Dr. Strange: A Very Professional and Not At All Fangirly Review

You guys, Precocious Daughter and I saw Doctor Strange yesterday.

And my brain just stopped working.

There was a slight bit of drama around this, as we had planned to see it on opening weekend all along, but then her father invited her to see it with him. And I realized for the nth time that my ex still has the power to disrupt my well-being simply by challenging my personal vow to take the high road where it comes to PDaughter and her dad maintaining a close relationship.

Translation: I was not going to block his invitation, I was angry and depressed at being shut out of this experience, and I got extremely drunk in an attempt to cope with the self-loathing that comes with remaining psychologically dependent on the largesse of my ex-spouse.

Long story short: Once I acquiesced and said PDaughter should see Doctor Strange with her dad, he capitulated and said she should see it with me.

So he got the strategic upper hand, but fuck him, I got to take my kid to the movies.

Oh, read on.

PDaughter and I are not huge fans of 3D, believing that seeing movies in that format is generally not worth the extra cost, the annoyance of wearing those cheap-ass glasses, or the vague headache one has to endure just for a couple of "oooh, it's poking out of the screen at me" moments. But. I'd read several reviews stating that the 3D effects in this particular movie were worth the investment, and also at our local theatre, the 3D auditorium features extra-wide, reclining leather seats. So I shelled out $32.00 for two tickets to a 3D showing.

Because Benedict Cumberbatch, duh.

Election? What election? *qlunq*

I'll cut to the chase: You guys, Doctor Strange is so good.

Yes, the 3D was worth the extra cost. And I've never said that about a movie before. The special effects in this movie are spectacular and actually make sense in the context of the plot - after all, Doctor Strange is a sorcerer who knows how to bend space and time. Totally 3D-worthy stuff, and so well done.

Benedict Cumberbatch takes on an American accent, and does a solid B+ job. He did say "die-mension" at one point instead of "dimension," and he did say "We haven't a moment to lose" once, which is not an American construction by any means. But he did manage to say "asshole" without a) turning it into "arsehole" or b) stretching it into a bogus-sounding "aaaasshooooole." Good on you. Well done.

His whole performance is terrific, in fact. He's funny. He's a really funny guy on talk shows and such (and of course he just hosted "Saturday Night Live"), but in movies he's almost always The Serious Actor. So the fact that the script gave him quips and one-liners, and he nailed them, was a treat.

Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Mordo, a master sorcerer who helps teach Doctor Strange the ways of magic. Pretty funny when you realize these two last acted together in Twelve Years a Slave, when the whole "master" dynamic was way different, knowwhatimean?

It's been paragraphs since I posted a photo.
Here's one of the super-adorable Cumberbatch & Son.

 One of my favorite characters in the move was the Cloak of Levitation or, as I began to think of it immediately, Cloakey. If you don't understand how a freaking cape can be a believable character, trust me. Doctor Strange and Cloakey have got it going on.

Mads Mikkelsen is a most excellent villain, even though his eye makeup makes him look kinda like a fourth-place finisher on "RuPaul's Drag Race." Mads Mikkelsen is awesome. He totally needs to be a Bond villain.

Oh wait, he already was. Hello, Le Chiffre.

This is the first Marvel Universe movie I've seen since the first Iron Man movie came out. All the succeeding sequels and permutations and handsome-actor-smirkfests were just superhero overload for me. Literally the only thing they could have done to entice me another Marvel film was to cast Benedict Cumberbatch in it.

Smart move, Marvel.

Oh and it's got lots of fighting and a big scary inter-dimensional being and stuff, too. And of course, the obligatory post-credits scene that sets up the next movie (hint: it's a crossover with another Marvel Universe character! Oooh!)

8.5/10, would sit in comfy recliner and drool over Benedict Cumberbatch again.