Marvel's Doctor Strange (2016)

[Infernal King]

Originally Posted by Captain Flint

So is every line ever spoken by every character in every movie ever made.

Is this a deliberately obtuse response?

[NP13]

All the visuals were incredible, glad I saw it in 3D to be honest, despite usually hating 3D. Also, with Cumberbatch, Ejiofor, Swinton, Mikkelsen and others, there were parts of this film that felt very Shakespearean, which I really enjoyed. The acting's always been fairly good in Marvel films, but this was just a whole other level.

[CharlesD]

I guess I'm in the minority on this one. It's alright, but nothing special. The action scenes are good visually, but I don't care about any of the characters because they're so unlikable. The car crash happens barely 10 minutes into the movie, and Strange becomes Sorcerer Surpreme nearly overnight. There was a really good idea that propped up around the release of the second trailer where people were speculating that the car crash would happen around the time when Tony Stark was captured and he would learn to become Sorcerer Surpreme for 8 years until the present. Something like that would've benefitted the film greatly. Oh and Marvel once again creates a villain with paper thing motivations and wastes a great actor. Overall, it's a serviceable movie, nothing more. 2/4.

[Batmon77]

Originally Posted by CharlesD

I guess I'm in the minority on this one. It's alright, but nothing special. The action scenes are good visually, but I don't care about any of the characters because they're so unlikable. The car crash happens barely 10 minutes into the movie, and Strange becomes Sorcerer Surpreme nearly overnight. There was a really good idea that propped up around the release of the second trailer where people were speculating that the car crash would happen around the time when Tony Stark was captured and he would learn to become Sorcerer Surpreme for 8 years until the present. Something like that would've benefitted the film greatly. Oh and Marvel once again creates a villain with paper thing motivations and wastes a great actor. Overall, it's a serviceable movie, nothing more. 2/4.

This is my greatest concern.

[aiman04]

A genius with months if not years in study (he has photographic memory) and training is more believable than scavenger Rey suddenly becoming a powerful Jedi.

By the way, where is the poll?

[CharlesD]

Originally Posted by aiman04

A genius with months if not years in study (he has photographic memory) and training is more believable than scavenger Rey suddenly becoming a powerful Jedi.

By the way, where is the poll?

They're both ridiculous.

[Batmon77]

Originally Posted by aiman04

A genius with months if not years in study (he has photographic memory) and training is more believable than scavenger Rey suddenly becoming a powerful Jedi.

By the way, where is the poll?

C'mon, you know Rey was already taught, and was "camoflagued" by Luke so she wouldnt be detected by the Empire.

Bruce Wayne was learning before he met Ra's Al Ghul who capped off his training.

I didnt see this yet, but im skeptical that the writing justifies him leaping over the existing mystics in the Marvel universe to become supreme.

[Wernski]

Was pretty unimpressed with this one. Boring characters, boring design (Strange's costume looked good, but nobody else's did), uninteresting villains (it is a Marvel movie after all) including a blander version of the hero with identical powers and a talking cloud that wants to eat the Earth, Tilda Swinton wasted as just a stiff weirdo, un-involving characters (I'd like to see even this film's biggest fan argue in favor of the love interest stuff), the conflict with the other doctor which feels like 90% of it was left on the cutting room floor, and worst of all: Strange's totally cliche mysticism training felt like it took forever. Haven't they heard of a montage? It was like forty minutes of how to wave your arms to make a glowing yellow circle appear in front of your face. It reminded me a lot of The Last Airbender, actually.

On the plus side, the other-worldly stuff that didn't remake Inception was interesting and ambitious - I was impressed they went there to make their Dr. Strange movie a real Dr. Strange movie, and didn't just have him flying around NY shooting ray beams. And it wasn't an inane plotting and editing fiasco like SvB and Suicide Squad. Also Cumberbatch was actually quite good, and the Strange character himself was involving. I wouldn't mind seeing him return in a sequel if they got different filmmakers to write and direct it.

Ultimately, though, it just felt like I'd watched 2 hours of unrealistic kung-fu fighting in front of green screen with the occasional sitcom joke thrown in (like the running Drake, Eminem, Beyonce bit... that passed quality control?). Very Matrix sequel-y.

[Batmon77]

spoilers?

[Wernski]

Originally Posted by Batmon77

spoilers?

You mesn my post? I don't think so; I didn't mention any big reveals or what happened to characters or anything. Except for my opinions of what worked/didn't work, it's all in the trailers, isn't it?

