With each new Marvel film one could expect the studio to push the limits of what a superhero film should consist of. Films such as Captain America: Winter Solider, Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man all consisted of elements that we have never seen within a superhero film before. Now, Marvel Studios attempts to push the envelop once more by leaving the world of high tech armors and super soldiers and entering the mystical world of magic. Leading this charge is Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Stephen Strange and hopefully he could answer why there is this strange mystical feeling that we have seen this all before. > From Marvel comes “Doctor Strange,” the story of world-famous neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange whose life changes forever after a horrific car accident robs him of the use of his hands. When traditional medicine fails him, he is forced to look for healing, and hope, in an unlikely place—a mysterious enclave known as Kamar-Taj. He quickly learns that this is not just a center for healing but also the front line of a battle against unseen dark forces bent on destroying our reality. Before long Strange—armed with newly acquired magical powers—is forced to choose whether to return to his life of fortune and status or leave it all behind to defend the world as the most powerful sorcerer in existence. I am going to start off the review by discussing the only strong positive thing that came out of Doctor Strange and its by far the visuals. Beautiful vibrant colors pop at you throughout the film, the costume design is beyond extravagant and the framing is spot on. Doctor Strange and his fellow Sorcerers Supremes powers aren't fully on display until they enter the Mirror Dimension and my god, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner would hate this place. As they are men of science, they would hate that all rules of physics are thrown out the window as our Sorcerers Supremes are capable of breaking buildings apart and reforming to however they please. It is hard to not reference Inception but no one here is dreaming, these visuals are being created by the hand of mystical men and they use it to their power. In all honestly, pushing the envelope when it comes to visuals was not a difficult task at all. Heck, if they didn't I would have been extremely disappointed as it was an obvious opportunity to take advantage of since we are dealing with magic. I am still extremely disappointed regardless as director Scott Derrickson completely missed another obvious opportunity to push the envelope this time in regards of character development. Doctor Stephen Strange is very much like a Tony Stark and other superheroes we have seen in films before as he is arrogant, egoistical and full of it. After Strange's accident in which he suffered extreme nerve damage to both hands, he dishes out every penny to his name to repair his hands in hopes he could continue his career as neurosurgeon. Every attempt fails and Strange becomes desperate enough to head to Nepal and finds himself under the guidance of Tilda Swinton's The Ancient One. Learning a whole new concept in the mystic arts forces Strange to reshape his way of thinking but Scott Derrickson does not let this have Strange reshape who he is as a person as well. Doctor Strange should have found himself being more like a Steve Rogers towards the end of the film as learning the mystic arts and his accident alone should have broken his ego. But instead everything still comes easy to him as he masters magic with ease with very little tension. He has a couple hiccups in the beginning but once The Ancient One puts him under her wing it is smooth sailing and Strange is stealing texts, wielding powerful weapons and defeating Supremes with decades of training with ease. You cannot say that Strange was destined for the mystic arts and that is why everything came so easy for him. Strange is only learning the mystic arts due to circumstance. If he doesn't get into an accident, which happened to him due to being careless, he doesn't find himself in Nepal. Harry Potter was destined for magic, not Strange. Strange fails to grow as a character because he continues to be proven right and no consequences seem to happen due to his actions. It is hard to get into the character development of our supporting characters Benedict Wong's Wong and Chiwetel Ejiofor's Mordo as I would utterly spoil the film for you. All I would say though is that they were both mishandled and deserved better developments. It is a shame too because Wong and Ejiofor are superb actors but wasting talent is something Marvel Studios is used to. When will Marvel Studios get a villain right? With Mads Mikkelsen playing our lead villain, Kaecilius, I thought we might finally get a cinematic Marvel villain that is on par to Killgrave and Kingpin over at Marvel's television department. Ultimately, Kaecilius and Doctor Strange end up fighting due to the most silliest cliche: being at the wrong place at the wrong time. The two individuals meet at the New York Sanctum Sanctorum in which Strange accidentally gets blown in to. Kaecilius is there to kill the protector and Sanctum Sanctorum itself and has no knowledge of who Strange is. In fact, he honestly believes Strange's name is in fact "Mister Doctor." Still learning his craft, Strange is capable of putting up a better fight than the protector who should be a matter. I mean, he is a protector after all. There are no stakes for Strange, strange. Visually appealing could only get you so far as Doctor Strange fails to focus on the development of their characters that they made so appealing to the eye. Doctor Strange will become a huge asset to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and lets hope we see the rest of Strange's development when he casts his next spell. There is so much untapped potential in Strange's character, we just haven't seen the best of him yet.

