# Doctor Strange



## Bloody_Inferno (Apr 13, 2016)

Of all the MCU movies that I've been anticipating the most (aside from Civil War), this is it. And it looks awesome!


----------



## Grand Moff Tim (Apr 13, 2016)

Looooooooooooooove the character. Hope the movie does him justice.


----------



## mcleanab (Apr 13, 2016)

Cannot wait for this!


----------



## Asrial (Apr 13, 2016)

I really want to see this movie. Not because of Cumberbatch, but because I'm intrigued by the plot, and Mads Mikkelsen is a phenomenal actor.

But yeah, I need to see something where I actually enjoyed Cumberbatch's role and acting.


----------



## Kryss (Apr 20, 2016)

I expected cap3 to be fantastic but I expected this to be just as good. this movie is really setting up the tail end of all phase 3 and I think the intro to phase 4. it allows them to bring in extra-dimensional enemies into future conflicts. outsider forces not just from space. should be really cool what they do during dr. strange and everything they do afterwards.


----------



## Varcolac (Apr 20, 2016)

Saw trailer. Awwww yiss. 

Not 100% sure on Hufflepuff Bandersnatch's American accent, but we've only heard a few lines. I'm sure it'll be fine.

Stephen Strange and Peter Parker played by Brits. Captain America opening in London before the US. I think someone in Marvel/Disney is a fan of my rain-sodden set of islands!


----------



## asher (Apr 20, 2016)

Hyyyyype


----------



## Steinmetzify (Apr 20, 2016)

Trailer looks dope and I'm in, but why in the hell is Tilda Swinton the Ancient One?! I mean WTF?! Why not go get the old guy from Kill Bill? He would have been perfect...


----------



## Bloody_Inferno (Apr 21, 2016)

steinmetzify said:


> Trailer looks dope and I'm in, but why in the hell is Tilda Swinton the Ancient One?! I mean WTF?! Why not go get the old guy from Kill Bill? He would have been perfect...



You mean Gordon Liu? Sadly, after a stroke in 2011, he's been completely out of the spotlight ever since. 

Also, this isn't the first time MCU's tinkered with gender swapping. Jeri Hogarth from Jessica Jones got the same treatment, with Carrie Anne Moss playing the character.


----------



## Steinmetzify (Apr 21, 2016)

Aw that blows. Didn't know.


----------



## Skyblue (Apr 24, 2016)

steinmetzify said:


> Aw that blows. Didn't know.



And besides, it's Tilda Swinton. She can play practically anyone. 
I'm hyped for this! I don't know much about Dr Strange but trailer looks cool, and promising cast~


----------



## Bloody_Inferno (Apr 24, 2016)

Also related to The Ancient One.

Doctor Strange Writer Says Ancient One Was Changed To Avoid Upsetting China

Doctor Strange: Tilda Swinton Talks Whitewashing Criticism


----------



## jwade (Apr 27, 2016)

Am I the only one that thought Tilda looked pretty attractive with a shaved head?


----------



## celticelk (Apr 27, 2016)

jwade said:


> Am I the only one that thought Tilda looked pretty attractive with a shaved head?



You are not.


----------



## Ralyks (Apr 28, 2016)

I feel like my enjoyment of Dr. Strange comes solely from sharing a surname...

That said, Benedict Cumberbatch = Yes.


----------



## Bloody_Inferno (Oct 30, 2016)

Saw the film late last night. It's not groundbreaking as it's got the same issues as all the Phase 1 MCU origin films, and a few other narrative problems, but damn I still enjoyed the hell out of it. 

Phase 3 is opening up to some amazing possibilities that I'm certainly looking forward to.


----------



## MFB (Oct 31, 2016)

Bloody_Inferno said:


> Saw the film late last night. It's not groundbreaking as it's got the same issues as all the Phase 1 MCU origin films, and a few other narrative problems, but damn I still enjoyed the hell out of it.
> 
> Phase 3 is opening up to some amazing possibilities that I'm certainly looking forward to.



An army of faceless bad guys facing off against one protagonist in a neat, ~2 hour story, and when it's all over you realized it felt like there was nothing at stake?


----------



## setsuna7 (Oct 31, 2016)

Saw twice already,the first night showing, and later today with my office mates.
Upon seeing the second time, I agree that the origin story build-up kinda felt rushed, but as the story progresses, it's awesomeness all the way. Benedict fits the character so much, the moment you see


Spoiler



him shaving that trademark facial hair


 I almost screamed like a lil bitch!! worth a trip to the cinema, don't forget the two post credit scenes too!!


----------



## mongey (Nov 3, 2016)

I saw it the other day. Liked it. I went in not knowing anything about the character 


Story wise it's not Shakespeare but I liked the vibe of it and the visuals were amazing in parts.


----------



## Bloody_Inferno (Nov 3, 2016)

MFB said:


> A protagonist that learns through a rude awakening that there is more fulfillment outside his own needs, and faces to overcome a dark reflection of his own persona, thus every origin superhero movie ever?



FTFY. 

At this point in time, all the MCU movies are at least solid at worst, even the ones that don't work. And their flaws are more interesting to talk about rather than saying, it's MCU, it's awesome routine. 

