Doctor Strange

A few years ago, when the trailers for Guardians Of The Galaxy first landed, you’d have been forgiven for thinking studio head honcho Kevin Feige had let the massive success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe go to his head. As hugely fun as those promos were, a talking raccoon, a giant tree and a space-based setting seemed out-there even for a studio which had previously given us Norse gods and giant green monsters. I don’t need to emphasise the box office success, critical acclaim and audience adoration which followed for GotG upon its release. Comfortably sitting in many fans’ top five MCU lists and with a sequel fast approaching here was a film which proved a relatively unknown comic, a cult-favourite genre director and a whole heap of freedom from Feige and co. could result in a winning formula. Since then of course, we’ve also had Ant-Man which doubled-down on this risk with mostly great results, so by this point Doctor Strange doesn’t seem quite as outlandish a concept as it would have back in 2013. Unfortunately the outcome is far more of a mixed bag than either of the previously mentioned titles.

Benedict Cumberbatch plays Dr Stephen Strange – a brilliant, self-assured neurosurgeon who, following a debilitating car accident which leaves him without the use of his hands and livelihood, goes in search of a cure. His quest leads him to Nepal and The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), who trains him in the ways of magic and ultimately other worlds. This involves a series of training scenes in which our previously oblivious hero is tutored in a temple-like setting by a bald genius who likes to philosophise between visits to alternate realities.

Sound familiar? It should do. If it doesn’t, maybe the (admittedly gorgeous-looking) set-pieces will, in which entire cities are collapsed in on themselves, buildings bent and re-shaped at will. Or a scene in which Strange is killed over and over, video game-like, repeating the moment in montage until he gets the desired results?

Doctor Strange wears its influences on its scene-stealing cape and whilst this isn’t necessarily a terrible thing – after all, the comic pre-dates The Matrix, Inception and Edge Of Tomorrow by several decades – what should be next-level sequences land with a limp in the shadow of their superior mentors. The standout is a fight sequence in a rewinding backdrop but even this is over far too quickly to resonate.

This, in itself, is the problem; nothing really resonates. There’s a slightness to the proceedings which render the whole thing non-vital. Not since Phase One has a Marvel movie felt this vanilla. Cumberbatch is fine as Strange; affable, funny (though an arrogant genius isn’t too far from his comfort zone) and convincing when the punches start getting thrown, but his fit into the MCU doesn’t feel quite as ‘can’t-imagine-anyone-else-now’ perfect as say Paul Rudd’s did previously. Similarly, and almost a pre-requisite for the MCU at this point, the villain is as throwaway as his world-destroying scheme and the female love interest equally disposable, despite Rachel McAdams best efforts and inherent likeability.

Chiwetel Ejiofor too, is all but wasted as exposition machine Baron Mordo. The Oscar nominated actor has a proven track-record within the sci-fi/fantasy genre, most notably his scenery chomping turn in Joss Whedon’s Serenity – an example of a genre film understanding the need to create a three-dimensional supporting character who operates beyond mere function. Whedon would, ironically, exhibit this knack in the very same universe as Doctor Strange with the bar-raising Avengers Assemble some years later.

Director Scott Derickson does a perfectly passable job working from a script he co-wrote and the trippier moments are handled with enough aplomb to guarantee the door will no doubt be left open for him should he want to return to the MCU fold for a sequel. His background in mostly horror – including the underrated Sinister – is particularly evident in the unsettling opening moments, but the magic touch of a Whedon or a Gunn wouldn’t go amiss here. Whereas their Marvel contributions managed to open up hitherto untapped elements within the shared universe (moving proceedings forward narratively whilst being rollicking rides in their own right) Doctor Strange is nothing more than some moderately entertaining filler; a functional stop-gap until Spider-Man: Homecoming and the next assembling of the Avengers. Completists will want to see it purely for the introduction of a character who will doubtlessly prove essential when the infinity wars begin. Disappointingly this is the only essential thing about the film. Like X-Men or the MCU’s own Captain America: The First Avenger before it, hopefully this minor introduction is just a prologue for a bigger, ballsier and more confident sequel to come.