Make Mine Mind-Bending: Marvel’s ‘Doctor Strange’

If there’s one movie you have to see in 3-D, it has to be Marvel’s Doctor Strange, out this week in theaters everywhere. The special effects are staggering, the cast is a great fit despite the whitewashing undertones that have dogged the film from the start, and Doctor Strange is a welcome addition to the world of the Avengers.

Doctor Strange tells the story of Dr. Stephen Strange, first name-dropped in Captain America: Civil War. Strange is a renowned surgeon, brilliant, arrogant, and rich, but it all comes crashing around him (literally) when his hands are irreparably injured in a car accident. His manic mission to be healed takes him to Kathmandu, Nepal, where he meets The Ancient One and learns about the worlds beyond our own.

The latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is more likely to draw comparisons to Inception and The Matrix than The Avengers thanks to its mind-bending (and mind-blowing) special effects, making it a rare movie theater must-see to get the most bang for your buck.

Where The Avengers turned New York City into crumbled buildings and smoking concrete, Doctor Strange gives us an incredible new view of the city. As you’ve likely seen in the trailers, buildings and streets twist and undulate, creating not just obstacles for the characters but turning the city into a moving work of art.

Benedict Cumberbatch as Strange gives the character the necessary arrogance and aloofness while somehow still being likable. (That’s Cumberbatch’s real-life magic we’ve seen before in Sherlock.) While his American accent might be jarring for longtime fans for just a moment, it almost effortlessly transforms him from Cumberbatch to Strange.

While the character whitewashing shouldn’t be ignored, Tilda Swinton, who has an otherworldly air about her naturally, brings a welcome stillness to the dazzling visual fireworks happening on screen.

Doctor Strange’s journey into the mystical world is also the audience’s first glimpse into a new facet of the Marvel universe, and while it’s definitely a wild new ride, the occasional namedrop of the Avengers reminds us that’s where we still are. There’s also the requisite dry humor, Stan Lee cameo, and mid-credits scene that firmly places Doctor Strange in the realm of the MCU.

This is a rare Marvel movie that practically begs for not just one but repeat viewings in the movie theater. Catch Doctor Strange now in a theater near you.

GeekMom attended a promotional screening.

All Images: Marvel Studios