Dr. Strange (2016)

[ttr]

This is one movie people will revisit in a few months and wonder why they liked it. Seriously, it was average. Good visuals can't make up for a mediocre script.

That is good point. I really enjoyed the movie, but when I see it again in my 2D tv few months from now, who knows...

[Lizzy]

C+ Some good visuals until it got repetitive but over all it was just okay to me. 

[filmlover]

Hits a handful of familiar beats from the Marvel origin playbook but this is a very fun and different outing in the studio's ever-expanding universe. Lots of breathtaking Inception-esque visuals. I'm not a big fan of Benedict Cumberbatch but he is quite good here. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Tilda Swinton also add credibility to the project and give their character's life instead of just collecting a paycheck. Rachel McAdams is unsurprisingly underused in a thankless love interest role (maybe the sequel will give her much more to do) while Mads Mikkelsen's villain is bland. A good cinematic introduction to the character who I look forward to seeing become a bigger part of this universe. B+

[cannastop]

I've never seen B take up over 50% of the vote.

[Ethan Hunt]

38 minutes ago, cannastop said:

I've never seen B take up over 50% of the vote.

I mean this movie perfectly falls into enjoyable but forgettable territory, so it makes sense to me

[aabattery]

I really liked it, but admittedly I'm a blind fanboy who probably judges these movies too softly. I can definitely see why people have said it was weak in the story department, although I personally didn't find it to be an issue. The visuals were really, really cool, even in my 2D showing and all the actors worked well together. I especially loved the scene in the third act where Strange rolled back time. Rachel McAdams  and Benedict Wong were criminally underused but other than that, it was a really solid blockbuster. I think Mordo has been set up excellently for future films, and I reckon he could definitely end up being one of Marvel's best villains to date. The score was great as well. For sure one of the best of the MCU (even if that's a low bar to clear).

 

B+

 

I'm re-watching it on Tuesday, in IMAX this time, so I suppose I will see how it holds up.

[lilmac]

Pros:

 

Acting: Cumberbatch embodies the character perfectly and Tilda Swinton was a gem

Story: I think the writers did a great job of grounding the supernatural elements of the story (not that supernatural is wrong)

FX: Some of the best sfx we've ever seen IMO

 

Cons:

It doesn't belong in the MCU. As grounded as the writers tried, the story was a bit too cosmicy for my taste. Vision I can handle and even Guardians of the Galaxy.  But this was so out of sync with the rest of the MCU. (I kept wondering why the supernatural elements weren't common knowledge as that doesn't appear to be the case in other MCU movies)

 

Rachel McAdams muted reaction to seeing an astral projection. Within seconds she accepts what she sees (without any indication she believed she was still hallucinating) and continues operating on Stephen Strange. 

 

Why was the NYC skyline curving and bending into itself again? Some of the NYC fight scenes seemed more like the FX team showing off than having any logical construction. 

 

Why exactly did the cape accept Dr. Strange? How did he become so adept so quickly. This is a nitpick but in that scene where he swung the cape onto his back, he did so as if it was a practiced move. As if he had worn the cape for much longer than few minutes. Perhaps he learned about its existence in his studies. *shrug*

 

 

 

B-

 

[Fullbuster]

I forgot to give my opinion about this. That would be an A-

 

Stunning visuals, just incredible. Charismatic characters. Good overall score. Dynamic. Funny.

 

Didn't want to write a lengthy review but that's my favorite origin story with GOTG and Iron Man so great job

[IndustriousAngel]

B, 7/10

 

Good visuals, good actors, (nearly) no distracting one-liners. A boring villain and a gimmicky ending. The big action sequence was flashy enough but I suspect it'll get annoying upon repeat viewing (much like the storm giants or goblin-town chase in the Hobbit).

 

I really would like Marvel/Disney to have a little more confidence and courage, maybe make a more risky SH movie. The idea might sound blasphemic but, you know, maybe they could write an adventure yarn where our hero(es) don't have to battle a cardboard super-villain or save the planet at the end. Doctor Strange would have the potential to depart from those well-trodden paths (as does the Silver Surfer, but that's another story). So, what I see here is an entertaining popcorner with some wasted potential. Or, as my lady-friend put it: harmless fun.

