Sunday, October 30, 2016

Doctor Strange


 
 
I was a huge fan of Doctor Strange since I was a kid. In fact my current toy collection all started with a Doctor Strange action figure. I loved how he came with a cape that allowed you to have the illusion of him floating. The same cape that is almost it's own character in this film. Such a cool concept that is done very well.
 
 
Months ago I ordered the latest Marvel Select Doctor Strange figure but I promised myself I would not open it until I saw the movie - a movie that I enjoyed very much. When I heard that Benedict Cumberbatch was cast as Strange I knew he was the perfect person to bring this character to life. He plays the arrogance perfectly but brings an actually sense of humor to all the insanity going on around him. To me that was the perfect tone for the film and matches perfectly with the insane visual effects and spell casting that is going on throughout the film.
 
 
 
 
I also forgot as I was watching that the Ancient One was played by a woman and not an old Asian man as in the comics and that was the casting that I thought I would have the most trouble with. Also Baron Mordu is a good guy and not the bad guy that he is in the comics. Neither of these changes affect the origin story that is being told here and it's a good origin story. Once again Marvel has impressed me with the love that goes into each of these superhero movies that they make. I was very impressed with how Strange defeated Dormammu because in the world of Strange it makes sense and is very satisfying for the viewer.
 

 

5 comments:

j-swin said...

Never really exposed to doc strange growing up but we watched a 10 minute preview at Disney World yesterday and it looks pretty cool. Great visuals and the story seems solid.

Cal's Canadian Cave of Coolness said...

I liked it. The cast is strong.

Jordan said...

To me the most important element is that this is the other Steve Ditko title...and it shows. Ditko's built into the DNA of this story in the best possible way.

Unknown said...

Yeh, Ditko got this one totally right back in the day. The idea was such high concept that you really needed the right artist for the time to make it great. I don't know if Kirby would have done it so well and that is high praise.

Jordan said...

Exactly! Kirby's stuff, even at its most extreme, is always about (if you will) the correct behavior of the universe; it's all square-jawed and proper. For the teenage angst of Spider-Man, and for the total off-the-edge weirdness of Dr. Strange, you need the creepy, unsettling (but incredibly powerful) lines of Ditko.