[MechaGodzilla]

Originally Posted by Erzengel

Remember that for the CBM, 7s is pretty good. The high end comic book movies are in the high 7s, low 8s. TDK is I think 8.5.

You just want to stay away from the 4s and 5s.

Oh yeah, I'm not saying 7 is a bad average rating at all, and I'm not saying it should be taken as gospel either. Just that it says more about how good the critics think the movie is.

Originally Posted by Wernski

Very Matrix sequel-y.

Sold.

[Infernal King]

Originally Posted by Wernski

Very Matrix sequel-y.

brb, gonna go buy my ticket

[CrowFan]

Originally Posted by Wernski

Was pretty unimpressed with this one. Boring characters, boring design (Strange's costume looked good, but nobody else's did), uninteresting villains (it is a Marvel movie after all) including a blander version of the hero with identical powers and a talking cloud that wants to eat the Earth, Tilda Swinton wasted as just a stiff weirdo, un-involving characters (I'd like to see even this film's biggest fan argue in favor of the love interest stuff), the conflict with the other doctor which feels like 90% of it was left on the cutting room floor, and worst of all: Strange's totally cliche mysticism training felt like it took forever. Haven't they heard of a montage? It was like forty minutes of how to wave your arms to make a glowing yellow circle appear in front of your face. It reminded me a lot of The Last Airbender, actually.

On the plus side, the other-worldly stuff that didn't remake Inception was interesting and ambitious - I was impressed they went there to make their Dr. Strange movie a real Dr. Strange movie, and didn't just have him flying around NY shooting ray beams. And it wasn't an inane plotting and editing fiasco like SvB and Suicide Squad. Also Cumberbatch was actually quite good, and the Strange character himself was involving. I wouldn't mind seeing him return in a sequel if they got different filmmakers to write and direct it.

Ultimately, though, it just felt like I'd watched 2 hours of unrealistic kung-fu fighting in front of green screen with the occasional sitcom joke thrown in (like the running Drake, Eminem, Beyonce bit... that passed quality control?). Very Matrix sequel-y.

I'll reserve my judgement until I see it this weekend, but I have a feeling this might be the case with this film. The trailer doesn't really impress me at all. I hope I'm wrong of course.

[CharlesD]

Was really hoping Scott Derikson would bring some horror elements to Doctor Strange, but instead it's the same as every other Marvel movie. Witty sarcastic hero finds his powers, meets an undeveloped villain, and has a big battle in a city. All that was missing was a blue laser in the sky.

And for all the praise the visuals have been getting, it's only really impressive for one scene. The action scenes have some creative elements, but everything else is shot incredible bland and dull. Even if they were trying to go for a Wizard of Oz type feeling, where the hero leaves their dull life (in B&W) and gets introduced to a fantasy world (in color), they should've made all of the magic stuff really visually stunning.

Instead it's no different from Ant-Man's Quantum Realm scene (just used incredibly in one scene, and with a few good bits in others), yet the visuals on display here were hyped up like the second coming.

[Captain Flint]

Originally Posted by Infernal King

Is this a deliberately obtuse response?

It could be. Or it could be a cliche response. Because cliches are so cliche.

[spectre08]

Every time a Marvel movie comes out we get to hate europeans for 2 weeks.

I hate you all right now.

[EvaDK]

It was just ok.

The script writers have put enough character development and story line into the film to fill out two films, honestly.

I barely got to know who Stephen Strange was, before he found himself adapting a new identity in Tibet. And as others have said, he becomes skilled with magic way too fast. It literally feels like he becomes a master in a matter of weeks.

Mads Mikkelsen suffers the same same Marvel syndrome as many other Marvel villains before him - he is entirely forgettable.

A bit disappointed. I expected more than 'just' eye candy, more story, more stakes, more character.

[Wernski]

Originally Posted by EvaDK

And as others have said, he becomes skilled with magic way too fast. It literally feels like he becomes a master in a matter of weeks.

Yeah, ironically that's true, and yet it also felt like we sat through those weeks with Strange in real time. They needed a montage with seasons changing.

I also forgot to mention the music was quite good. I remember thinking, boy, this weak fight doesn't deserve the sweeping music it's getting.

If you've loved every Marvel movie before DS, this won't be the one to break their streak for you. But if you see some as being worse than others, I'd put this near the bottom, with Thor 2, Iron Man 2-3 and Hulk. But I did like the Strange character they ended up with, and am looking forward to him turning up in further Marvel flicks.

