plans for him.
Strange quickly finds himself in the middle of a mutli-dimensional civil war! Throughout his advancement in sorcerer training, he is led to the realization that he is in fact a coward, he’s afraid to fail. He has his reputation to think about. Thing is, it is only through failing that Dr. Strange actually has a chance to succeed in saving the entire Earth from a dark entity known as Dormammu.
The acting was solid in Doctor Strange, and I never heard Benedict Cumberbatch drop out of his American accent. I’m sure he picked up some good pointers on Black Mass. Rachel McAdams provides more than just a love interest role, as she pushes Strange to become a better man and also provides some comedy relief.
Chiwetel Ejiofor seems to always be cast as the idealist without the capacity to think compassionately, and he’s doing the same thing in this film as Mordo. Someone I thought stole every scene was Benedict Wong as the newly appointed librarian, Wong who has no sense of humor.
The special effects were so special in this film that I almost feel like they should just be called effects, I couldn’t detect a hint of cartoonish sloppiness, like in Green Lantern.
Doctor Strange has everything a fan of the comics could ask for . . . and more. I predict many American teenagers, and younger kids, wanting to delve more into the mystical arts and exploring new concepts of reality, kind of like how Top Gun increased Navy musters dramatically.
The world needs more mystics.
