I saw Doctor Strange the other night and I have to say it was a very pleasant surprise on multiple fronts. The story is fairly generic superhero fare which sounds bad but it isn’t because with these types of movies it isn’t necessarily the construction of the story but rather the people performing it and the characters they portray. While the story probably will not shock or surprise, especially those familiar with the comics, the presentation of it is second to none. Benedict Cumberbatch was a shockingly controversial pick given that the MCU has done some amazing things by plucking relative nobodies and turning them into bankable actors and actresses, even on the silver screen. Cumberbatch was seen as the safe and popular pick for Strange but coming out of the movie I don’t think I could see anyone else playing him for the foreseeable future.

Tilda Swinton was another great surprise, not that I was expecting a bad performance on any level, but moreso that her as The Ancient One ended up being an incredible cast. She added a lot of emotional depth and even humor to a role that didn’t necessarily require it. Not enough can be said about all the supporting actors in this movie either, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Madds Mikkelsen, Benedict Wong and Rachel McAdams were all excellent and a credit to their characters. I really hope that Marvel continues on and gives  Doctor Strange a second standalone movie at least to let these actors explore their characters a bit more and expose audiences to more of that wonderful Strange.

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