[bell_packet]

Well I went to see this for a third time today, in Atmos (2D) this time. It was good, but definitely catch it in IMAX if it's available to you because it looks seriously amazing there. Or at the very least 3D since it benefits from that greatly. And I'm enjoying it more every time I watch it, will probably try to see it at least twice more, hopefully in IMAX.

Originally Posted by EvaDK

I barely got to know who Stephen Strange was, before he found himself adapting a new identity in Tibet. And as others have said, he becomes skilled with magic way too fast. It literally feels like he becomes a master in a matter of weeks.

[Show spoiler]After my first watch I would've agreed with you on the point about them moving too fast to him entering Kamar Taj, but after a couple more watches, I'm not really sure what else they could've shown us that was necessary. Because it's not like he has a personality transplant once he gets to Nepal, he's still the same person scoffing at everything and thinking he knows best. But that's just imo.

Regarding him learning about magic quickly, TAO had to dump him on Everest and put his life in danger before he was able to create a portal, he didn't start being amazing right from the get go. And when it comes down to it, we don't actually know how long he was in training for. I think what he was able to do was more believable than Stark making an iron man suit in a cave (with a box of scraps) but maybe that's just me.

And it's not like he goes around kicking everyone's asses and doing perfect magic straight away. He gets pretty wasted in the Sanctum fight, one of the magic things he conjures with his hand "conks" out at one point, and the Cloak is what saves him from being killed several times. It's his intelligence that keeps him alive when he gets both the zealots out of the Sanctum by shoving them through those windows and he gets lucky that the Cloak chose him.

He did try out the time spell which was advanced, but he studied 24/7 (astral projection study while sleeping), and they say he was "born" to be a sorcerer, so there's some innate ability there once he was able to get past his hangups. Not to mention he uses an infinity stone to turn back time, it's not like that relied on his own ability or power beyond him reading how to use it in a book. And then he used his wits against Dormammu to defeat him.

So the magic he uses in this is portals (basic stuff), astral projection (also basic from the looks of it), magic whip thing, putting up mirror dimension (used plenty by them to avoid consequences in the real world, so basic again imo) and the Eye of Agamotto. They could've been slightly more clear on how long his training took, but after thinking about it a bit I don't personally have much of a problem with it.

[Wernski]

Originally Posted by bell_packet

[Show spoiler]After my first watch I would've agreed with you on the point about them moving too fast to him entering Kamar Taj, but after a couple more watches, I'm not really sure what else they could've shown us that was necessary. Because it's not like he has a personality transplant once he gets to Nepal, he's still the same person scoffing at everything and thinking he knows best. But that's just imo.

Yeah, that's one thing I didn't have a problem with either and for the same reason.

[Show spoiler]Maybe a little more pre-magic stuff to bolster the supporting characters, maybe, but we got Strange's character.

Originally Posted by bell_packet

[Show spoiler]Regarding him learning about magic quickly, TAO had to dump him on Everest and put his life in danger before he was able to create a portal, he didn't start being amazing right from the get go. And when it comes down to it, we don't actually know how long he was in training for. I think what he was able to do was more believable than Stark making an iron man suit in a cave (with a box of scraps) but maybe that's just me.

And it's not like he goes around kicking everyone's asses and doing perfect magic straight away. He gets pretty wasted in the Sanctum fight, one of the magic things he conjures with his hand "conks" out at one point, and the Cloak is what saves him from being killed several times. It's his intelligence that keeps him alive when he gets both the zealots out of the Sanctum by shoving them through those windows and he gets lucky that the Cloak chose him.

He did try out the time spell which was advanced, but he studied 24/7 (astral projection study while sleeping), and they say he was "born" to be a sorcerer, so there's some innate ability there once he was able to get past his hangups. Not to mention he uses an infinity stone to turn back time, it's not like that relied on his own ability or power beyond him reading how to use it in a book. And then he used his wits against Dormammu to defeat him.

So the magic he uses in this is portals (basic stuff), astral projection (also basic from the looks of it), magic whip thing, putting up mirror dimension (used plenty by them to avoid consequences in the real world, so basic again imo) and the Eye of Agamotto. They could've been slightly more clear on how long his training took, but after thinking about it a bit I don't personally have much of a problem with it.

I agree with the bolded parts in particular.

[Show spoiler]Watching the film, each new training scene feels like the next day, or even later that day. I think in the story, though, it's really meant to be next month or later that year each time. Again, having one training scene in snow and another on a hot summer day would've fixed that, or if when he first returns to the hospital, things are markedly different. McAdams has a different hair cut, and when he runs to her they say, "no, her department is downstairs now" instead of having it feel like he'd just been there a few days ago.