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.