Ok. So instead of posting something about the election, I’m going to post something a little more positive…a review of Doctor Strange a day early! If you’re too upset to give this a click, my sparknotes review is it’s great and you should  go see it to take a break from the election coverage.

Story: The story here is the acclaimed neurosurgeon, Doctor Steven Strange, is in a terrible car accident that leaves him unable to continue his career. In order to save himself, he goes to find a spiritual answer to his problem and ends up in a fight against a spiritual being that is going to destroy the world. The story is great as it makes you care about Strange and his problems, as well as everyone else involved, including the villain. It’s not the best story Marvel has presented but it is still damn compelling.

Acting: Benedict Cumberbath is the star here and rightfully so. He is fantastic and excellently portrays his character from a narcissistic genus to someone who is willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Rachel McAdams star as Strange’s cohorts and they both unperformed in my opinion, while Benedict Wong, who only has a few moments, is great. The villain here, played by Mads Mikkelsen, was great and did a good job of adding character to a very dull bad guy. Unfortunately he’s not in it much. Oh well. Can’t win everything.

Presentation: This movie looks gorgeous and sounds amazing. The effects and shots are spectacular and from an effects side of things, might be the best Marvel film to date. The soundtrack fits the movie perfectly. My only problem is that some of the ‘world bending’ shots are a bit too much and when a fight is going on, it’s a bit too much to look at. But, in terms of problems, it’s a small one.

Effect: There is a lot going on here. This is one of the more serious Marvel solo films I’ve seen recently and it nails it. I could really relate to Dr. Strange and his troubles. I was completely and utterly impressed by the world bending and magic. It was everything I wanted and needed in a film. And most importantly, the post credits scenes, cut right to the chase of connecting Dr. Strange to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Other: A big complaint about BvS was that it was too serious and didn’t have enough light hearted moments. My problem with the last Avengers film was that all the ‘funny’ moments were just too silly. Doctor Strange fixes both of those problems. The movie is just serious enough to be…well…serious, but also has plenty of moments to keep it light. Additionally, this movie is best seen on the big screen. Over all, well done Marvel.

I need some time to further process it, but I think that Doctor Strange might be one of my new favorite Marvel movies and one of my favorite movies of the year.

Story: 9
Acting: 7
Presentation: 9
Effect:10
Other: 10

Score: 9

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