3 out of 5

Directed by: Scott Derrickson

And here we are rounding the corner on Marvel Phase III, post – though we might not all realize it at this moment – the bubble having burst.  The second trilogy (Captain America) has been tucked away; the post-credits sequences and Infinity Gems references are expected by now.  Several Netflix series have happened.  Some ABC shows have come and gone.  The period of risk – as represented by Guardians of the Galaxy – has passed, and I think BvsS really exhausted the Marvel vs. DC debate.  In other words: the shine has worn off a bit; the need to defend our Holy Comic Tradition isn’t necessary anymore.  Some initial reviews of Dr. Strange are suggestive of this post-boom phase, as their main complaint is that the formula for the film feels a little tried, and that the hero’s journey isn’t quite earned.  Well, I’ve got news for you: That’s sort of how big name comics go.  Some are a little moodier, some a little snarkier, but when you’re playing to the larger crowd, a similar template tends to get applied.  But it’s not a bad thing, per se.  While I’d be careful to say something like “as long as its entertaining” – as that makes movies like Transformers permissible – it is some form of that, while also maintaining the cuddly underdog spirit that comic books still carry around, despite their current marketability.  And I think that’s been Marvel’s overall success, although we’re inevitably getting a little tired of Bigger and Louder.

But at the end of Phase Two a smart thing was attempted: Ant Man.  A third tier, lower stakes character.  And it was a lot of fun.  This could be a way of extending the universe without exhausting audiences, without expecting them to ramp up to crossovers and events… a similar problem in the print world.  Doctor Strange has that same low-key vibe as Ant Man, owing to getting to play in its new magical realm, separate from other heroes; but – and this is where those main criticisms are valid – the problem is that there’s a lot of plot / mythos loading to do here, and Ant-Man – a tale about a dude who shrinks – only logically fits into a smaller-sized story, whereas Doctor Strange must become The Sorcerer Supreme.  It’s hard to do small scale with magic, and thus the mismatched pacing and tone of Strange.  However, writer / director Derrickson (with co-writer C. Robert Cargill) has a sincere appreciation for this character, and Benedict Cumberbatch enacts the most perfect blend of standoff-ish humbleness for the role; the movie survives and succeeds because, just like the overall Marvel Machine, its heart is in the right place.

Mr. C-Batch plays neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange, a not horrible man, but one so sure of his skills and in desire of the Next Big Procedure that he only takes those patients he knows he can help and who might make him look good.  While we know he’s gotta fall, I do appreciate that the film didn’t go out of its way to make Steve unnecessarily obnoxious, and Benedict plays him with a believable air of smarm that would still allow people – like fellow doctor Christine (Rachel McAdams) – to consider him a friend.  But the overtones are certainly apparent, and a zooming car ride and some rain results in an accident that ruins the doctor’s main tools: his hands.  The montage-y breakdown as Strange searches further and further for a cure to his physical ailment is quick but, again, handled well to dole out the main beats, even if the “try this magic dude in Kathmandu” suggestion can only come across as forced.  His tutelage at the hands of The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) and Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a lot smoother than I think the film is getting credit for; Derrickson and crew use the quick character beats they’ve established and a fitting ‘How did you become a skilled doctor?’ nudge from The Ancient One to justify his fast learnings, and I didn’t see it so much as Strange mastering everything as learning what just so happened to be the right spells for the task at hand.  If anything ends up feeling shuttled along too quickly, it’s the final third’s escalation of events… because there isn’t any escalation.  An attack happens – at the hands of rogue sorcerer Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen) – and then suddenly end-of-the-world events and last-minute reveals are in play.  Which makes it a bit underwhelming, and unfortunately relegates Kaecilius down to some exposition-spewing moments, lost amidst the sudden race for the end.  On the flip-side, the magic battles are a truly unique visualization, and wonderfully visually choreographed to be both exciting and followable.  While I’m split on the decision to open the film which such a battle, as it sort of spoils the fun changeup from reality to fantasy right away, going back to the Ant-Man vibe, by establishing the language of the magical universe from the get-go, Derrickson normalizes it, and he doesn’t feel the need to amp it up in any insane ways thereafter.  So despite its big scale, there’s this pleasantly, somewhat surreal, go-with-the-flow feeling purring throughout the film.

While it would’ve been cool if it felt like the events in Doctor Strange mattered more, I think this was a smart compromise for figuring out how to keep spreading the Marvel gospel without forever building up to Infinity Wars.  Cumberbatch is excellently cast, Michael Giacchino delivers an actually notable opening and closing theme (sorry to Dave Jordan, but his hero scores have felt more generic), and Derrickson plans his flourishes with appropriate patience, making what could have been an overwhelming mess into something that… well, is underwhelming at times, but also wholly entertaining, and, I would say, mostly on its own terms, however comic book generic they may be.