Zonked of watching formulaic superhero films? Here comes a strange change to that!
Stephen Strange is a neurosurgeon who, loses his very lifestyle in pride after a cataclysmic accident. From then on, it is about the journey of him uncovering knowledge he's not aware of, in a world he didn't know exist. Pretty interesting premise, right?
Now, this guy is an astute, adroit, stubborn, inquisitive, optimistic, determined, funny & egoistic fellow. How do we know all these characteristics? Through a fantastic character-building done by the makers! For every scene that prints in front of you, you are supplied with information needed to understand the character, two-thirds visually! Scenes such as guessing the numbers in a surgical theater & retrieving a stuck bullet from spinal cord scrupulously are some of the initial character-revealing agendas. And Benedict Cumberbatch proves for the umpteenth time on why he is one of the most sought after actors in the current generation! He can exhibit physical pain very well especially. His dialogues with Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams) are sweet. The career-falling event is greatly done, and the expedition afterwards in search for cure is brilliantly executed!
Alternate dimensions & magical realms! This is the element that breathes fresh air into what we're experiencing. Admittedly yes, it does confuse us a little here and a bit there, but isn't that the point of something foreign like this to the regular human minds? It is for sure dramatically stimulating to be in a vast multiverse of ethereal space-time continuum & trippy architectural shifts that tear apart the very fabric of reality! Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) separating Stephen's soul apart from his body, leaving him alone at the Everest to find his way back, Mirror Dimension & weapon-conjuring are the moments pertained. The only flaw in this could be its overabundant use of CGI which sometimes could take us off the moment.
When it comes to a Marvel Studio's outing, you know it's going to be funny. That's how they strike a chord with a wider spectrum of audiences as a whole. The thing that's different in this movie is that, all the jokes are festered in-the-moment, and as a result, all of it works! Collar disturbance, astral fight in hospital, WiFi password, Strange fooling Wong the Librarian (Benedict Wong) & cloak's automated instincts are your time thieves here!
Actions! Rather than a conventional brawl & gone, here we have a protagonist who utilizes his intelligence for a repeated bargain with Dormamu at the Dark Dimension, which is humorous & witty to watch! When the Doctor bends time & causes an epic duel in reverse chronology, that's when shit got real! Trapping Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen) in a mechanical suit is unexpectedly wowsome! It's smart of the writers to sneak in the fact about the Time Stone, only at the end, that too briefly!
Backside wise, the disclosure of Kamar Taj should have been more clandestine, or tougher. The same goes to the way the relic found Strange. By words, expositions are thrown at you unavoidably at certain conjectures. Why would foreign Westerners be street-robbers at Kathmandu, Nepal? It simply doesn't make sense.
When a character is doing a particular something in a picture, he or she must have a clear motivation. This, Scott Derrickson & C. Robert Cargill have accomplished too, be it for the hero or the villain. With all these being said, you do get an idea of how zany & well-written the script is! It is that time again to make our adrenalines jog once more and witness a superhero to come rescue the day. Doctor Strange is undoubtedly a welcoming change for the revival of Marvel Cinematic Universe!
"Pain is an old friend."