Doctor Strange (2016)

Doctor Strange

• This film is such a great visual spectacle, and I love it. The origin of Doctor Strange is one that I was never too familiar with, so it's nice to see the backstory of a lesser known hero (to me). So, being able to watch his origin was really fun. I’m definitely a huge fan of Doctor Strange, and on a rewatch, this makes me even more of a fan than I already was. The story in this is pretty good, and watching Stephen having to learn to live with what he’s given is intriguing. There is a great, deep message within this film, something that some superhero films fail to have. The plot definitely keeps you invested for almost the entire time, and there is constantly something exciting happening. I will say this, though: I have a *slight* problem with the pacing. While the structure of the story keeps moving forward continually, I think the jump between Dr. Strange and Doctor Strange is way too quick. What I mean is that it very quickly goes from ordinary Stephen to a masterful sorcerer in just under two hours, and honestly, it feels rushed to me. That's not technically a bad thing, I just wanted more time to see the building up process. But that's my biggest complaint. Obviously the 90% that I gave it still means something majorly positive. The acting and characters were really great, and I especially loved both Benedict Cumberbatch and Mads Mikkelsen. Mads always plays a great villain in anything he's in. He brings forward a great evil persona, as well as an awesome design and look. And the film's biggest strength is clearly the visuals and effects. The CGI is mind-blowingly good, and I enjoyed every second of the on-screen magic. Several scenes reminded me a lot of 'Inception', and many moments give you the same vibe that 'Inception' does. Michael Giacchino once again brings forth an absolute banger of a score, as he is quite literally the modern day John Williams. So many scenes were accompanied with phenomenal music, especially the fight scenes. It fits the mood of the film in a perfect way. Overall, this film is great, visually pleasing, and just fun. I would definitely recommend this movie for Marvel/superhero fans, as well as sci-fi/fantasy fans. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go check it out now!