Review - Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange follows Stephen Strange; an egotistical surgeon who loses the use of his hands and finds a new purpose as a sorcerer who protects the world.

PROTAGONIST
As to be expected with a Marvel Studios movie, the best part is the lead.
Benedict Cumberbatch brings a snarky arrogance to the role but also balances it with the tragedy of a man who loses everything. His performance swings from a cocky swagger to a desperate and angry man, with a heavy emphasis on drama that makes this feel like a more mature action movie.
His basic story is not exactly new for a superhero, but the presentation is more of a spiritual discovery than of a hero fighting crime, making for a much more mature character-focused experience.

VILLAIN
A lot of criticism is placed on the villain, played by Mads Mikkelsen, but I feel like this is unfair; rather than approaching the character as a typical supervillain, he’s just a high functioning henchman for the larger threat, Dormomu.
The villain isn’t going to win any awards, but they function perfectly well as a central threat to move the plot along.

ACTION
The action is a definite highlight; combining martial arts with creative CG effects.
It has some interesting setups too; Dr Strange fights someone in spirit form while his body is undergoing surgery, one takes place on a building that’s in the process of folding over, and my personal favourite is a fight in a destroyed street that is fixing itself in reverse.
It’s a really unique action style, even outside of superhero movies; like if Inception was more creative in its setups.

CONCLUSION
It’s not the best of the Marvel movies in terms of quality, but it excels so hard with its characterisation and visuals that it’s one of my favourites.

Think Harry Potter meets Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, while tripping on acid.
It’s a well led movie that combines creative action with a really strong lead, and it’s a solid recommendation from me.

The Lost City

The Lost City follows a romance novel writer who is forced by an eccentric billionaire to help him find an ancient treasure, while a foolish model does his best to save her.

The movie has a very tropic thunder vibe, with Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum having great comedic energy.
Tatum’s charmingly idiotic Alan brings a very likeable version of the classic dumb model arc-type, that actually has some depth which goes beyond being a walking punchline, while Bullock’s straight man to both him and the villain helps sell the comedy.
The pair work well together and the witty writing help elevates what could have been a tired premise.

Daniel Radcliff is a brilliant villain too; this is another trope we’ve seen in other movies, but Radcliff brings a certain energy that it’s hard to say I’ve seen performed the same way. His increasing frustration leading to the climax makes him both threatening and funny.

CONCLUSION

It’s not a very deep movie or too original, but the performances and writing make for a funny and entertaining movie.

Hardly the next comedy classic, but a very enjoyable trip to the cinema.
It’s a solid recommendation, and if that doesn’t sell you on the movie,
it has Channing Tatum’s butt in.
And while I’m not into guys, I gotta conceded,
it’s a nice butt.

The Northman

The Northman follows a Viking, Amleth, on a path to avenge his father.
If you’re able to guess the entire plot from that description then you’ve seen the Lion King too.

It’s hardly an original plot, but what it lacks in a new story, the Northman delivers in atmosphere.
It’s a visual masterpiece, that’s impossible to look away from.
The cinematography is gorgeous; from one-shot fight scenes to the disturbing close-ups, it captures the emotions of every scene and completely drew me in.
Not just visual either. The sound design is downright perfect, from the violent hacking of blades to the howling winds; a movie has never sounded this cold.

Action scenes felt pretty sparse and lacking in my opinion, but that’s clearly not what this was going for.
This is an artistic action movie; it’s about emotion and cinematography rather than an updated Conan the Barbarian.
I’m not marking it down for that, but it is something to bear in mind; if you expect an action-filled adventure, you’ll be disappointed.
That said the final battle is pretty epic, but again it’s down to the cinematography.
Just letting you know what you’re in for.

It’s pretty trippy too; somewhere between Midsommar and Dr Strange, with visual allusions to the Norse Mythology that inspired it.
It’s not fantasy; there’s a fight scene with an undead skeleton that’s all a dream, and illusions of Valkyries and Odin, it’s a great way of including this classic imagery while keeping it grounded in the real world.
It helps build this world and sucks you further into the story.

CONCLUSION

It’s every tale of revenge in olden times you’ve seen, but thanks to it’s visual and sound design it definatly stands above the rest.

It’s not the blood soaked epic I thought I wanted,
but the artistic journey into the world of Vikings I didn’t know I actually did.
While it lacked the story or character to push it over the edge, it’s an extremely immersive work of art that I highly recommend to those who wish to journey to the frozen North.