Doctor Strange

Or, how I learned to stop worrying and love the multiverse.

Steve Ditko's most famous creation, Spider-Man, is already a certified movie star. It's now time for his second most famous creation, Doctor Strange, to get his turn on the big screen. It's directed by Scott Derrickson, co-written by him, Jon Spaihts and C. Robert Cargill. The end result exceeds all visual expectations for a Marvel film.

Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a brilliant, yet self-assured neurosurgeon. His good life brutally ends when he drives down a cliff and damages his hands. He goes through every procedure he finds unsuccessfully. One day, he meets Pangborn (Benjamin Bratt), a paraplegic who can walk again. Pangborn points him to Kamar-Taj, the Kathmandu compound of the long-lived Sorceress Supreme, The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton).

The Ancient One eventually takes Strange under her tutelage. She teaches him the Mystic Arts and shows him the multiverse of other dimensions. One such dimension is the Dark Dimension, home of the Supreme Evilness, Dormammu. Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen), a former pupil of The Ancient One, and his followers, decide to call forth Dormammu to bring on the apocalypse. Strange must join with his fellow disciples, Wong (Benedict Wong) and Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), to keep that from happening. But there's a secret from The Ancient One that could change things.

Cumberbatch looks and acts the part of Strange. He's the Tony Stark of the Medical World: delightfully arrogant and an effective worker. He's sympathetic when he's humbled by misfortune. His determination makes him likable; he stays put outside Kamar-Taj when he's first rejected. He maintains a good snarky sense of humor through and through. Cumberbatch is also the motion-capture rendered visage of Dormammu, his voice combined with an unknown actor.

The supporting cast is also filled well. Tilda Swinton is a great mentor as The Ancient One. She may not look centuries old, but her weary face suggests longevity. Wong and Ejiofor also stand out because their characters are supportive provided Strange shapes up. Rachel McAdams was fine as Strange's girlfriend, Christine Palmer, whose relatively few scenes were standouts. Mikkelsen's role is a stock villain role, but there was sadness in his big villain rant. The best performance, though, was actually Strange's sentient Cloak of Levitation, who trounces Kaecillius's goons and bosses Strange around when they first meet.

The technical wizards are a mighty band of Marvels. This should be the film that conjures up a Visual Effects Oscar for a Marvel film (probably won't). The array of dimensions and spells we see are outstanding. These moments, from the folding city dimension to the out-of-body experiences to the Dark Dimension, are especially great in IMAX 3D (just pick a good seat). The makeup team contribute their own magic with such designs as Kaecillius's decaying face and Strange's scars. Michael Giacchino's score adds to the epicness of it all.

Doctor Strange is a technical and story Marvel. It's a self-contained story which introduces its magical hero to the big screen perfectly. It also nudges the Marvel Cinematic Universe along towards Avengers: Infinity War. This is a movie that needs to be seen on the largest screen possible. I'm so ready to see this again on home media.

Its prerequisite mid-credit scene sets up next year's release of Thor: Ragnarok. Its end-credit scene sets up Mordo's future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.