I’m rewatching Dr. Strange tonight and I’m loving it! I never read the comic, so I originally went into the movie with no preconceptions or ideas on the way things ‘should be’ done.
After finishing the movie, a few things came to mind. First is the Marvel movie villain problem. The hero’s in Marvel movies are great. They’re fleshed out, solid, and are generally done very well.
Dr. Strange, like most Marvel movies, suffers from a boring and not very well done villain. Dormammu’s name is mentioned a few times here and there, but we don’t see him until the last 10/15 minutes of the movie. When we finally do see Dormammu, he’s just a boring looking face. It’s hard to tell how powerful he is because of the time loop Dr. Strange puts him in.
Prior to Strange’s meeting with Dormammu, Strange fought against his henchmen, who were again not very compelling villains. The leader (sorry, I can’t remember his name. Not a good sign after just watching the movie) who was clearly driven in his mission, was still nothing special. It’s a bit unclear what he’s doing and why.
He’s helping Dormammu to get himself…ummm…to live forever?? Why? I just don’t get the living forever thing as a reward. Who wants to live forever?? I don’t get the appeal of living forever. I wouldn’t want to live forever.
The villain issue takes some of the steam out of the movie for me. It’s hard to stay involved with and believe in the tension supposedly created by the hero’s fighting the villains when the villain is boring and their motivation is confusing and hard to relate with.
Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance as Dr. Strange is what saves the movie. He owns the role, starting off as an arrogant prick and ending up as a better man who puts others ahead of himself. His journey from dick to savior of the world is compelling and fun to watch, and in my opinion saves the movie.
What are your thoughts on Dr. Strange?
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