Marvel's Doctor Strange (2016)

[Batmon77]

Originally Posted by Darkstream

3 out 5 stars for me.


Great cast, great effects, but damn that forced humor!

I'd say half of the humor works and half of it doesn't. The problem to me is that this movie should have been played darker and more seriously than most, if not all, of the other Marvel movies, but every time they started to go towards that, they made another joke. What worked well for Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man did not work for Doctor Strange, just as it did not work for Thor: Dark World. It got downright silly at times. I'd say it ranks somewhere in the middle of the MCU movie list, after Guardians, Avengers 1, Iron Man 1, the Cap trilogy, Thor 1 and Ant-Man. IMO. I liked it, but did not love it.

Damn

[imsounoriginal]

Originally Posted by Darkstream

3 out 5 stars for me.


Great cast, great effects, but damn that forced humor!

Well it's Marvel, how else are you supposed to know that people are in danger unless the heroes are cracking jokes?

But TBH I thought the humor in Strange worked way more often than not. And I thought Civil War did a great job of going serious when it needed to, mainly in the third act.

[Batmon77]

Originally Posted by imsounoriginal

Well it's Marvel, how else are you supposed to know that people are in danger unless the heroes are cracking jokes?

But TBH I thought the humor in Strange worked way more often than not. And I thought Civil War did a great job of going serious when it needed to, mainly in the third act.

But isnt it a tad annoying that we can expect this formula?

[Archedamian]

Just saw this in IMAX 3D. I enjoyed the heck out of this one.

[imsounoriginal]

Originally Posted by Batmon77

But isnt it a tad annoying that we can expect this formula?

The origin story formula? The jokes are more about tone, and that's not really gonna change if these movies are gonna be part of a cohesive whole. Some will just ramp up/tone down as needed.

[Darkstream]

The IMAX 3D was awesome. Cumberbatch was great in the role. I just wish the film had a more serious tone more often than it did. Some of the jokes were just bad.

[spf781]

Saw it in IMAX 3D this morning. A whole lot of fun. Cumberbatch was great, the visuals were nothing short of amazing and the Michael Giacchino score was excellent. My only real complaint was that the script was a bit routine. I know it's an origin story, but still.

I'd give it a B+. Good, solid fun. Something that has been desperately missing from this year for movies.

[Batmon77]

Originally Posted by imsounoriginal

The origin story formula? The jokes are more about tone, and that's not really gonna change if these movies are gonna be part of a cohesive whole. Some will just ramp up/tone down as needed.

True, im just scared that if the audience knows what to expect then well hit a wall.

[imsounoriginal]

Originally Posted by Batmon77

True, im just scared that if the audience knows what to expect then well hit a wall.

The flip side of that is audience flock to these movies because they know exactly what to expect.

[bell_packet]

Originally Posted by CrowFan

I really wish I could've seen this in IMAX 3D. Must've been amazing! Current MCU Ranking:

[Show spoiler]

To each their own when it comes to personal taste, but TIH at #1?



Personally I consider it absolute torture to get through, but at least you enjoy it.

[CrowFan]

Originally Posted by imsounoriginal

The flip side of that is audience flock to these movies because they know exactly what to expect.

That is a really good point. One thing this one had in common with the other Marvel films is a forgettable score. I've already forgotten it, but I still loved the movie.

[Darkstream]

Originally Posted by imsounoriginal

The flip side of that is audience flock to these movies because they know exactly what to expect.

This is true, which is why I think I personally will have to start being more selective with which movies I will be going to see from now on. I understand if this is what the general audience wants, but I need to start paying for only what I want. Sometimes you don't really know how a film will turn out until after you actually see it, but sometimes you kind of have an idea if the same patterns show up in the reviews. I've gotten to the point where I can pretty much figure out whether it's something I need to see or can wait for on home video. I love comic book movies from all the studios, but I don't think every comic book movie is going to be for me, even if it is part of a shared universe with other films I love, so I'm going to have to start voting with my wallet, as they say. I don't regret seeing Dr. Strange, but I had an idea beforehand that it wasn't going to be the dark movie I originally wanted. I expected some humor, which I'm okay with, but little did I know it was going to be overkill with the jokes and puns.

I don't fault anyone from enjoying it, but I just don't think it's as great as most of Marvel's other movies.

[CrowFan]

Originally Posted by bell_packet

To each their own when it comes to personal taste, but TIH at #1?



Personally I consider it absolute torture to get through, but at least you enjoy it.

Oh absolutely. I loved Norton as Banner, the "on the run" 1st 3rd of the movie, and this is the best the Hulk has ever looked on the big screen. Plus....Abomination is still one of the best villains the MCU has had to offer, which made the final fight more emotional than all the others. Civil War's final fight was the only one since that could match it in emotion.

