Doctor Strange is a very entertaining film. It sets out its stall early, and from then on it uses a successful balancing act of character scenes (with some nicely wry humour) and spectacle that keeps attention throughout. This aspect of Marvel's 'magic', including teleportation, multiverses and astral projection, is introduced seamlessly to the filmic MCU. Cumberbatch is inevitably terrific in the title role, pitching his character somewhere between Sherlock and House MD, and his character arc is interesting. The film is, of course, a stunning visual effects tour de force, backed up by another strong (if somewhat familiar-sounding) Michael Giacchino score, and the use of 3D is impressive, not just for the big set-pieces but also for smaller details like placement of characters in frame. This is very much Strange-centred - inevitable for an origin movie - therefore accusations of the other characters being underwritten are to be expected, but Tilda Swinton is a delight, Rachel McAdams plays nicely against Strange, Chiwetel Ejiofor adds expected gravitas, and Mads Mikkelsen is one of Marvel's better antagonists in the screen time he has. The finale, for all its clever CGI bluster, does feel emotionally underpowered and a bit perfunctory. Doctor Strange overall is nevertheless a fine introduction to a new player in the MCU, and as the ending and the excellent mid-credits scene prove, this is a character we look forward to seeing again.
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