It took me an awfully long time to finally get out and see this movie. And I think I can sum up my review by simply saying "that's a cryin' shame."
Turns out, it's really good, and I'm glad I was able to avoid spoilers for it this whole time. After Civil War, I was a little worried that the MCU had jumped the shark, but that doesn't seem to be the case. What's their secret to producing well made and highly entertaining movies at such a high rate? Probably a combination of Kevin Feige and the fact that no single director or writer is responsible for everything.
Whatever the reason, they pulled off a winner with this one, and the fact that it was bracketed by MCU trailers (Spiderman Homecoming and Guardian's of the Galaxy Vol. 2) and a reference to Thor: Ragnarok just made me really excited for 2017. But even with all this goodness and my own personal love of the film, there is one thing I think we'll all agree on.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has officially tipped.
If you started watching these movies with Iron Man clear back in 2008, you've generally kept up on the new releases (basically in order) since then, and you've got a pretty good memory for stuff like "what the heck are infinity stones," then you're probably fine. But if you've skipped movies, especially since the original Avengers, or if you watched them out of order and don't really remember a lot of stuff, there are definitely some major plot threads that span the entire MCU that you will absolutely miss.
Is that okay? Probably. The main plot of Doctor Strange is not difficult to follow and does not rely on you having some kind of massive existing knowledge base related to movie trivia. The movie also doesn't skimp on entertaining action and the MCU's signature wit, both of which are quality entertainment that works even if you've never seen another superhero movie before. The script is well written, the plotline is maybe predictable but well crafted none-the-less, and the casting was spot on. Benedict Cummerbund and Rachael McAdams sold their characters the way you expect A-listers to, Benedict Wong was as great a straight-man as you could ask for, and Mads Mikkelson and Tilda Swinton were both, of course, superb. Perhaps my favorite casting was Chiwetel Ejiofor, who I've always secretly wanted to be in a Marvel movie (I had him pegged as Black Panther originally, but he was really good in this role so I guess I'll get over it).
So the movie is well made, stands pretty well on its own, and above all is just really excellent fun. I'll be buying it, which isn't saying much considering I eventually buy all of the Marvel movies, but I'll also be buying it ahead of Civil War, even though Civil War has been out for simply ages now. It's one of the most original entries into the MCU in years, up there with Ant-man and Guardians of the Galaxy in terms of breathing new life into a series that has had so many opportunities to go stale.
Thanks to Doctor Strange, I'm eagerly awaiting a second sequel to Thor. Given Disney's track record throughout my childhood, that's flipping amazing.
Turns out, it's really good, and I'm glad I was able to avoid spoilers for it this whole time. After Civil War, I was a little worried that the MCU had jumped the shark, but that doesn't seem to be the case. What's their secret to producing well made and highly entertaining movies at such a high rate? Probably a combination of Kevin Feige and the fact that no single director or writer is responsible for everything.
Whatever the reason, they pulled off a winner with this one, and the fact that it was bracketed by MCU trailers (Spiderman Homecoming and Guardian's of the Galaxy Vol. 2) and a reference to Thor: Ragnarok just made me really excited for 2017. But even with all this goodness and my own personal love of the film, there is one thing I think we'll all agree on.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has officially tipped.
If you started watching these movies with Iron Man clear back in 2008, you've generally kept up on the new releases (basically in order) since then, and you've got a pretty good memory for stuff like "what the heck are infinity stones," then you're probably fine. But if you've skipped movies, especially since the original Avengers, or if you watched them out of order and don't really remember a lot of stuff, there are definitely some major plot threads that span the entire MCU that you will absolutely miss.
Is that okay? Probably. The main plot of Doctor Strange is not difficult to follow and does not rely on you having some kind of massive existing knowledge base related to movie trivia. The movie also doesn't skimp on entertaining action and the MCU's signature wit, both of which are quality entertainment that works even if you've never seen another superhero movie before. The script is well written, the plotline is maybe predictable but well crafted none-the-less, and the casting was spot on. Benedict Cummerbund and Rachael McAdams sold their characters the way you expect A-listers to, Benedict Wong was as great a straight-man as you could ask for, and Mads Mikkelson and Tilda Swinton were both, of course, superb. Perhaps my favorite casting was Chiwetel Ejiofor, who I've always secretly wanted to be in a Marvel movie (I had him pegged as Black Panther originally, but he was really good in this role so I guess I'll get over it).
So the movie is well made, stands pretty well on its own, and above all is just really excellent fun. I'll be buying it, which isn't saying much considering I eventually buy all of the Marvel movies, but I'll also be buying it ahead of Civil War, even though Civil War has been out for simply ages now. It's one of the most original entries into the MCU in years, up there with Ant-man and Guardians of the Galaxy in terms of breathing new life into a series that has had so many opportunities to go stale.
Thanks to Doctor Strange, I'm eagerly awaiting a second sequel to Thor. Given Disney's track record throughout my childhood, that's flipping amazing.
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