The makers of the latest comic book-inspired feature film “Doctor Strange” faced the same hurdle as those who put together “Guardians of the Galaxy”. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a Gregory House type of character – a brilliant but arrogant neurosurgeon who can seemingly do no wrong until he meets an ironic Waterloo in the form of a vehicle accident that leaves his nervous system shattered.
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So, “Doctor Strange” isn’t groundbreaking, but it definitely brings something new to the table, and by virtue of the fact that it also happens to be a very fun and well-made film in a conventional sense, that’s enough to snap us out of any concerns we ought to have had about the state of the genre after its most recent entries.
All of which is to say, if the Ancient One was aware of these threats, where was she and her fellow sorcerers all these years when the planet needed them most? Scott Derrickson directs the film with a $165 million price tag.
What I do like about “Strange”, though, is that besides the opening’s establishing shot, an offhand comment midway through the film and the mid and post-credit scenes, “Strange” is isolated from The Avengers and rest of the MCU. However, the director remarked that is not all fans could expect in the movie. The special effects here are mind-bending in the best of ways, and the filmmakers’ attention to detail is commendable.
Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Dr. Stephen Strange, a world-renowned neurosurgeon with an ego rivaling that of Tony Stark. He goes to Nepal to search for a cure and gets swept up by the magic he finds in a secretive group led by a mysteriously powerful woman known as The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton). We’re not talking about Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen). With the number of installments we’ve seen so far, that doesn’t sound easy, but when you incorporate other dimensions and a supernatural element, the story paves the way. “I’ve grown up as a cinema-going lover of this comic universe and to then get a chance to play in it was fantastic”, Cumberbatch said. I have no doubt we’ll be heading back into his weird world, and I look forward to it.
Everyone was pushed to their limits in some way.
Rachel McAdams is an innately likable actress but in the film she doesn’t have a role beyond reacting to things happening around her.
“It’s a great motivator to try and do a good job and fulfill the promise they’ve shown you, or that they’ve given to you”, explains Cumberbatch about the process of being so heavily pursued for a role. Cumberbatch embraces the look with the same importance as if he were starring in “Hamlet”. The top three films all garnered largely positive reviews from critics and all recorded A CinemaScores from opening weekend audiences too. “But it’s come later in life for me”. Do I care? Of course, I do.
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Rounding out the top 10 films were: The Accountant (US$6.0 million) Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (US$5.6 million) Ouija: Origin of Evil (US$4.0 million) The Girl on the Train (US$2.8 million) “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” (US$2.1 million).
