Lines and Boxes

I’ve been kind of down lately.

Little things have reminded me that there are parts of myself I need to work on. That the problems of my life have yet to be resolved. There’s a German compound word, altschmerz, which translates to weariness with the same old issues you’ve always had. That fits.

Growing up, I had this idea that life was supposed to play out a certain way. You go to school, go to college, choose a career, start a family. Life was a straight line, in other words. And I wasn’t on it. My life didn’t line up.

I know now that that’s not true at all. There are squiggles and zigzags, spikes and curves. Every line is different. Every life is unique. It just gets hard to escape that way of thinking. That other people are moving forward, living their lives, and you’re trapped in place.

That your life is twisted into a box.

A few weeks ago, I read about a psychological term called learned helplessness. It disturbed me, for two reasons. The first was that I recognized it as a form of animal training. Young elephants are tied up with ropes too heavy for them to snap. As adults, they believe the rope is impossible to escape, and never even try.

The second was that it sounded too familiar.

I’ve come to see how one’s mindset makes a big difference. If we believe there’s no way out, we stop trying. Even though the opportunities are there.

I have a way of getting lost in things. My books, my games, my writing, my job. All of these are important to me, the latter most of all. But now I wonder if deep down, I get lost on purpose. If I’m avoiding the things I don’t want to think about – including the steps and opportunities to fix them.

Maybe there really is a box, and I built it.

But that works the other way around, too.

Remember my Wheel of Time books? You know. The ones I’ve gone on and on and on about. I got the first when I was eleven, and spent over a decade collecting the entire set of fourteen. Fifteen, counting the prequel.

I managed this through various ways. Others asked what I wanted for my birthday. I answered, these books. Christmas? These books. Overseas at a bookstore? You get the idea. My family bought them as gifts; helped me buy them by proxy; and I bought them myself.

There’s a lesson there. I got what I wanted because I went after it. People gave me chances, and I took them.

Picture the books as a series of dots, spread out across the years. They might not seem like much, but I strung them together.

I drew my own line.

See how that works?

So this is a reminder, for you and for myself, that attitude makes a difference. That’s not just a platitude. It’s practical advice. We have to face our problems and believe they can be solved. We’ll never see how if we never look.

Everyone’s life is different. Every line is still being drawn. We all build our own boxes, now and then.

That doesn’t mean we have to stay there.

Doctor Strange

I like comics, to some extent.

Not surprised?

Yes, well. Pictures do have a way of conveying information quickly. Visual jokes, for instance. Every good story needs laughs. And comics do tend to be bright and colourful.

I found a new Marvel comic in the library the other day. (Guardians of the Galaxy, if you’re wondering.) Like all superhero stories, it was colourful, action-packed, filled with ‘wow’ moments and comic relief. I started reading with interest.

Then I got bored.

Maybe it was the story – nothing special, kind of cliché. Or the many characters feeling interchangeable. Or the lack of substantial worldbuilding. Which all reinforced what I think about the medium: it can be shallow.

I like comics, but I doubt I’ll ever be passionate about them.

I need more than pretty pictures.

Pretty moving pictures, though. Those will get my attention.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an unprecedented phenomenon. An ongoing saga of movies and TV series built around comic book characters who pop in and out of each other’s storylines, just like in the comics, occasionally teaming up to defeat a Big Bad something-or-other. The last Captain America movie was their biggest crossover to date.

Yes, I’ve seen enough to know. I can’t be bothered with the comics, but I will watch the movies. Heck, the main reason I picked up that Guardians comic was because I knew who they were.

Today I’m talking about the latest hero to reach the silver screen. I had high hopes for this one. He’s a different kind of superhero. Not just any old Norse god, super-soldier or giant green guy with anger issues. This hero uses magic.

Today I’m talking about Doctor Strange.

Doctor Stephen Strange is a brilliant surgeon, hugely successful. Also an arrogant jerk. After a car crash ruins his hands, and his career, the good doctor burns through his riches trying to cure himself. In desperation, he seeks healing from an order of monks in Kathmandu, is humbled by the mystic arts they wield, and becomes their newest initiate. Still struggling to come to terms with this new destiny, Doctor Strange must confront Kaecilius, a rogue master determined to conquer time itself.

Pretty much what you saw in the trailer. No spoilers, don’t worry.

Unlike other Marvel stories, Doctor Strange has distinct Oriental influences. I like this. I haven’t seen a lot of kung fu movies, but magic and martial arts have long been combined for great effect. *coughairbendercough* The opening where the Ancient One faces off against Kaecilius while folding buildings around them is a jaw-dropping spectacle that sets the bar pretty high in terms of reality-warping fight scenes. 

I saw it in 3D. It was pretty cool.

The magic, at least, does not disappoint. Doctor Strange has been described as Marvel’s trippiest movie yet. This is accurate. The Multiverse, horrific alternate dimensions and reality being flimsier than it seems are all major themes. This is magic on a vast scale, not so much shooting spells at people as unraveling space and time themselves.

"Might I offer some advice? Forget everything that you think you know."

                                                                       - The Ancient One

The Ancient One is intriguing, a female monk both serene and incredibly powerful. A lot like Albus Dumbledore, really. (I know, I know, I’m a true Potterhead.) Strange’s mentor is more complex than she first appears.

The villain is less striking. Kaecilius has a dry sense of humour that’s most welcome – and that’s it. That’s his best quality. A tragic backstory is mentioned; some elaboration there would have gone a long way. As it is, the renegade monk is largely forgettable.

Likewise, Strange’s love interest, Christine, is yet another of Marvel’s trophy girlfriends. She’s endearing, and has some amusing reactions to all the magic being thrown around. But plotwise, she does almost nothing at all.

And what about Doctor Strange himself, you ask?

In short: he’s a lot like Iron Man.

Both are arrogant rich guys who go through a harrowing life experience that changes them. The movie has been called formulaic for its similarity to Tony Stark's, and other Marvel movies in general. This didn’t really bother me – it’s an origin story, what do you expect – but jaded viewers won’t be surprised at much. I wasn’t.

The outcomes are different, though. Iron Man is still a cocky millionaire, albeit one who’d changed his tune a bit. Strange’s tale is a lonelier one, as he comes to terms with the fact that his old life is gone forever. His struggle to let go of his egotism isn’t exactly one I can relate to. But he is a much better person by the end of the film.

Doctor Strange is a movie I wanted to like more than I did. It looked like my kind of superhero story. The magic is awesome; the redemptive arc is appealing; the Cloak of Levitation is the coolest animated object I’ve seen in ages.

But too many things drag it down. The villains are two-dimensional. The third act is anticlimactic, seemingly building up a final battle that veers off into a premature ending. And for all its strangeness – heh – much of the story felt too abstract. Faced with natural laws and clashing philosophies and perceived betrayals, I struggled to care about any of it.

I’d still recommend the movie, for the special effects, if nothing else. Just don’t expect too much overall.

This is just the beginning, of course. A sequel is almost certainly in the works, and Doctor Strange has been confirmed to appear in the next Avengers blockbuster. So that’ll be fun. We’ll see how Strange and Stark compare in person.

I’m not as excited for those as I am about other movies, like Fantastic Beasts ­– which is now one week away, people! 

But I will watch them nonetheless.

Maybe the magic will be stronger the next time around.