First Take: Doctor Strange- the Sorcerer Supreme hits the big screen

Spoiler free as usual. Because sometimes the American audiences deserve a surprise.

SYPNOSIS:

A former neurosurgeon embarks on a journey of healing only to be drawn into the world of the mystic arts.

Marvel have single-handedly redefined the superhero genre over the last few years, and their dominance of the genre is pretty much described in Civil War from earlier this year. Now, they’re introducing new characters to the fold, and my god, Scott Derrickson has done a brilliant job of taking Doctor Strange to the big screen.

It’s a typical superhero origin story, however Derrickson, Jon Spaights and Robert Cargill’s script allows for a completely different power set to be introduced to casual audiences in a way that they can understand- this is a testament to the direction of Derrickson, as he balances the mystic world with the real world in such a way that audiences can distinguish the two easily. This dedication to the source material is also shown with some brilliant casting, as Benedict Cumberbatch takes the lead role with absolute ease. There are also some great supporting performances from Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Rachel McAdams too, with the whole cast putting in a great effort. The CG effects are very well handled, and combined with the cinematography of Ben Davis, parts of the mystic world feel like sequences from Inception- and that’s never a bad thing. Michael Giacchino’s score also adds to the flair a little bit more, with elements that aren’t usually associated with this sort of film. It may be predictable at points, but Marvel may have another hit on their hands.

THE VERDICT

Even though it is a clichéd narrative formula, Marvel have really done a great job translating Doctor Strange to a big screen product. It might not be the best film they’ve made, but it does give us a clearer idea as to where they are heading as we pick up the pace in Phase 3 of their Cinematic Universe.

RATING: 4.5/5