Edited November 6, 2016 by IndustriousAngel

[Gavin Feng]

Batman Begins

Spider-Man

Iron Man

Guardian of the Galaxy

Ant-Man

The Amazing Spider-Man

Doctor Strange

Captain America

Superman

X-Men

Man of Steel

Thor

[YM!]

A-, amazing visuals and action, great characters, decent story, and a overall fantastic comic book movie. Could have had a better villian though.

Spoiler

Even though Kaecillus was your average MCU villian, I take solace in the fact that Mordo and Dormammu could be great villains in future MCU films. Mordo can potentially be one of the MCU's best villains.

 

Edited November 7, 2016 by YourMother

[WrathOfHan]

I enjoyed this movie. The best part of the film by far is the visuals and action. This is a movie custom made for IMAX 3D, and the expanded aspect ratio looks great. I loved the 3D on astral bodies; it was unlike anything I've seen before. The action is innovative and a refreshing retreat from the mindless invasions plaguing many blockbusters. 

 

The cast is very good all things considered. Benedict Cumberbatch gives a great performance as Stephen Strange. Even when he's still an arrogant prick, I felt the pain he was going through. I really don't get why people are complaining about Rachel McAdams; she was the best supporting character in the movie and felt fairly fleshed out in a sea of restrained side characters. Tilda Swinton was very good as the Ancient One, and it's a shame we won't be seeing her again. Hopefully. Bringing back her character would be a giant middle finger after the whole ordeal about the consequences of time. Ejiofor, Wong, and Mikkelsen do the best with what they're given.

 

Unfortunately, the story has major pacing issues. The shift from training to action is pretty jarring and doesn't feel natural. Mikkelsen's character has almost no development and never really feels like a threat. Hell, the fight between Cumberbatch and Scott Adkins was more threatening than anything with Kaecilius. Mordo's motivations were barely delved into. His change of path at the end of the movie doesn't evoke any shock or feelings; it just kind of ends. That leads me to another complaint: what the hell was up with the final scene? It's yet another jarring shift, and the movie just kind of ends. 

 

Overall, I enjoyed Doctor Strange. It's a very flawed movie, but I look forward to rewatching it on Blu-Ray in a few months. 8/10 | B

[Goffe]

I did my Disgusted Depp impression when Strange brought Mads to the Mirror Dimension. Seriously, I can't put up with these fucking bullshit excuses for wild action sequences that nobody could potentially get hurt. It's offensive and hurts the brain with its inconsequential nature.

Edited November 7, 2016 by Goffe

[Water Bottle]

On 11/4/2016 at 10:40 PM, Water Bottle said:

B+

 

Rushes too much.

 

So to expand on this, I feel like there's one area where they could have really improved and that was the training sequence.

 

So after 5 hours, Stephen Strange is allowed into the compound despite the Ancient One's reservations due to the recent betrayal by a former student. You'd think that BECAUSE of this betrayal, they would have been very wary around him. I think should have done a few things: add a couple sanctums so that he could learn that someone is targeting them by overhearing whispers but they don't want to let him know what's going. When he goes to the library and learns there's a shelf with spells only the Ancient One can learn, maybe don't have the librarian let him read them? Would have been better if the first time he went through the book was the apple scene.

 

Finally, during the New York sequence, instead of accidentally traveling, they could have increased the tension and shown his arrogance by having him willingly go to New York City to fight the bad guy with the other characters warning him he's not ready and then have him struggle a bit more in that first fight.

 

I think once that happened, everything else is mostly fine. But by showing Strange actually learn spells (rather than going from struggles to basically being able to steal books from the library in 10 seconds for the audience) while figuring out the threat by himself, it's a good way to pace his development as a sorcerer with properly setting up his confrontation with the bad guy rather than him simply being told there is a bad guy.

[RandomCat]

8 hours ago, Goffe said:

I did my Disgusted Depp impression when Strange brought Mads to the Mirror Dimension. Seriously, I can't put up with these fucking bullshit excuses for wild action sequences that nobody could potentially get hurt. It's offensive and hurts the brain with its inconsequential nature.

 

How dare a super hero try to protect innocent life. 

 

The irony also is that the only meaningful character death occurs because of those actions.

[FilmBuff]

Please Pardon my poorly written review. Contains Spoilers.

