REVIEW: Doctor Strange

   By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth, I have returned!

   After a lengthy hiatus, I'm back, this time taking a look at the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Strange.  With this newest feature, the MCU delves head-on into magic, as opposed to the 'it's-just-futuristic/alien-technology' approach we've seen in earlier entries.  We also get to peer into a corner of Marvel that we've not looked at so far, but which I suspect will be popping up more frequently now that it's been introduced.  There's also a new Marvel opening, seguing from the classic 'thumbing through the comics' into a highlights real of the MCU showing in an impressive reminder of  just how broad the universe has become.

   Doctor Strange is a rather satisfactory film.  That may be damning it with faint praise; I can't rightly say that I loved it, but I enjoyed it.   The plot is prosaic and predictable, the dialogue is mostly trite, and the ending is a little silly,  but it's well-paced and the characters are at least entertaining if a bit formulaic.  The visuals are easily the most captivating element of the film, and I can absolutely see this movie getting an Oscar nod in one or more of  the technical categories.  The Doctor Strange comic has always been a bit on the far-out side, and the movie heads down that path with gleeful abandon.   It's colorful and eye-catching, and you can't help but be mesmerized by the other-dimensional and transmogrifying effects as they unfold (literally) across the screen.

   Benedict Cumberbatch is spot-on as Stephen Strange.  He's perfectly cast, even if he is playing to his 'type'...an arrogant, wry but ultimately well-meaning genius.  It's always a little...well, strange,  hearing him with an American accent, though at times here he comes across with a bit of a twang.  He makes for a likeable protagonist, and Cumberbatch manages to keep the character somewhat aloof and sarcastic without going too far down the Robert Downey Jr. route. 

The Doctor is In:  I confess that I hope at some point for a meeting between Strange and Everett Ross.

   Those who have read previous entries on MCU offerings on this blog know that I am in the camp of those who have been frustrated with the way Marvel has been dealing with its villains.  Doctor Strange falls into the same problem as most other MCU entries, but with a qualification.  Mads Mikkelsen plays Kaecilius, the primary antagonist -  a very minor character in the comics who here serves as yet another cool-looking but unexplored and underdeveloped stock villain.   Once again, we have a villain of cardboard - he's got a backstory and motivation lightly sketched in, but is in no way sympathetic, relatable, or compelling, and who serves merely as a device to move the hero's plot along.  However, this time the villain issue isn't as much of a problem, for two reasons:  one, that Kaecilius is such a non-entity in the comics that there's not a whole ton of source material to honor/ignore anyway, and two, it's made clear in the movie that he is in fact just a plot device to set up more prominent villains.

"VISINE, man!  For the love of God, get me Visine!"

   We have two other classic Doctor Strange foes along for the ride this time, and while there's definitely a sense of  'to be continued' with both, the groundwork laid here is sufficient enough to make me feel like there's something to build on.  Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Karl Mordo, a fellow student of the mystic arts, who as comic fans know goes on to become Strange's chief rival.  Mordo's eventual arc is set up here - always remember with comic book films to stay all the way through the credits - and it's a little roughshod towards the end, but serviceable.  Mordo has chemistry with Strange, and gets enough development to make him a more interesting villain going forwards.

"My name is Karl, but you can call me Baron."

   And of course, there's one of my favorite Marvel baddies along for the ride.  Glimpsed briefly in the trailer, and created entirely via CGI, with Cumberbatch doing the mo-cap  - I'm not sure who does the voice (it's uncredited) - is the lord of the Dark Dimension, the Dread Dormammu.  I love that name.  Say it five times fast...it's hard not to love it.    Dormammu's played here - rightly so - as the big bad of Strange's universe.  He doesn't get a lot of screen time, and there's a certain element of silliness in Strange's confrontation with him...if anything, Dormammu comes across as a bit exasperated.  He's one of those comics characters like Rocket Raccoon or the Warriors Three before him who I never thought I'd ever get to see on the big screen, so getting him at all makes me give points to the movie simply for his inclusion.  And I get to use the name in conversation.   Dormammu.  Dormammu Dormammu Dormammu.

Dormammu.

"Dude!  Your head is on fire!!!"

   Rachel McAdams appears as Christine Palmer, a fellow doctor and ex-lover of Strange's, and he aptly-named Benedict Wong plays Strange's long-standing supporting character Wong.   Benjamin Bratt has a small part as a man who plays a key factor in starting Strange on his studies in sorcery, and there is a brief, mid-credit appearance by another Marvel hero.  The movie does make one rather bizarre misstep in casting, though - Academy Award-winner Tilda Swinton plays Strange's mentor, known only as the Ancient One.  In the comics, the Ancient One is an elderly Asian man.   I can easily accept changing the gender of the character, but making that character a pale forty-something British woman is a bewildering choice.  I'm not clear what they were going for - this was a role that should certainly have gone to older actor of Asian descent, and given the discussion in Hollywood about the lack of representation for non-white actors, it feels like a tone-deaf and pointless decision.  There's nothing wrong with Swinton's performance, but you almost get the feeling that the producers cast Ejiofor (Mordo is white in the comics), and felt like that was as much of non-white diversity as they could handle.   The casting of Swinton added nothing, and is in fact something of a distraction.

However, Dormammu.

Miscasting 101.  Next up, we'll cast Kristin Chenoweth as Toshiro Mifune.

   Weird casting aside, though, the movie is energetic, a little trippy, and fun.  The world of Doctor Strange in the comics is an odd one, full of unique characters (like Dormammu!) and surreal settings, and this film does a nice job of setting the groundwork for a new franchise that holds a somewhat different flavor from the rest of the MCU.   Outside of one of the mid-credits scene, there's very little of the broader MCU that intrudes on this movie...Avengers Tower is visible in the NYC skyline, and we do touch base with the Infinity Stones again...but for the most part Doctor Strange is allowed to stand on its own, which helps it form its own identity.   There's definite potential for development in the franchise, and I would love to see Marvel get truly bold and push the boundaries of film-making out of the softball comfort zone they seem to want to play in; I'd love to see a sequel that's a truly weird, maybe even chthonic in the Lovecraftian sense, to play towards just how out there the comics can be.   As it stands, we have a serviceable first entry, anchored by a charismatic lead and incredible special effects, making it a worthwhile effort with potential to grow.

And Dormammu.

FINAL RATING: 7 PAWS (OUT OF 10):

Also: Dormammu