All continues to be well in the Marvel Comics Universe as the film adaptation of another mischievous and majestic superhero from Stan Lee’s printed page empire emerges and reigns supreme on the big screen. The latest cure from the Marvel movie bag of explosive tricks is the entry of the dazzling and decorative **Doctor Strange**. Armed with a collection of notable performers, a convincing colorful scope of visual vibrancy and a hearty touch of spiritual and reflective potency the spellbinding **Doctor Strange** is an engaging and oddly sophisticated action-oriented comic book fantasy adding imaginative flavor to the typical escapist gem from the Marvel stable of powered personalities. Some may argue that **Doctor Strange** is merely another conveyor belt cinematic comics confection that follows a safe and similar makeup that constitutes the obligatory Marvel Comics movie foundation–excitable weirdness, overly splashes of wayward whimsy, copious characterizations attached to their brand of eccentric grandeur and larger-than-life gestures of dark and devious exploits grounded in the basic landscape of good versus evil. Listen, sometimes traveling down the conventional path of constructed and adventurous Marvel-made spectacles is not necessarily a bad thing to consider. After all, the well-known and more popular superhero icons such as _Spider-Man_, _The Incredible Hulk_, _Iron Man_, _The Avengers_, and _The X-Men_ for instance seem to benefit nicely from the anticipated formula that routinely delivers the entertaining goods for its avid core of fanboys. So why not wipe off the seemingly obscure and underrated **Doctor Strange** and provide the same kind of popcorn-pulsating mystique for blockbuster cinema? **Doctor Strange** started out as a comic book creation in 1963 by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee. Director Scott Derrickson (“Paradise Lost”, “The Exorcism of Emily Rose”, “Sinister”, “Deliver Us From Evil”) does an admirable job in giving shades of bizarre brilliance and magical manipulation to an unconventional Marvel comic book character hardly known for his capacity to translate his mystical mastery to celluloid with compelling curiosity. Derrickson, known primarily for his creative juices in the realm of horror fantasies, confidently serves up the off-kilter and hypnotic appeal of Dr. Stephen Strange as embodied by accomplished English actor Benedict Cumberbatch (“Black Mass”, “The Imitation Game”, “12 Years a Slave”). Interestingly, Derrickson and his handful of screenwriters craft **Doctor Strange** with a mind-blowing measurement of restraint and inquisitiveness. Indeed, **Doctor Strange** echoes its contemporary Marvel-established movies with predictable pluckiness to a certain extent but what is appreciated more is the uniqueness of the film’s ability to emphasize a cerebral superhero that is cut out of a different kind of creative cloth which feels quite distinctive from other brooding Marvel mavericks. Cumberbatch–mastering a rather effective American-accented sorcerer with skill–has injected a degree of inventive nobility and refinement that uplifts this calculating comic-book fantasy. Cumberbatch’s egotistical Stephen Strange is an incredibly gifted neurosurgeon. His hands are truly miraculous tools of his medical trade and he takes pride in his abilities to treat the critical patients that have tremendous hope courtesy of his therapeutic capabilities. In a nutshell, Strange outshines his other surgical competitors because he is able to give to his patients on the operating table something other doctors cannot instantly muster up. However, cruel fate strikes its ugly head when Strange suffers the usage of his precious hands as a result of a horrific car wreck. The nerves in his hands are destroyed and the non-functioning of his limbs is an awful reminder that his surgical talents are something of the immediate past. As Strange delves into self-pity and surfacing depression he cannot see just how supportive his fellow physician Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdam) is toward him. Clearly, Christine is in love with the alienating medical moper but Strange simply does not realize the extent of her affections because he is too busy sulking about his misfortune. The only factor that gets a promising rise out of Strange is his recent acknowledgement of the Tibetan community where there is a Kamar-Taj temple rumored to restore ailing body parts destined to make an individual “whole” and “complete” once again. Naturally, Strange wants to bypass the tedious and lengthy therapy sessions for a chance to experience the miracle of his once-amazing operating digits now ravaged by severe nerve damage. The main source behind the Kamar-Taj temple’s heralded existence is The Ancient One (played by Tilda Swinton). She is instrumental in teaching the fundamentals of a selected Eastern mysticism that teaches the special concentration of healing the wounded and wasting human body when scientific medical practices fail to do so. Soon, Strange’s affiliation with The Ancient One and her mystical minions has more than a transfixing effect on gaining control of his ailing hands as he gains indescribable powers through the inner strength of mind and soul. Now, Dr. Strange can generate his own alternating state of philosophical wizardry that dictates shaping time and space dimensions. Strange’s out-of-body experiences supersede all his previous physical impairments as a force to be reckoned with at large. Whether observing Strange’s Cloak of Levitation methods or witnessing his supernatural prowess on the mean streets against wickedness Doctor Strange spins a wild and weird web of action-packed surrealism that is a welcomed addition to Marvel Comics’ showcasing of super-heroic protective cads feisty in flaws and frivolity. Cumberbatch is mesmerizing as the self-absorbed genius Strange who perhaps is the best complex Marvel-related protagonist since Robert Downey Jr.’s flippant Tony Stark/Iron Man. The combination of heightened arrogance and high-brow self-doubt and vulnerability tactically works as Cumberbatch sells this portrayal solidly. Although Swinton’s The Ancient One is an intriguing enigma in her own right one must question why the absence of an Asian actor not considered for this particular role may have some scratching their heads in indignation? McAdam’s love interest Christine amounts to only being an afterthought not just in the eyes of her object of affection Strange but to the audience as well. Thankfully, the other supporting players contribute marvelously to the festivities. Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor (Cumberbatch’s co-star from the Academy Award-winning “12 Years a Slave”) plays fellow sorcerer Mordo while Benedict Wong assumes the duty as another one of The Ancient One’s followers who guards the school’s sacred scriptures. Mads Mikkelsen is devilishly received as Kaecilius, the former disciple of The Ancient One gone rogue whose agenda in releasing an ominous demon Dormammu to the world will test the will of Doc Strange’s newfound mystical techniques and tactics. No doubt that **Doctor Strange** is an impeccably surging superhero fable laced with stunning aesthetics and a richly robust score by Michael Giachinno. The high caliber of talent associated with this spry comic book actioner definitely ensures another superhero film franchise-in-the-making as Cumberbatch’s introspective doc administers his **Strange** dosage of Marvel movie-making medicine for the ages. **Doctor Strange** (2016) Walt Disney Pictures 2 hrs. 10 mins. Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mads Mikkelsen, Rachel McAdam, Benedict Wong, Benjamin Bratt Directed by: Scott Derrickson MPAA Rating: PG-13 Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy/Action & Adventures/Comic Book Fable Critic’s rating: *** 1/2 (out of 4 stars) (c) **Frank Ochieng** 2016