Doctor Strange: The Origin Story that Worked

Yes, we have already reviewed this one.  But we thought you might enjoy another perspective on the film!  Happy holdays.

I don't like origin stories. DC and Marvel movies alike may often fail to capture the essence of the characters and scale of the conflict, but one thing worth praising remains their willingness to jump into the middle of their story instead of stringing the audience along. However, having said that, Doctor Strange, the latest Marvel property to receive cinematic treatment, managed to tell a familiar story of a faithless egoist turned believer/normal man turned superhero without starting from the middle.  This was a great change for me from the usual comic-to-movie format and, in my opionion, it just worked.

*WARNING: SOME SPOILERS BELOW*

The film focuses on Doctor Strange, a brilliant, successful neurosurgeon and self-worshiping jerk, who is forced to find new purpose in life after an accident trashes his hands beyond repair. This quest lands him in Kathmandu, where he desperately seeks to learn magic from the sorcerer supreme just to make sense of his muddled existence.  All the while, he survives attacks by the corrupted army of wizards operating under a former student of the Sorcerer Supreme. Now none of that is particularly new in an action movie sort of film structure. Yet, by taking time to focus on each action and reaction of our protagonist and on various facets of his personality in light of his personal betterment, the movie passionately paints a believable and inspiring change of heart story about a magic-wielding scientist.  Other characters get small moments and miniature arcs as well that help you understand where characters are coming from and why they act as they do. And the moments of humor fit makes the Dr. Strange's journey even more personable and memorable.

My Ratings

The effortlessness of the writing and actors keeps the audience invested, and the special effects integration remains entertaining and exciting throughout. I will say the callbacks and payoffs of the established rules and characters make sense; although, the villains seem overly powerful without consequence. And this happens even though every action has an outcome for our heroes. And as cute and hilarious as a certain CGI character could act, it lacked the solid integration of the fractal fighting arenas. Yet staying self-contained in its story and character study of Doctor Strange keeps the quick pace and shows how Strange stands on his own, separate from any other hero in the Marvel universe. 

Da Numbahs:

Story 85/100 

Character 90/100 

Effects 85/100 

Music 80/100 

Overall 85/100 

Avg 85/100

BY: Clyde Northrup