Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange is directed by Scott Derrickson and stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams, Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Benedict Wong, and is the latest entry from Marvel It tells the story of Neurosurgeon Doctor Steven Strange, who after a life changing car accident embarks on a journey of healing but instead is taught of the mystical arts and embraces powers he never knew were within  him. 

As the trailers for Doctor Strange never blew me away I came out of the cinema pleased with what I had seen, and this is definitely a interesting addition to the marvel cinematic universe (MCU).  Most aspects to the film`I loved, the acting was very high standard especially from individuals like Wong and McAdams who both offered some very funny one-liners. Each actor fitted the role perfectly and this again shows Marvel's gift for amazing casting choices. Surprisingly, this film had many comedic scenes which mostly hit the mark perfectly.  Some jokes and lines were awkwardly placed and miss timed however, something no one could have expected from the studio that brought us 'Guardians of the Galaxy' (still is the funniest Marvel film to date).

The best parts to the film were the special effects and the exposition. From spells, to portals, dimension changing to mystical enchantments, this film had some of the best non stop CGI I have seen in any film, let alone a superhero film. All the different elements of sorcery were magical, and whilst the film was very dependent on it's special effects, it truly brought the world of Doctor Strange to life and therefore made this film as diverse as it is.

The exposition in this film is admirable, it tells us what we need to know and explains it without completely overcomplicating everything. Basic things like the meaning of their sorcery and the sanctums, the next infinity stone in the sequence and how Doctor Strange's powers work - all things I did not know about this superhero going in - were explained exactly how I wanted them to be. The films score as well was very cleverly put together. Using instruments like harpsichords and sitars, it made the background sound fit in with the films 'sacred' theme perfectly, and really set the mood

The only problem with the film is that it has serious pacing issues and lack of deep story telling, for a film this energetic I was more than surprised at how slow it was. Whilst an engaging opening scene, the first act was struggled to take off, it took a long while to set up the characters and most importantly how the sorcery was going to make it's way into Strange's life. By the second half of the film however, the plot picked up a lot more as the stakes became even higher which started to make the film more enjoyable. 

Although the film was seriously slow and didn't have a groundbreaking story line, Doctor Strange is a diverse new addition to the MCU which brings different, 'mystical' ideas to the table which is exactly the boost Marvel needs. It didn't bite off more than it could chew but let's hope for an all-round spectacular sequel. 

I am going to give Doctor Strange:

7.8/10