Marvel May - Doctor Strange (2016)

            Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, today we're back with two more review for Marvel May, starting with this review of Doctor Strange. 

         So this movie, released in November of 2016, focuses on neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange, whose hands are severely damaged in a tragic automobile accident. After several attempts to use science and medicine to fix his hands, he meets a man named Jonathan Pangborn, who was paralyzed, but found the means to walk again. Pangborn points Strange to Kamar Taj, where he meets the Ancient One, who helps teach Strange the ways of the mystic arts. 

          Strange's other instructors including Karl Mordo and Wong. Wong works primarily in the library, and gives Strange the books he studies to learn various spells. The Ancient One, who is the current Sorcerer Supreme, also teaches Strange of the many dangers out there, including that of Dormamu and the Dark Dimension, while Mordo teaches of the different relics imbued with magical powers. One day, when Strange uses a time-bending relic called the Eye of Agamotto, Wong and Mordo show him how the Sorcerers across the world protect three Sanctums in London, New York, and Hong Kong. The Sanctums create a mystical barrier that protects the Earth from threats from the different dimensions of the multiverse.

             Meanwhile, a group of sorcerers known as Zealots, led by Kaecelius, tap into the powers of the Dark Dimension, and use it to attack the Sanctums. Strange is successful in defending the New York Sanctum, but the London Sanctum is lost. We also learn that the Ancient One herself was tapping into the powers of the Dark Dimension. After taking her to the hospital to get help from his colleague and ex-girlfriend Christine Palmer, Strange learns from the Ancient One that she never actually healed Jonathan Pangborn of his paralysis; he simply uses magic to walk again. Strange, when faced with a choice to save the world or focus magic to fix his hands and be a neurosurgeon again, goes with Mordo to stop Kaecelius and the Zealots. 

          Arriving too late, Strange and Mordo see the Hong Kong Sanctum destroyed, and the power of the Dark Dimension pouring into our reality. Using the Eye of Agamotto, Strange quickly reverses time and fixes things, bringing Wong back. After several fights with the Zealots, Strange decides to bargain with Dormamu, using a time loop to do so, dying repeatedly and trapping Dormamu in a time loop. After making a deal for Dormamu to take the Zealots and leave Earth alone, Strange returns, cracks a joke that makes Wong laugh, and finishes restoring the Sanctum, with Kaecelius and the Zealots being taken into the Dark Dimension. Mordo, unwilling to follow the path of the Sorcerers any longer, leaves to forge a different path, and Strange returns the Eye of Agamotto to Kamar Taj, with Wong telling him that until the day he learns to wield its power, it's best not to walk around carrying an Infinity Stone. Yep, that's right. The Eye of Agamotto was housing the Time Stone, which is one of the six Infinity Stones. Strange takes up residence in the New York Sanctum as its protector. 

         A mid-credits scene shows Strange meet with Thor to discuss the location of Odin, and Loki's presence in New York because of it. A post-credits scene shows Mordo meet with Pangborn and take his magic away, believing that the world has too many sorcerers. 

        So, when I heard that Doctor Strange was going to be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I lost my mind. This was it, Marvel was bringing magic to the MCU. We've seen science-based heroes like Iron Man and Hulk, cosmic heroes like the Guardians of the Galaxy, and military and government heroes like Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye. So, to add magic and sorcery to the Marvel Universe is terrific. Visually, the magic used in the movie is incredible. Buildings move and reconfigure their shape, and it looks amazing. The cast, including Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo, Mads Mikkelsen as Kaecelius, Rachel McAdams as Christine, Benedict Wong as Wong, and Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One, were all terrific. Heck, even Benjamin Bratt as Jonathan Pangborn was a neat add-on for the movie. 

         The one major criticism I have about the movie is two-fold. First, we get little information about Kaecelius, other than he believes that the Ancient One is a hypocrite for using the power of the Dark Dimension, but warding off others from doing the same, and he just feels like a stock villain. The second is that for all of his build-up, Dormamu feels wasted. This is a villain from the comics that, like Loki, Ultron, Galactus, Doctor Doom, and Thanos, is an Avengers-level threat, and he feels like just a glorified cameo. Hopefully, we get to see Dormamu again in the future, but we'll see what happens. 

         Overall, I loved Doctor Strange, and despite some shortcomings with the villains, I had a lot of fun with this. Heck, the night I saw this in the theater back in 2016, I remember my mom and I geeking out over the mere mention of the Infinity Stones. Director Scott Derrickson did a terrific job bringing the master of the mystic arts to the big screen. I'm giving Doctor Strange a rating of 4.75/5. Now, on March 25, 2022 we are getting a sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, from director Sam Raimi. This next chapter of Doctor Strange will bring in fan favorite Wanda Maximoff, picking up where her story left off at the end of WandaVision, and introducing the character of America Chavez from the comics. 

         This is Chuck signing off, and I'll be back in a little while with a return to the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as Marvel May continues.