‘We never lose our demons, Mordo. We only learn to live above them..’
It’s pain me to say but I’m kinda tired of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I’m tired of Thor’s stupid accent and Iron Man’s one liners. I’m tired of one dimensional villains and forgettable heroines. I’m tired of Stan Lee cameos and the post credits cut scene. Marvel has hit on a winning formulae and it steadfastly refusing to stray from the script. And why should it? The majority of their output has found that sweet spot between commercial success and critical acclaim. You only need to look at the shit show that is DC Comics Extended Universe to see how difficult it is to achieve what Marvel has made look easy. And so, to Doctor Strange…
Doctor Stephen Strange is a brilliant neurosurgeon that seeks the help of a mystic after injuring his hands. I love Benedict Cumberbatch but Doctor Strange is such a dick that is difficult to warm to the character. Cumberbatch managed this trick when portraying Sherlock Holmes but lightning fails to strike twice here.
As with every Marvel film we have underused female co stars (Rachel McAdams), forgettable antagonists (Mads Mikkelsen) and loads of special effects. The difference here was supposed to be the physics bending, mind altering allure of the Doctor Strange character. Instead we have rehashed ideas from The Matrix, 2001: A Space Odyssey and particularly Inception. Doctor not that Strange would perhaps be a more appropriate moniker.
Doctor Strange is by no means a bad film, there were large swathes of it that I quite enjoyed, but as always with the MCU, the glossiness and sheen of the production takes away any semblance of a heart. I can honestly say I haven’t cared about the fate of any on screen Marvel character since about 2012.
I was always continue to watch Marvel movies despite my curmudgeonly opinion of them. It is a shame then that they are now everything their detractors said they were. An exercise in shallow money grabbing working under the pretence of being art.