I am a big fan of Marvel and I quite like BBC Sherlock. With that in mind, I braved the cold outdoors with my Cineworld Unlimited card in one hand and bus fare in the other. And against all of Tumblr's wishes, I went to go and see Doctor Strange.
The overall film was okay. It is certainly not the best films of 2016 but it's not exactly the worst. It wasn't my cup of tea, and this is coming from the girl who doesn't like Thor because he is "too perfect". I just prefer my superhero films with a little less magic and a little more science. Wow, I can't believe that I'm complaining about magic in a science fiction film, about superheroes.
By far the best part of Doctor Strange is the visual effects. They are absolutely extraordinary but might just give you a little headache after the film is over. Unfortunately, I saw the film in 2D but I can just imagine how amazing it would have looked in 3D. Not to spoil much, but there is a scene where the streets of New York start to fold into each other and it looks great. I don't know if it was because I was so amazed by the effects or if it because of the very big budget, but almost all the effects looked real. As real as streets collapsing into each other can look, at least. These effects certainly made up for some of the pointless and, quite frankly boring, scenes of Stephen Strange reading a book and then whining.
The one thing that kept distracting me from the movie was Benedict Cumberbatch's acting. He is a fantastic actor, at what he does. It seems like he can or only wants to play the arrogant, know it all. This made it feel like I was just watching a Sherlock Holmes film, with the added magic. There is no doubt in my mind that Doctor Strange and Sherlock are very similar characters but the acting made my just realize how similar they are. I wouldn't be surprised if he turned around and said "Hi, I'm Sherlock Strange, wait, no. Wrong set." But I will say, I liked how they added a humor to the film with Strange. Although his jokes were awkward, they gave a light mood to the film.
Oh, look! It's another pointless love interest!! Christine Palmer reminded me very much of Jane Foster, the love interest of Thor. She is intelligent, a great character by herself, gives our protagonist a run for his money but overall is only there to further his plot. I would have thought by now Marvel would want to move away from the predictable love interest, but here we are. Honestly, Palmer could've not been in this film and not much would have changed. However, I do hope we get to see her in the future and she gets to become more of her own character.
Overall, this film was a bit too long and tried just a bit too hard. I feel like this film was just made to extend the Marvel Cinematic Universe in any way they wish. Doctor Strange is very much a stand alone film in the MCU, unlike past films, and only a few references needed the knowledge of past films to understand.
Would I recommend this film? Yes, but not to everyone. Honestly, you should only go and see this film if you are a comic or Marvel fanatic, and just want to keep up to date with the MCU. You should also go to see this film if you are a film fan because the visual effects alone changed the game. However, if you're a casual viewer or an angry, Tumblr, feminist don't waste your money on this white washed headache.
I'd rate Doctor Strange 3/5 but I probably won't be watching it again unless a future Marvel film needs me to.