Can Marvel Studios do no wrong? Most of the critics would have us think so, and with other studios’ attempts to keep up proving lacklustre – see the largely negative reviews of X-Men: Apocalypse and Suicide Squad – it seems that Marvel has nothing less than a monopoly on the superhero movie genre.
Indeed, Doctor Strange comes at a time when the studio is at the top of its game, most of its audience still high on the excitement of Captain America: Civil War – released earlier this year. Hopes are high, and while stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Tilda Swinton provide a certain heightened allure to the brief clips and trailers we’ve been treated to so far, this only gives the film a greater potential to disappoint.
The film’s promotion is emblematic of how Marvel puts a delicate spin on the usual fast-paced action sequences we’re used to. Instead of the armoured hero(es) in the midst of endless warfare, we are given nothing more than an image of Cumberbatch as Doctor Steven Strange, whose distorted image seems to hint at an equally distorted version of reality.
Herein lies the film’s main strength: the action sequences – and indeed the visuals overall – are stunning. The opening scene sees the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) battle Kaecilius (Mads Mikklesen) as reality folds around them like paper. It’s one of Marvel’s most dazzling fight sequences, capturing the imagination as much as the sense of urgency felt when good meets with evil. Later, as Steven Strange is hurled through multiple dimensions in the space of minutes – during one of those rare movies where the 3D effects actually pay off – we see that special effects are truly a form of art. Where visuals are concerned, Doctor Strange is Marvel’s masterpiece.
Cumberbatch and Swinton dominate the screen, bringing a certain ethereal quality to a film already steeped in magic and mystery. Steven Strange is reminiscent of Tony Stark in both his arrogance and subsequent fall from grace, and Cumberbatch’s performance as the man whose world is turned inside out is flawless. Fully outfitted as Doctor Strange, complete with the Cloak of Levitation, you might think he was born to bring this particular super hero to life.
Swinton faces perhaps a greater challenge: the controversy surrounding the casting of a white woman as a character originally portrayed as an Asian man has undoubtedly set audiences against her. While the current trend of Hollywood “whitewashing” has exposed just how much further we have to go to resolve issues of racial discrimination, it’s refreshing to see a female character portrayed this way in a Marvel film. Androgynous, otherworldly, and unyielding, she does not fit any of the usual moulds for a female character in a superhero film – neither the whip-smart, exasperated love interest (Pepper Potts, Sue Storm), nor the heavily sexualised heroine (Black Widow, Harley Quinn). The wise and powerful mentor may not be an especially original character, but Swinton plays it so magnificently it seems at times that the story behind the Ancient One may be more compelling than the one playing out before your eyes.
For despite the ease with which Cumberbatch and Swinton carry their roles, there is an undercurrent of something in Doctor Strange that just doesn’t feel quite right. Perhaps it’s the fact that every other character barely makes a mark on the memory (see an underused Rachel McAdams serving as the token love interest). Perhaps it’s the fact that you’ll come out remembering the mind-bending landscapes, but barely anything about the plot. Underneath all its glamour, Doctor Strange brings little new to the table for the superhero genre.
For some, Doctor Strange will remain dazzling enough to distract from its pitfalls. For others, it will be a generic Marvel movie, barely distinguishable from its counterparts. None of this matters. Marvel Studios has done enough to guarantee a box office hit every time it releases a film, and Doctor Strange will be no exception. Go, and be seduced by dreamlike visions and promises of something great. Just don’t expect all those promises to be fulfilled.