Doctor Strange
2016 · Directed by Scott Derrickson
Original language: English
- fantasy
- adventure
- action
The story
After his career is destroyed, a brilliant but arrogant surgeon gets a new lease on life when a sorcerer takes him under her wing and trains him to defend the world against evil.
What it’s like
Kaleidoscopic fractal landscapes fold over themselves in the Marvel fantasy-adventure Doctor Strange, where Kathmandu temples, a candlelit Hong Kong sanctuary and a sterile New York hospital each get their own palette: cool clinical whites and blues for the operating rooms, warm ochre and incense-smoke gold for the mystical interiors. Camera moves are fluid and swooping, with the sorcery rendered as elaborate, kinetic set pieces in which buildings rotate and streets bend like paper, backed by a propulsive orchestral score with ethereal choral textures. The vibe is playful wonder with a dash of brooding intensity, the kind of film that suits a weekend afternoon, a comfort rewatch, or a long-haul flight. Its pacing is brisk and montage-friendly, and the emotional arc follows a vain, wounded neurosurgeon slowly learning humility and trust after losing the use of his hands. Action is frequent and stylised, with punches, magical blasts and a few tense battles; there is some peril and bloodless injury, but no gore and little real cruelty. It suits people who want a bright, visually inventive superhero adventure with heart and light humour.
More films like Doctor Strange
Closest in mood, pacing and theme. Tell us why you loved Doctor Strangeand we’ll explain which ones fit you.
