DOCTOR STRANGE - Review [No Spoilers]
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The latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has recently arrived and among the near total praise I am left with an experience that could be best described as underwhelming. Just as the character's introduction during the Silver Age of comics served to introduce a fresh concept to the Marvel comics, this movie aims to do just that for the MCU and after after so much high-tech stuff it's a welcome change. How much did the movie give to the MCU in other respects is what I'll be going over here and for those who haven't seen the movie, fear not, it contains no spoilers.
So as to not come off as a miserable cynic I'll start off with the good stuff. If you gave a single glimpse to the trailers that came out some time ago I'm sure you've noticed one thing. It is also this one thing that you've noticed that is by far the movie's strongest point. I'm talking about CGI and wonderful CGI it is indeed. The complex animation, near-hypnotizing enviroments and sheer rendering power of the warping reality being presented throughout the movie amount to some of the best CGI I've ever seen. Add to that the shiny powers of many sorcerers we see and we're in for a colorful mind-blowing spectacle that really gives a fresh combat style.
It is in this area that the movie excells. That's not all there is to it though. I've talked about bringing new life to the MCU in the opening paragraph and that is another thing I need to compliment. In a highly futuristic style the heroes have been following up to now, Doctor Strange brings about ancient mystic arts which contrast very well with what we saw so far and show that the MCU isn't out of ideas just yet.
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From a company that has so much creativity when it comes to diversity of settings (robots, supersoldiers, alien-gods etc) one would expect an equal amount of creativity when it comes to the non-visual aspects but this... this is where the movie falls flat. While the powerful CGI and the mystical setting are bound to keep your attention for a while, they are soon dispersed once you realise it is the same generic hero origin story we saw a million times already. Add to that the rather undeveloped characters and the same cliche type of villain that we saw in every other Marvel movie so far and we have a pretty unsatisfying result.
For a movie that was supposed to bring something new, it really should've moved away from the routine. Of all things one of the worst parts was that the titular character himself ended up coming off as pale and undeveloped. While Benedict Cumberbatch uses his talents well, the character of Stephen Strange comes of as bland and undefined with the only certain characteristics being a huge ego and arrogance which sort of works against him as an immediate parallel with Tony Stark is drawn. It also doesn't help that the movie has a fair share of inconsistencies and hardly believable situations to which I won't get into now.
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Speaking of the script, the dialogue is very corny at times. Utterly unrealistic and shallow, it made certain moments that would've been investing hard to take seriously. Due to this certain plot twists that should've shed different light on some characters ended up rushed and uninteresting. This isn't to say that the movie has terrible writing. The basic premise is well-made and the final trick that Doctor Strange deploys is really original and entertaining providing a resolution to the final battle that I really wasn't expecting.
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Conclusion:
To conclude, Doctor Strange brings a good concept and deploys a talented cast and wonderful special effects but all these are dragged down by the generic tiresome formula that I think Marvel really needs to leave behind. That isn't to say that the movie isn't without it's audience, it's just that this time I didn't find myself among them.
Pros:
- talented cast
- mind-blowing visuals
- fresh concept
Cons:
- lack of focus on certain elements
- generic plot takes away from the overall originality of the film
SCORE: 3.5/5
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