Getting Some Strange
Doctor Strange (2016): 8 out of 10: I hate going to the movie theater nowadays. It isn’t that the experience is so much worse than it was back in the good old days when men were men, children were well behaved and people dressed for going out in public. It simply is that my home theater experience is getting so much better. Surround sound, my own snacks, my choice of company, and a decent 4k OLED screen make for a mighty fine home viewing experience.
Sometimes, though, a movie comes out that makes me wish I had seen it in the theater. Doctor Strange is one such movie. The special effects and design are so wonderfully trippy. The story is your standard origin story with the put-upon love interest (an under-used Rachel McAdams), a cocky self-assured millionaire learning a life lesson, and even a touch of ye olde chosen one.
It’s all the other wonderful stuff that makes the movie. Director Scott Derrickson isn’t afraid to let his imagination run wild. Everything from acid trips, to body horror, to Inception called and they want their movie back is featured.
While this movie is not peak Marvel, it is better than it had to be, and certainly better than it could have been. A fun, visually impressive, well-acted movie.
Screenshots
Apparently I am as in love with Benedict Cumberbatch as I am Keira Knightley if the number of screenshots for Doctor Strange is any indication. This is a gorgeous film that has broken my usual male gaze screenshots.
