‘Doctor Strange’ Review Roundup: Benedict Cumberbatch Delights Fans

Doctor Strange, directed by Scott Derrickson, has delighted audiences, and upholds a stunning 90% on rottentomatoes.com since its release yesterday. The latest film in the Marvel universe center on disgraced former surgreon Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) who goes through mystical training sessions with the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), and must defeat the evil Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen). While some fear this Marvel installment doesn’t quite live up to its counterparts, most agree that Doctor Strange makes a fun, action-packed standalone film. Apart from the stunning visuals, Cumberbatch’s performance as an angry, sarcastic American good guy have audiences applauding.

DOCTOR STRANGE REVIEW ROUNDUP

“The space-and-time warping and mirrored realities in “Doctor Strange” are a blast. They’re inventive enough that they awaken wonder, provoking that delicious question: How did they do that? …Mr. Cumberbatch’s affable screen presence works up a strong, steady counterbeat to his character’s narcissism. As is the case when he plays characters like Sherlock Holmes, Mr. Cumberbatch comes across in this movie as at once supremely capable (it’s easy to accept him as a neurosurgeon) and more than a little goofy, with the kind of lopsided beauty and spring-loaded physicality that seem ready-made for silly faces and walks.”
– Manohla Dargis, New York Times

“[The visuals are] fun to watch, and at the very least these scenes suggest a visual boldness that was lacking in other Marvel movies… However, these new visuals don’t offer up anything new to how Marvel is telling its stories. Marvel didn’t hire a director as much as they hired a decorator, and while it’s neat to see the movie play with some unique settings, it can turn into an absolute chore when it’s nothing more than two astrally projected spirits brawling in a hospital. I understand that there’s only so many different ways you can create unique fight scenes, and Doctor Strange has its fair share, but at the same time, nothing in the visuals solve the film’s pacing problems or that it’s drawing on the same tropes we’ve seen in previous [Marvel Cinematic Universe] installments. Rating: C.”
–Matt Goldberg, Collider

“Cumberbatch is terrific as a guy who learns the hard way that he’s not the center of the universe and who evolves from an egotistical jerk to a hero of epic proportions. This is as good as popcorn entertainment gets.”
– Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“Like most of Marvel’s recent offerings, the film refuses to engage with viewers on any but the most superficial level… Despite this, the film is surprisingly engaging. It’s fun… The film pains to excel in two areas often ignored by other genre entries: characterization and visual storytelling. It has a cohesive ensemble cast. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, and Benedict Wong play Strange’s friends and allies, while Mads Mikkelsen, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Scott Adkins are his villainous enemies. And it features characters who feel, for the most part, like real people with genuine emotions. Relationships are well-drawn, particularly the ambiguous, combative emotional fencing bout Strange has with ex-lover McAdams. True, the script and storyline aren’t exactly worthy of the Royal Shakespeare Company. But Derrickson makes up for the story’s thematic vapidity and predictable structure with exciting visuals.”
– Tirdad Derakhshani, philly.com

“What Robert Downey, Jr. is to Iron Man and Ryan Reynolds is to Deadpool – that’s what Benedict Cumberbatch is to Doctor Strange. By that I mean, he’s everything… Doctor Strange creates its own world. And it’s a badass beauty.”
–Peter Travers, Rolling Stone