Ok yes, Doctor Strange has it's issues, namely that it's in a rush to get to the action scenes, while amazing, could do a little less of, thanks to the nature of the character and lore. I still think it's a great movie, more in line with Ant Man and just above the underrated first Thor. The action scenes are the most creative and dazzling to date (saw it again in 3D last night), and all the cast really bring their characters to life (yes Tilda Swinton does a great Tripitaka-esque job with The Ancient One).


----------



## PunkBillCarson (Nov 6, 2016)

Just got back and as a huge Strange fan for a long time, I'm very impressed. The movie was done brilliantly and Cumberbatch killed it as Strange just as I knew he would. Couldn't love it more and probably going back to see it.


----------



## Xaios (Nov 7, 2016)

Saw it last night, was highly enjoyable.

I did notice one thing though, that the music was highly reminiscent of the music from the newest Star Trek movies. Then I noticed during the credits that it was scored by Michael Giacchino.


----------



## bostjan (Nov 7, 2016)

I'm going to be the party pisser. Although I enjoyed it, it was devoid of anything unique in the story and Mikkelsen was sadly under-utilized.

The plot line is essentially the same as The Avengers/Fantastic Four 2/X Men Apocalypse/etc. with a hint of Batman Begins. The only characters who really had any development at all were Dr. Strange and Mordo... there were some cheap laughs and some Crouching Tiger-esque action sequences, which I enjoyed, but I get a feeling that Marvel is starting to get a little bit lazy with these, as far as the plotlines and development of villain characters.

I would have loved to have seen some character development of the villain, rather than the old trope of "he used to be a good guy, and was an excellent student, then he got too arrogant and turned evil" backstory (which was completely off screen, BTW).

The special effects and choreography were A+, plot and character development B.


----------



## Xaios (Nov 7, 2016)

bostjan said:


> I would have loved to have seen some character development of the villain, rather than the old trope of "he used to be a good guy, and was an excellent student, then he got too arrogant and turned evil" backstory (which was completely off screen, BTW).



Welcome to your new life of comic book villainy. Choose your backstory:

Cosmic entity who's evil is infinite through the course of time.
Pupil of good guy who becomes disillusioned, rejects teachings and turns evil.
Tragic villain who turned to evil in order to:
avenge a betrayal of some kind.
save someone they love.

Criminal anarchist who is evil just for ....s and giggles.
Amoral mercenary who only cares about lining bank account.
Zealot with Knight Templar complex who must "purge all unworthiness" or somesuch.
Sadomasochistic psychopath who holds the "higher principles of evil" as the ultimate ideal.


----------



## Bloody_Inferno (Nov 7, 2016)

bostjan said:


> I'm going to be the party pisser. Although I enjoyed it, it was devoid of anything unique in the story and Mikkelsen was sadly under-utilized.
> 
> The plot line is essentially the same as The Avengers/Fantastic Four 2/X Men Apocalypse/etc. with a hint of Batman Begins. The only characters who really had any development at all were Dr. Strange and Mordo... there were some cheap laughs and some Crouching Tiger-esque action sequences, which I enjoyed, but I get a feeling that Marvel is starting to get a little bit lazy with these, as far as the plotlines and development of villain characters.
> 
> ...



This is the problem with every superhero origin story ever. 

And yes, MCU Marvel is the biggest offender of this when it comes to movies. I guess the trade off is that they're relying heavily on continuity of future films for the character to grow and interact. Of course that doesn't fix the problem that all origin stories have to be played in the same tune. One particular character in Doctor Strange is specifically set up this way for future films. 

Batman Begins is still the standard for origin story movies because it was done so well, and that so many superhero movies (Amazing Spiderman) and even non superhero movies (Casino Royale) have milked it dry. Fun fact: Batman Forever is the only film where Batman actually grows as a hero, but that doesn't make it a great film. 

Funny you mentioned X-Men Apocalypse, that was pretty much a retread of X2 all over again. 

I do agree that it is a problem, and that all origin superhero movies are all blurring to near singularity. And yeah, Mads Mikkelsen and Rachel McAdams were criminally underused. Some of the future MCU movies won't have that problem, in particular Spiderman Homecoming and Black Panther, largely thanks to Civil War.


----------



## bostjan (Nov 8, 2016)

Bloody_Inferno said:


> This is the problem with every superhero origin story ever.
> 
> And yes, MCU Marvel is the biggest offender of this when it comes to movies. I guess the trade off is that they're relying heavily on continuity of future films for the character to grow and interact. Of course that doesn't fix the problem that all origin stories have to be played in the same tune. One particular character in Doctor Strange is specifically set up this way for future films.
> 
> ...



I think the question these movie makers need to ask themselves is that if they don't have time for an origin story in a film, do they need to have one? We have gotten into a rut with mainstream films where producers seem to think that they need to spell everything out for the viewer, but why is that the rule? Phenomenal films like Memento and Reservoir Dogs, and even the Dark Night made every moment of the film mean something, and there was a lot put on the viewer to figure out, which made them enjoyable to watch multiple times. I think the style of film making of the 90's and early 2000's was better than what we generally have today, but there were also some awful films from that era as well...

