Benedict Cumberbatch stars as the title character in this new fantasy superhero film detailing how a disgraced and injured neurosurgeon goes on a path of healing and unlocks magical powers. But does this movie stand up to the other Marvel movies? Kind of. This film is definitely enjoyable to watch and features amazing special effects. However, I think that the Marvel “formula” is starting to get old. It’s to the point where each origin movie they do follows the exact same path and it really hurt this film. The unnecessary love interest was really forced and the plot was predictable. It seems like every superhero movie has a subplot about the hero’s girlfriend who falls in love with them after they get their powers.

So far, nearly every Marvel film has closely followed a specific outline. It’s standard for each film to have a powerful object that will “change the world”. Then the hero has their first face-off with the villain. Now they start to feel some inner turmoil. Whether they start to question their mission or they battle their own personal conflicts. Then they get over it and have the final battle. It’s an epic showdown full of CGI. And each one of these films has been greeted with generally favorable reviews. However, this was the first film that I noticed that the film was so similar to every other Marvel film. This restricted the film from expanded more on the magic elements and characters. What we were given were one-sided characters, and predictable plot twists. This film really could’ve opened up the Marvel cinematic universe to a whole new world of magic, and while it did, it could’ve been much more. The film is still enjoyable, however. The story offers a nice redemption for Doctor Strange, as he learns how to harness magical powers. But don’t let the flashy special effects distract from the weak plot. Throughout the film, Doctor Strange is warned of a monster named Dormammu. And when it comes time for Strange to battle him, it  ends up just being played off for jokes. The fight with Dormammu could’ve been an epic showdown and Dormammu could’ve been as big of a threat as he is in the source material. But instead, he was built up throughout the entire film and then only existed for comedy.

As much as I complain, I still enjoyed this film. It did exactly what it needed to do: introduce us to Doctor Strange. When I saw that Scott Derrickson was directing this film, I was excited and worried. Derrickson has made primarily horror films and his first venture into sci-fi was with the reboot of The Day the Earth Stood Still. I was excited to see how his experience in horror was going to add to the film, but The Day the Earth Stood Still was hated by critics. However, Derrickson was able to pull off a decent film. Doctor Strange is a must-see for fans of Marvel. I give Doctor Strange 3/5 Ceglinskis.