Hi everybody! Welcome to MC Tuesday, where we watch a movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Before we dive in, let me say that this is a lot of fun. As someone who is not a Marvel-maniac, it has been awesome going back through these movies and putting pieces together week by week. I notice things I did not notice before, and I view every stinger for clues. I pay attention to directors and writers and recall certain behaviors of the characters. This has been an interesting exploration of storytelling and moviemaking, and how beloved characters come to life on the big screen.
Now let’s get into today’s movie. It’s a good one! Ladies and gentlemen, I bring to you the sorcery slickster Doctor Strange. The 2016 movie was directed by Scott Derrickson. He’s done a lot of creepy movies like Sinister and the Exorcism of Emily Rose. Alrighty, let’s get strange!
Paging Doctor Sherlock Strange
I did not know where to begin writing this one. So let’s start with how one of my favorite actors plays Dr. Stephen Strange, the one, and only Benedict Cumberbatch. How awesome that Sherlock and Watson are in Marvel movies. Cumberbatch plays Sherlock and Martin Freeman plays Watson. Freeman appears in both Captain America: Civil War and Black Panther as Everett Ross.
Sherlock and Watson aside, let’s talk about Stephen Strange. You can make a couple of comparisons between Strange and Tony Stark. Tony Stark is an egomaniacal, snarky brilliant guy that became a hero after a near-death experience. Dr. Stephen Strange is an egomaniacal, snarky yet brilliant guy with a dope watch collection, that becomes a hero after a texting and driving-style incident. Now, he does what I like to call ninja-vogueing while wearing a cape that has a sassy personality.
Hey! It’s That Evil Guy!
The bad guy in this movie is Kaecilius. Kaecillius is played by Mads Mikkelsen. This is perfect casting. That guy has one of the most sinister-looking faces in the history of movies. He also plays Hannibal Lecter and the bad guy in Casino Royale. It’s like the casting director for Doctor Strange said, “Who can we find with a sinister-looking face that we can slap a symbol on his forehead to make him extra scary? Let’s call Mads!”. His name is Mads for Pete’s sake.
The Visuals
This movie has outstanding visual effects. The scene where The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) knocks him into the multiverse is a beautiful scene. And the scenes where they fight in the mirror dimension is interesting. How the dimension movement is combined with the fighting and running looks fantastic. There’s so much for your eyeholes to absorb throughout the movie.
The Avenger’s Connection
So where the heck was Thor (Chris Hemsworth) during Civil War? Perhaps he was in New York recruiting the assistance of one Stephen Strange. Our boy Thor is in the stinger, enjoying an endless mug of beer. We also see the appearance of another infinity stone during the movie.
Wrapping it Up
Well, that’s it for Doctor Strange. Next week we see more of our sweet baby Peter Parker in Spiderman: Homecoming. I have yet to watch this one, but I heard it is good. We are creeping closer and closer to Infinity War. Be on the lookout on my Facebook page for a special mini-blog, where we will connect some more dots…or should I say stones? Until then, I will see you on Anime Thursday where we talk about Magical Girl Site.
Couch Cruisin' 