Hmph, I guess my issue is that I have started to expect more from superhero films, only to quickly have those expectations dashed. Dr. Strange wasn't a bad movie at all, but I got hyped up about it based on the combination of source material and the actors who were cast, then the film simply didn't take any risks.

It's like when I see Nic Cage was cast in something, I expect it to be really weird. I guess I have begun to think of Mikkelsen as an actor who is in stuff that takes a lot of risks, then he was cast in Dr. Strange, and the film didn't take any risks, ended up being a good film (where I was expecting a weirder film)...thinking back to when I was in upper elementary school and jr. high school and read Dr. Strange comics and they kind of made me think, you know, as opposed to being straightforward stories - good guy struggles to develop skills as a good guy, bad guy is bad guy, explosions, boobs, different cities, etc.


----------



## Bloody_Inferno (Nov 8, 2016)

bostjan said:


> I think the question these movie makers need to ask themselves is that if they don't have time for an origin story in a film, do they need to have one? We have gotten into a rut with mainstream films where producers seem to think that they need to spell everything out for the viewer, but why is that the rule? Phenomenal films like Memento and Reservoir Dogs, and even the Dark Night made every moment of the film mean something, and there was a lot put on the viewer to figure out, which made them enjoyable to watch multiple times. I think the style of film making of the 90's and early 2000's was better than what we generally have today, but there were also some awful films from that era as well...
> 
> Hmph, I guess my issue is that I have started to expect more from superhero films, only to quickly have those expectations dashed. Dr. Strange wasn't a bad movie at all, but I got hyped up about it based on the combination of source material and the actors who were cast, then the film simply didn't take any risks.
> 
> It's like when I see Nic Cage was cast in something, I expect it to be really weird. I guess I have begun to think of Mikkelsen as an actor who is in stuff that takes a lot of risks, then he was cast in Dr. Strange, and the film didn't take any risks, ended up being a good film (where I was expecting a weirder film)...thinking back to when I was in upper elementary school and jr. high school and read Dr. Strange comics and they kind of made me think, you know, as opposed to being straightforward stories - good guy struggles to develop skills as a good guy, bad guy is bad guy, explosions, boobs, different cities, etc.



I see where you're coming from. 

In the superhero movie genre, some characters need an origin story. Doctor Strange by nature certainly does as he also has the weight of all the mystic side of the Marvel Universe to bring in. The movie did take the risk in the spectacle department, but not much else. Similar to the IMO underrated Thor film, both complete went for broke in introducing the cosmic/mystic side, but suffered in doing the same origin story song and dance routine. 

I suppose the way I see them is that it's a song that's allowed to be covered over and over again. Of course at least try to transcend it to a new level. 

For Doctor Strange, the movie could benefit from not trying to rush to the action and slow down for more mystic exposition (the training/knowledge scenes), and somehow weave Cassilius into that giving him more depth. Incidentally, this would actually benefit the Harry Potter movies as well. 

Bringing up Spiderman and Black Panther again, because they get an advantage here thanks to Civil War. At this time, MCU doing an origin movie for Spiderman would be the stupidest mistake they could make, and they're aware of that, so his introduction in that movie is a heads up that we don't need to kill Uncle Ben again. As for Black Panther, he gets his entire origin story as a subplot in Civil War, which makes me excited to finding out what his own solo movie is going to be. 

I do agree that the origin story pandemic is getting weary especially in an age of constant superhero movies (we got 6 this year from 3 studios, and Marvel are bringing 3 next year alone), but they're necessary when you're introducing someone completely new to the party (now it'll be Captain Marvel's turn). What the film studios can do is use that double edged sword called 'Continuity' in more creative ways, just like the Spiderman/Black Panther example, or at least give it a new twist.


----------



## wankerness (Nov 9, 2016)

I DUNNO, I get the exposition annoyance. I remember finding it absolutely hilarious watching Age of Ultron after Mad Max Fury Road. A lot of people confuse "amount of dialogue and complexity of plot contrivances that don't actual matter" for it having a good plot, though, so who knows. I still haven't seen this. From what I've heard, the thing that will bug me the most are the pop-culture references.


----------



## A-Branger (Nov 22, 2016)

I just watched this movie and I though it was amazing. I didnt though I was going to enjoy it that much, I was pretty close to not even seeing it on the cinema as Im getting tired of the "superhero movies" marvel thing

I have no idea whatsoever about this character, so no idea of backstory or accuracy of the story

Also I think this has been one of (if not the first) mainstream movies I have watched without seen ANY clips/trailers/teaser/plot/images/anything. I tried to avoid watching anything related to it, and lucky I manage to not seen any trailers at the cinemas either. And I must say that was the best choice EVER... for the first time I could actually enjoy and be surprised during the whole movie, instead of connecting dots between the trailer scenes. And lucky I did it, as I saw the trailer after and it does ruin the movie


----------



## lewis (Dec 21, 2016)

I liked this alot. Was quirky and did its job of not feeling like all the other MCU movies and allowed us to open up our minds to magic and sorcery and the supernatural etc within the MCU

8/10


----------