 

Pros

 

I really liked the main title character played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Right off the bat I knew we got the perfect doctor strange. Marvel has really been good about casting their lead roles dating back all the way too Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, so on and so forth. If there is a problem with the MCU films, it hasn't been with the leads. I really liked his character arc from the beginning of the film to the ending. We get to see a man go from only caring about himself to a man who is willing to save the entire planet at the cost of dying over and over again. He never lost his arrogance and cockiness, but at least he cared more about people after a surprisingly emotional scene right before the Ancient One dies.

 

Tilda Swinton. She owned every scene she was in. Loved her portrayal of the Ancient one. Was definitely whitewashing going on. I even liked the little joke they made about the Ancient one when Strange first meets the Mystics. Chiwetel Ejiofor was also good as Baron Mordo, but I found his acting to be a wee bit distracting. Felt a little out of place in a 'fun' comic book film. A couple scenes with Benedict Cumberbatch where he finds out the Ancient One is using energy from the Dark Dimension really felt out of place. Rachel McAdams and Benedict Wong were underused. 

 

The visuals were out of this world. Loved seeing this film in Imax 3D. Gave it some extra benefits, made me feel like I was in this trippy world. Also good used to 3D. Felt like several of the MCU films have not had great conversion to 3D. Doctor Strange had good conversion. Good field of depth, and the 3D didn't hurt my eyes. Really liked the action set piece where they made time go backwards fighting the Zealots.

 

The musical score. Several felt the musical score was just background noise like most other MCU films. But, I thought the musical score had a lot of depth and weirdness to this movie. Michael Giacchino composed a brilliant score. 

 

Cons

 

HOLY RUSH Batman. This movie was rushed after a brilliant Act One. This movie NEVER had a chance to breathe after Doctor Strange first meets the masters of Mystic Arts. It felt like he went from being a mistake-proned pupil to being a Sorcerer's Supreme over the course of a long weekend. The pacing was so OFF on this movie. With so many new characters, and so many concepts new to the MCU, this movie really needed to be 2 hrs 25 minutes. This comic book lore is dealing with some serious issues which can turn the entire MCU on its heels, this movie glossed over several things, without them being explained. I read the comics growing up in Elementary school, so I knew all about this lore. But my wife had a confused look on her face after leaving. Had to explain things for a good 15 mninutes in the car after leaving the theater. Movie should've spent more time developing this universe.

 

The comedy took me COMPLETELY out of the film. Never, and I mean never should comedy be used to take the audience out of the movie. It was out of place, it did nothing to add to the movie, and it RUINED the movie for me. It wasn't Kat Dennings(Thor 2) level bad, but it was still really really FORCED.

 

This movie is as generic as they come in Acts 2 and 3 for the MCU. Montaged training scene, with a big third act spectacle against a useless baddie. Kevin Feige and the creative team at Marvel needs to develop better villains. I mean I love these films for the most part, but it is starting to get tiresome with villains who are disposable that you know nothing about. Mads Mikkelsen is a great actor, and he was fine in the role, but the should have done a lot more with this character. Captain Cardboard Cutout. We learned nothing about this character. NOTHING.

 

The Screenplay was also very weak. Lots and Lots of exposition. Hate it when movies do this.

 

Overall.

 

This movie is a mixed bag. I'm still excited about revisiting this world and the characters, but they need to bring in a new creative team, with a new vision. I also want a new director with better screenplay. Originally I gave the movie a B-. But the more I think about, this movie had glaring issues.

 

C+

[ShouldIBeHere]

I am really surprised how movies such as Thor or AoU seem to be more liiekd here than this.

[Goffe]

3 hours ago, RandomJC said:

 

How dare a super hero try to protect innocent life. 

 

The irony also is that the only meaningful character death occurs because of those actions.

I see more of as a calculated preemptive counter-reaction than genuine concern. The fact that a death occurs in the MD is besides the point. 

 

We get an elaborated CGI sequence, one that wouldn't be possible in the real world "my powers are stronger here", that can't possibly amount a whole lot of anything.

Edited November 7, 2016 by Goffe

[RobinHood26]

1 hour ago, FilmBuff said:

 

This movie is a mixed bag. I'm still excited about revisiting this world and the characters, but they need to bring in a new creative team, with a new vision. I also want a new director with better screenplay. Originally I gave the movie a B-. But the more I think about, this movie had glaring issues.

 

C+

 

Feel the exact same as your review. 

[cheesypoofs]

I really enjoyed this. I would say top half of the mcu as far as ranking goes