{"id":50,"date":"2020-12-15T08:01:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-15T08:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/?p=50"},"modified":"2025-01-02T22:11:46","modified_gmt":"2025-01-02T21:11:46","slug":"doctor-strange-2016-film-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2020\/12\/15\/doctor-strange-2016-film-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctor Strange (2016) \u2013 Film – Review"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Doctor<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

As we all know, Marvel movies are like theme parks<\/a>. And Doctor Strange<\/em> (2016) is no exception to Martin Scorsese’s fundamental critique: colorful, dazzling, magical\u2014but still riddled with plenty of holes.<\/strong>

The good Doctor Strange is forced into a career change due to a car accident (and it can\u2019t be stressed enough: DON\u2019T USE YOUR PHONE WHILE DRIVING!). From hotshot surgeon to sorcerer. Of course, it\u2019s not quite that simple. For one, like the majority of Marvel movies, this one\u2019s an origin story<\/strong>. And two, becoming a sorcerer isn\u2019t exactly an overnight process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the main character, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, doesn\u2019t do much to win our sympathy. After all, who actually likes a smug, egotistical, materialistic, narcissistic, and arrogant<\/strong> surgeon? No one. Except, maybe, if you need that person to perform your appendectomy. In that case, you might be a bit more forgiving\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Career Crash and Redemption<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you have a body part that\u2019s vital to your work, losing its functionality can turn your whole life upside down. No wonder Dr. Stephen Strange struggles to deal with the situation. What would you do in his shoes? Would you say, \u201cTime heals all wounds!\u201d and patiently go through your physical therapy sessions while casually earning a dermatology certificate on the side?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Well, Stephen Strange isn\u2019t that kind of guy. We\u2019ve all met doctors like him, haven\u2019t we? Faced with disaster, instead of staying put, he flies off to Nepal\u2014to the ends of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crash Course in Sorcery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s no surprise, then, that watching Dr. Strange\u2019s progress at wizard school feels a bit\u2026 uninspiring<\/strong>. Learning this kind of craft (as we all know from Harry Potter) usually takes years. Unless, of course, you have a photographic memory. Then, in three weeks, you can master Aramaic, Hottentot, and other five dead languages in which ancient spells are usually scribbled down. Some people just have all the luck! Not that I\u2019m envious\u2014don\u2019t get me wrong. But come on, it\u2019s still a bit much!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visuals Beyond the Strange<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Visually, Doctor Strange<\/em> is a full-on assault designed to overwhelm the unsuspecting viewer. Its geometric illusions, optical tricks<\/strong>, and fragmented, fractal-inspired depictions of reality<\/strong> push Marvel\u2019s usual aesthetic boundaries by miles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The movie\u2019s M.C. Escher-inspired architecture\u2014like the endless, looping staircases and the constantly shifting, morphing cityscapes with self-reconstructing skyscrapers\u2014draws from Inception<\/em> by Christopher Nolan and The Matrix<\/em> by the Wachowski siblings, even surpassing them in some respects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this is hardly news to anyone familiar with the original Stan Lee and Steve Ditko comics, which already showcased this kind of unconventional imagery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So yeah, it\u2019s all glitzy and dazzling<\/strong>! Did someone mention a theme park earlier? \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Overshadow an Underwhelming Villain?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s not even talk about the villain of Doctor Strange<\/em>, Kruelcilius! His motivations? Let\u2019s keep it vague: Imagine you\u2019re on a conference call\u2014let\u2019s say Skype\u2014with Hitler, Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Timur the Lame. They\u2019re all grinning at you charmingly, saying, \u201cHey buddy, we\u2019ve got a killer proposal to make the world a better place.\u201d And you\u2019re like, \u201cAlrighty then, boys, I\u2019m sold!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, everything feels rushed, superhumanly fast, and completely UNBELIEVABLE. Which means, unfortunately, you can\u2019t really take any of it seriously.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only genuinely good thing in the movie? Tilda Swinton, as the mom superior of all sorcerers. Bless her bald head!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Tibet to Celtic Cool<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"Tilda<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

In the original comics, the Ancient One is a Tibetan man. In the movie, she\u2019s an androgynous, alabaster-skinned woman. And honestly, who cares (besides a few grumblers)? Especially when Tilda Swinton delivers such a mesmerizing performance<\/strong> with so few tools at her disposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She barely speaks, hardly moves. And yet, she\u2019s simultaneously distant, enigmatic, wise, and serene. Her character radiates transcendence<\/strong>, ironic intellectual superiority, and physical power all at once. In every sense, she\u2019s the boss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But even with her, Doctor Strange<\/em> is still just your typical Marvel fare. Visually stunning and creative, but with little depth beneath all the glitz.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rating: 6\/10<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Doctor Strange (2016), action, adventure, fantasy (IMDb<\/a>)
Director: Scott Derrickson, Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams
—
You may also like:
Jupiter’s Legacy by Mark Millar
The Traitor God by Cameron Johnston<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

— — —<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, mentioning Timur Timurovich reminds me of an ancient joke. It\u2019s probably a thousand years old and doesn\u2019t mean much to anyone under 50, but here it goes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Little Masha is walking through the forest when she hears a whisper from a bush:
“Masha, take off your panties!”
Terrified, she runs away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next day, she\u2019s walking the same path, and again, the whisper:
“Masha, take off your panties!”
She bolts like lightning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the third day, the same thing happens, but this time, Masha shrugs, steps out of her panties, and tosses them on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next day, as she walks by, she notices her panties hanging on a bush with a note pinned to them:
“Dear Masha, we washed your panties. And ironed them too.
Best regards, Timur and His Squad.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As we all know, Marvel movies are like theme parks. And Doctor Strange (2016) is no exception to Martin Scorsese’s fundamental critique: colorful, dazzling, magical\u2014but still riddled with plenty of holes. The good Doctor Strange is forced into a career change due to a car accident (and it can\u2019t be stressed enough: DON\u2019T USE YOUR … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[9,22,14,81,84,256,255,86,79,147],"class_list":["post-50","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-film","tag-action","tag-adventure","tag-fantasy","tag-magic","tag-marvel","tag-mcu","tag-redemption","tag-superhero","tag-supernatural","tag-surrealism"],"yoast_head":"\nDoctor Strange (2016) \u2013 Film - Review - minimal-Critiques<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Doctor Strange conjures his way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 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