Doctor Strange: A Review

“Now, what’s this, my mantra? The Wi-Fi password, we’re not savages”. It is in the city of Kathmandu, where Doctor Stephen Strange goes to cure his body and where he realises the power of ‘mantras and chakras’ and learns the mystical arts.

For once, this movie has drifted our attention away from the city-levelling avengers, to others as powerful. And for the record, the word, “Avengers” is used just once. By keeping Dr. Strange small is the reason for it being big.

Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a proud man and is a renowned neurosurgeon. He loses the use of his hands after an accident, but Strange is determined to regain them. His quest to health leads him to Kamar-Taj in Kathmandu where he learns of other realities and the mystic arts. His immense intellectual prowess helps learn the mystical ways faster. He learns of the three sanctums which protect the Earth from beings of other dimensions and also of Kaecilius who had stolen the pages from a secret book which contained a ritual. Kaecilius and his followers use the stolen ritual to evoke the powerful Dormammu of the Dark Dimension and it is up to Strange, his Cloak of Levitation and Mordo (Chitwel Ejifor) to save the day.

Benedict Cumberbatch, the character who can make us laugh even with the raise of an eyebrow steals the show in this one. Strange and Mordo, another disciple of the ‘ancient one’ come out as two contrasting characters but friends. His character’s Tony Stark like arrogance and Sherlock like-attitude entices the audience to the thrill. At one point, Kaecilius is telling Strange about the benefits of the dark side, “Will you shut up or I’m going to gag you again” is his reply.

A heart felt sorry for all those people who think that I would find this movie, strange. This is the first movie where I found a Marvel movie short, it could have gone on and still would have been entertaining. Dr. Strange is crisp at 115 minutes, with a thrilling storyline, virtually beautiful cinematography, along with a classy cast and exquisite use of CGI. The background music is intense with curious tweaks as buildings are tilted and time is tampered with.

Overall, the movie is a good watch and doesn’t require background knowledge about other Marvel movies. When it comes to peace of mind, everyone looks to East, even would-be superheroes. Anyways, if you watch this movie, don’t forget to stick to the end for the post-credits scene.