Starring
Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict
Wong, Mads Mikkelsen, Tilda Swinton, Benjamin Bratt, Scott Adkins.
Directed by Scott Derrickson. (2016, 115 min).
I
couldn't care less about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Most of the
movies are enjoyable enough, but the best ones are less immediately-concerned
about their characters' place in the MCU than providing a good, solid
stand-alone story. For example, the
first two Captain America
movies worked so well because they focused primarily on its title character and
his ongoing battle with Hydra. However, Captain
America: Civil War was top-heavy with superheroes and spent so
much time setting up the MCU's future that it forgot to be a Captain America sequel. And, no, I don't care if that's how things played out in the comic books. The overall narrative success of one film should not hinge on the viewer having seen a half-dozen others.
For
those who may not be up-to-speed on who's feuding with who, Doctor
Strange is a breath of
fresh air. Like Guardians of the Galaxy,
Marvel adapts a relatively obscure comic into an entertaining and
amusing action film that doesn't depend on knowledge of
a pre-existing universe or the myriad heroes defending it (the title character may be even more obscure to general
audiences than Ant-Man). It's
unmistakably a Marvel film, so of course the fate of the world is at
stake. And yeah, it's loaded with some overly-ambitious CGI
spectacle that, while elaborate, distract more than enhance
(not-to-mention being highly reminiscent of Inception). Obligatory character origins are a necessary evil, I suppose,
meaning the first forty minutes or so tread awfully familiar ground
(and bare more than a casual resemblance to Neo's Matrix
training).
 |
| Benedict and Chiwetel participate in the annual Run Like Tom Cruise Marathon. |
However,
like Guardians (as well as the original Iron Man), amid
all the whiz-bang fireworks are interesting characters, a cast of
truly great actors and a clever script to work with. Benedict
Cumberbatch embodies the title character as effectively as Robert
Downey Jr. once did,
meaning his newly-acquired abilities haven't completely stripped him
of his personality (or his ego). One criticism often leveled at
Marvel movies is their weak villains, but as Kaecilius, the great
Mads Mikkelson is suitably menacing, even empathetic & funny sometimes. And personally, I didn't even have a problem
with The Ancient One being gender-swapped. While I certainly understand the criticism over whitewashing a traditionally Tibetan character, any decision to stick Tilda Swinton in your movie is ultimately a good one.
 |
| "Damn...where the hell is Waldo?" |
Once
the film takes care of the preliminaries and introductions to focus
on the story proper, Doctor Strange
gains momentum like a runaway boulder, building to a climax that
includes a surprising amount of intentional humor along with all the
sensory overload. Though hardcore fans might be disappointed, references to the MCU are largely (and wisely) kept on the down-low,
with no real baring on the story itself. One of the standard
post-credit sequences does suggest Marvel has big plans for some of
these characters in the MCU, but Doctor Strange
works nicely enough on its own merits. Call me silly, but that
should be priority-one with any movie.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
FEATURETTES:
"Team
Thor Part 2" - Another amusing little reality TV-style spoof
featuring Thor and his roommate;
"A
Strange Transformation" - Making of featurette with plenty of
behind-the-scenes footage;
"Across
Time and Space" - Featurette focusing on visual effects and
fight cherography;
"The
Fabric of Reality" - Costume & set design;
"Marvel
Studios Phase 3" - For those of you keeping score, a look at
upcoming films in the MCU;
"Strange
Company" - Interviews with the cast & crew;
"The
Scorce-cerer Supreme" - Interview with composer Michael
Giacchino;
AUDIO
COMMENTARY BY DIRECTOR SCOTT DERRICKSON
DELETED/EXTENDED
SCENES
OPTIONAL
INTRO BY DIRECTOR SCOTT DERRICKSON
GAG
REEL
DVD
& DIGITAL COPIES
KITTY CONSENSUS:
PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS
No comments:
Post a Comment