[imsounoriginal]

Originally Posted by Darkstream

This is true, which is why I think I personally will have to start being more selective with which movies I will be going to see from now on. I understand if this is what the general audience wants, but I need to start paying for only what I want.

Going to the movies is getting more expensive, people are going less, they don't wanna gamble on something they might not like, so they'll pay for what they know they'll enjoy. Marvel has established a solid track record of giving people what they want, it's in their interest not to change it. For better or worse, depending on your taste.

Personally, their stuff may not break the mold or do anything spectacular, but I do find the movies entertaining, if workmanlike for the most part (with the occasional entry that really knocks it out of the park for me). That's enough for $15 every few months.

Also, friends of mine always give me crap for liking movies that most people didn't, and I'm 99.99% sure it's cuz I've given up watching just about all trailers. I'll check out the teaser to get a taste, and that's it. Knowing all the plot points and the best jokes and the money shots six months before even seeing the movie is a good way to not enjoy yourself nearly as much. You can practically make a flipbook of some of these movies by just taking stills, trailers, and TV spots and mashing them all together.

[CharlesD]

Originally Posted by CrowFan

Oh absolutely. I loved Norton as Banner, the "on the run" 1st 3rd of the movie, and this is the best the Hulk has ever looked on the big screen. Plus....Abomination is still one of the best villains the MCU has had to offer, which made the final fight more emotional than all the others. Civil War's final fight was the only one since that could match it in emotion.

The first third is great, but right after Banner leaves Brazil it just gets unbearable. I do agree that Abomination is one of the better MCU villains though.

[Batmon77]

Originally Posted by CharlesD

The first third is great, but right after Banner leaves Brazil it just gets unbearable. I do agree that Abomination is one of the better MCU villains though.

But when dude become the Abomination there no connection between the monster and the story bulit up. The Hulk is shown fighting for Betty.
Theres still some humanity established.
The Abomination is just a one note CGI threat.

[imsounoriginal]

Originally Posted by Batmon77

But when dude become the Abomination there no connection between the monster and the story bulit up. The Hulk is shown fighting for Betty.
Theres still some humanity established.
The Abomination is just a one note CGI threat.

The Hulk beat Blonsky on the college campus. Blonsky wants to definitively prove that he's the better warrior/specimen. It's an ego thing for him (he keeps asking for another shot at him), and then he'll destroy Ross and the Army and I guess the world cuz what the hell does he have to do with his life. That smackdown is still one of my favorite MCU climaxes.

[Hellraiserfan]

Originally Posted by Batmon77

But isnt it a tad annoying that we can expect this formula?

Nope.

This is a shared universe which I know you already know. To change one of the movies on a drastic level/tone wouldn't be smart necessarily. They need to fit everything together and if people don't like that then once again I have to say start tuning out the MCU. You have Fox and WB/DC for your superhero fix.

[Batmon77]

Originally Posted by imsounoriginal

The Hulk beat Blonsky on the college campus. Blonsky wants to definitively prove that he's the better warrior/specimen. It's an ego thing for him (he keeps asking for another shot at him), and then he'll destroy Ross and the Army and I guess the world cuz what the hell does he have to do with his life. That smackdown is still one of my favorite MCU climaxes.

All that backstory is erased when they fight in Harlem....theres no emotional weight IMO.
At least theres no forced humor.

[Adam_ME]

Add me to the list of people who were underwhelmed by this movie. I was expecting something great after all the stellar reviews, but this was a middle of the road origin story on par with Ant-Man or Thor(although far more self-contained than that flick with its SHIELD-dominated middle act).

The performances were fine, although Cumberbatch would've been even better had he been allowed to maintain his English accent. There's no reason the character had to sound American just because he lived in NYC. The FX work was solid. The movie did look very nice in IMAX 3D. The score was serviceable, but the main theme sounded a little too much like a remix of Giacchino's Star Trek at times.

I think my problem ultimately is, like I said, it's another origin story. We've reached entry #14 in the MCU and this is the 6th origin story(7th if you include The Avengers which was a team origin story). It's getting tiresome. Especially when we're given yet another weak villain and a female lead who's wasted in a thankless supporting role.

I get that this is a different kind of superhero since magic, alternate universes, and time travel(or at least reversal) is involved, so an entire movie is needed to explain it. Although I left the theater still wondering how exactly Doctor Strange and the others did everything they did. But going forward, I hope with the exception of Captain Marvel, we're done with entire films that are devoted to the origins of the main characters.

The good news is the ending as well as the mid and post-credits scenes were far more interesting than the movie that preceded them, so going forward, Doctor Strange should be a welcome addition to the MCU(provided they don't lazily use the time travel and alternative universes to reboot the whole thing at some point). And as Civil War showed with its Ant-Man cameo, you can take a not-so-interesting character from an ok movie and give him a kickass part in an another flick.

3 stars out of 5