I suppose it was just a matter of time before Benedict Cumberbatch joined The Avengers or Superfriends or The A-Team or whatever manner of graphic novel hero is floating our collective psyche boat these days … the man already behaves like something from the pages of a comic book regardless of role or circumstance. What do you suppose it is like to date a guy like that? I’ll never know. Alas.
It takes an entire act to warm up to Doctor Strange (Cumberbatch). This neurologist’s ego preceeds him in all facets of life. Naturally, he pays the price for excessive hubris, taking a dive off a cliff which wrecks his good pair o’ stichin’ hands. Awwww. And wouldn’t you know it? The one guy who could put Humpty CumberDumpty’s digits right again now doesn’t have the ability to do so. Anybody else reminded of that old Sirhan Sirhan joke? The assassin once claimed during a 
parole hearing that Robert F. Kennedy would have forgiven him – gosh, dude, the one guy who would forgive you and you went and shot him. Tough luck.
Western medicine failing him, Doctor Strange goes to Asia to find The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), who compensates up for not being oriental by shaving her head bald. Personally, I’m guessing she lost a bet on the Indians in Game 7 – the entire Trainwreck cast was there, doncha know?—Anyway, Ancient One and subordinate Mordo (Chiwetel Ojiofor) – look, if this sounds stupid, you brought that on yourself, Doctor Strange. Don’t look at me; I didn’t shave Tilda Swinton bald or name anyone “Mordo” – anyway, these jokers decide to take the broken Stranger in and feed him magic until he’s powerful enough to face villain Mads Mikkelsen. It’s kinda cute, cuz the normally hyper-confident Cumberbatch is a bit at loss trying to learn the art of freebasing psychic energy and bald, female Dumbledore seems to enjoy watching him suffer the process.
Ok, what’s good here? Did you like the city folding and relative personal gravity stuff in Inception? Doctor Strange takes it to the next level. And while these gimmicks resemble the standard bullshit pulling-magic-straight-from-your-ass plot conveniences, the film seems to know it. Yes, it is kind of silly that one can simply summon the forces of nature with a brass ring while signing, “I’m drowning” in ASL. Seriously, here’s how I’d describe
Benedict Cumberbatch using magic: he summons his field by stopping traffic with his left hand and making the universal sign for ordering a super combo pizza, hold the anchovies, with his right. And yet, I’m loathe to be excessively critical here as the movie did get infinitely more entertaining the minute Doctor Strange could do magic outside the operating room.
Doctor Strange is probably not destined to be my favorite Avenger, and I’m still left with my standard wizard questions: how do you produce something from nothing? And what is the price paid for the manipulations? Trust me, in the real world, every treat comes with a trick. But it’s difficult to dislike Benedict Cumberbatch even when he’s being a complete ass because few people in this world were ever destined to entertain quite like he. Benedict is many, many things, but boring is not on that list. There’s more than enough silly fun here to encourage Stranger things, which is good because it will take more than an apple a day to keep this Doctor away.
♪Hey, Doc, stitchin’ me together
Sure you should be motorin’
In this inclement weather?
You’ll kill the Ferrari tonight
When you hit ground
You’re gonna lose yo’ flexor tendons
When you get found
Nose candy and Juannie, gonna use them yet
To get so spaced out, Bennie and regret
Your Nepalese journey will be insightful
Oh Bennie, she’s one bald queen
She’s got transversal roots, a caftan suit
You know she’ll kick your ass all way to Nanking
Bennie and regret♫
Rated PG-13, 115 Minutes
D: Scott Derrickson
W: Jon Spaihts and Scott Derrickson & C. Robert Cargill
Genre: Magic o’ the week
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: Dr. Strangelovers
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: Aren’t you done with Avenging?
♪ Parody inspired by “Benny and the Jets”
You thought I was gonna do “Strange Magic,” didn’t you? I probably should have. Felt too cliché.
