Doctor Strange (2016) [Blu-ray]
Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline: The impossibilities are endless.

From Marvel comes Doctor Strange, the story of world-famous neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange, whose life changes forever after a horrific car accident robs him of the use of his hands. When traditional medicine fails him, he is to look for healing, and hope, in an unlikely place a mysterious enclave known as Kamar-Taj. He quickly learns that this is not just a center for healing but also the front line of a battle against unseen dark bent on destroying our reality. Before long Strange, armed with newly acquired magical powers, is to choose whether to return to his old life or leave it all behind to defend the world as the most powerful sorcerer in existence.

Storyline: Marvel's "Doctor Strange" follows the story of the talented neurosurgeon Doctor Stephen Strange who, after a tragic car accident, must put ego aside and learn the secrets of a hidden world of mysticism and alternate dimensions. Based in New York City's Greenwich Village, Doctor Strange must act as an intermediary between the real world and what lies beyond, utilising a vast array of metaphysical abilities and artifacts to protect the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Written by Marvel

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, February 18, 2017 Doctor Strange may dazzle with all sorts of world-bending, time-questioning, supernatural power-wielding mayhem, but at its core are several simple questions to ask but several difficult questions to answer: what makes a man, what defines a man's place in the world, and what are the true limitations -- better said possibilities -- of his existence? Is there something beyond the mind-body-soul trifecta, or at least a new way of knowing and understanding them and how they work individually and in a higher-plane collaboration? Can man reach beyond the known textbook and mathematical formulation limits and even the theoretical boundaries to harness a power greater than most any man has ever known and even impossible to imagine? And if so, how are these powers discovered and harnessed, and most importantly, how can they be used? Man is so set in the established routine, understanding and experiencing the linear, here-and-now life through physical qualities -- taste, sight, sound, touch -- but has only a crude understanding of what might lie beyond. Doctor Strange tells the story of a gifted surgeon stripped of his gifts and set on a path of destruction but who finds purpose, redemption, and a power far greater than his healing hands could ever offer. But with that power, as these films are so fond of saying, comes not just responsibility but a necessary use of it to defend what he already does, and will come to, hold dear.

Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a gifted neurosurgeon and serious narcissist. He's on the cutting edge of medicine but prefers to deal only with patients he believes he can help, not necessarily for their benefit but to pad his record and raise his stature. One day, while speeding in his car and poring over the diagnosis of his latest medical conquest, he crashes. The accident should have killed him, but he's airlifted to the hospital where he awakens battered and bruised and his hands all but shattered. His prognosis for recovery is slim, and his surgical career is all but over. In a state of despair, Strange turns to a former would-be patient whom he once turned away but eventually became miraculously healed of a debilitating injury without modern medical assistance. He learns that the man studied under the guidance of "The Ancient One" (Tilda Swinton) who takes a reluctant and doubtful Strange under her tutelage and teaches him the power of reaching beyond his physical limitations and finding healing and purpose through the mystic arts. But that's not all. Strange becomes a central figure in an inter-dimensional conflict against one of The Ancient One's pupils gone bad, Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen).

At its broadest stroke narrative, Doctor Strange is a fairly typical origins story that's occasionally reminiscent of Batman Begins. This film is a little lighter on its feet despite a more significant trekking through the human condition. Strange is a classic narcissist, self-obsessed and convinced of his invincibility. But he's broken down and built back up, literally and figuratively, in a way that's counter to his own understanding of the world and self but he finds something greater within as he accepts and harnesses something that will come to exist in harmony in his life. He's a fascinating character, perhaps more than most of his Marvel compatriots who are certainly complex characters but who, perhaps beyond Bruce Banner, don't often amount to significantly more than their powers and how they use them. Doctor Strange, on the other hand, offers a much more satisfying inner journey that's both relatable and well beyond the norms of traditional understanding. He is, in a way, the Marvel equivalent of a Jedi and the story's foundational ebbs and flows not all that dissimilar from Star Wars as it shapes the tale of those in control of a greater inner power and their choices to use it for good or for evil.

Though the movie is certainly better for its character explorations and ideas than it is its cosmetic excellence, which is substantial and integral to be sure, action does play an important driving factor in the story and offers a balance to the more thoughtful elements that shape the narrative and the character. It blends impressively staged action and unique visual effects to support and carry the picture beyond its more mentally engaging premise. The film works hard, and works wonders, to make otherwise standard battles much more visually dynamic and novel, particularly as they're shaped by the powers that the players wield, resulting in something much more visually agreeable and different than the usual barrage of explosions and crumbling buildings. The digital visuals are very well done, by-and-large seamless and, along with nicely choreographed and executed action, make the movie feel more unique than many of its peers, even as it's not at all different in terms of its core "good versus evil supported by visual effects."

Performances are terrific, too. The film is smartly cast and the leads effortlessly fall into character. Benedict Cumberbatch is obviously the star but he's also tasked with fleshing out a complex character, one whose transformation through the film -- much more of an inner transformation than an outer transformation, though, ironically, it's his quest for outer healing that makes the biggest impact on his inward well-being -- is its driving force. Cumberbatch demonstrates a positive range, maintaining those core Strange characteristics even late into the film but gradually building up a balance with his improved insight into the universe and into himself as his powers and confidence grow and his place and fate become more clear. Tilda Swinton captures an inner strength that's counter her somewhat cooler, smoother, exterior, finding a character center that's the perfect, harmonious balance of all that Strange comes to understand and embrace. Mads Mikkelsen is good as the counter villain who has lost his balance, not his powers, while both Benedict Wong and Chiwetel Ejiofor are terrific as critical support characters. With Benjamin Bratt, Rachel McAdams, and Scott Adkins in support roles, Doctor Strange boasts one of the more qualified cast sheets in any Marvel film.

Doctor Strange is certainly the most fundamentally thought-provoking film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the character is an excellent example of why the Marvel films tend to click with audiences. It's more than just action-filler and special effects, offering an interesting journey through the human condition, a sensational one to be sure and one far detached from the reality that man understands, but it leaves the audience with something more than just another round of good versus evil, environmental mayhem, and special effects, even if all of those are integral to the story and one's overall enjoyment of the movie. It's a film that might require multiple viewings to truly appreciate, but it is, perhaps in its own way, the most fundamentally fascinating film of the bunch. Not the most entertaining or well put-together, but the one that just might resonate the longest. It'll be interesting to see how the character is utilized in future films and if his films can stick to the greater themes and not simply turn into a sight-and-sound extravaganza. Disney's Blu-ray is excellent, featuring high-end video, top-tier audio, and a nice assortment of extra content. Very highly recommended.

[CSW] -3.6- Marvel Studios and Disney used eighteen special effects studios, and it is the visual effects set this film apart. There is plenty of eye candy to enjoy as the story rolls along. If you've liked the previous 13 movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, then you'll probably like this one, too. If you're wanting something different, though, you may be disappointed to find that they've stuck to the formula. Doctor Strange is a paint-by-numbers superhero movie, but it still manages to be an entertaining ride. I think the visual effects in this Marvel Studios film are better than in all the rest and that includes: Guardians of the Galaxy, Iron Man, Iron Man, Iron Man, Thor, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Hulk, Ant-Man, The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron and any others I may have forgotten.
[V4.5-A5.0] MPEG-4 AVC - D-Box (for CSW -4db)


º º