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[Media]

This comes up like every 10th post. The writing team has explicitly denied this. The time scale doesn't work out either, since Strange's training in Kathmandu lasts at least a year.

My husband thinks it might be the guy from Hammer's suit experiments?

 

[denx]

It honestly just boggles my damn mind that people are not seeing how formulaic all this is. I grew up a DC fan but damn I can at least admit a subpar movie when its a subpar movie.

The thing is, while Marvel movies are rather formulaic, they're still pretty entertaining and they get the characterization of their main heroes mostly right. BvS (for comparison) was just drab and boring and had some huge characterization problems with its heroes and villains, and Suicide Squad suffered for being weirdly structured (the movie esentially didn't have a middle act).

I think we all can see Marvel movies have problems, is just that most people don't feel like those problems drag their movies down. The issues with DC movies in comparison are much more glaring.

 

[StarCreator]

Don Cheadle is 51?! Wow dude doesn't look any older than 35

I don't know. I thought he looked every bit his age in Civil War. RDJ is aging much better.

My husband thinks it might be the guy from Hammer's suit experiments?

It's been pointed out the time scale doesn't really work for that either given Avengers Tower can apparently be seen from the wide shots of NYC. Avengers (well, Stark) Tower was not built at the time of Iron Man 2.

 

[Media]

I don't know. I thought he looked every bit his age in Civil War. RDJ is aging much better.


It's been pointed out the time scale doesn't really work for that either given Avengers Tower can apparently be seen from the wide shots of NYC. Avengers (well, Stark) Tower was not built at the time of Iron Man 2.

Ah that's true. I did see Stark Tower but didn't realize it was the Avengers version.

For reference, talking about this guy: https://youtu.be/Cz1M5i5Y4Qc

It could still work I guess, if that test pilot had exhausted all other doctors like Strange did and he was his last resort? Or did the guy talking to Strange say it had just happened?

 

[Davey Cakes]

Wait, this is a 90% on RottenTomatoes?

Wow.

I'm glad I didn't look at reviews. That might have set my expectations too high. I went in only with the knowledge from Trailer #1.

After having seen the movie, I'm glad I was able to enjoy it and give it a nice solid B. I can afford to be critical once in a while. Overall I was pleased with it and it fell mostly in line with my expectations. My complaints are mostly nitpicks. Doctor Strange was the change I needed in Marvel movies after Civil War, which was too good (IMO) to let me enjoy "more of the same" afterward. I'm glad that I'm pacing out my Marvel experiences; it would be easy to get fatigued otherwise.

I really don't get how this movie is "forgettable." As I already said, the main plot follows a typical "character origin" structure but I think the magic powers alone set it apart. The imagery is totally memorable. I loved the way "spells" were cast and I think the effects were spot on.

 

[Subpar Spatula]

Good luck to visual effects artists who have to make parallel dimensions and magic spells for which there is no real world visual reference look real enough to please you.

I have no problems with using CGI to create another dimension to look like that because it's one of the better ways to do it. They could at least make it smooth hence elastic rubber pieces moving on the background. If it doesn't blend well it looks janky and I'll call that out similar to when people say Wong is an interesting character.

 

[Totakeke]

The biggest downside is that it still felt very much like a Marvel movie to me. It plays pretty safe with the themes and plot. Otherwise a pretty solid movie that doesn't quite reach the first Iron Man for me. It felt Doctor Strange had too much of a good time throughout the story.

 

[AntraxSuicide]

I really liked it. I think my favorite bit is that Strange doesn't hit his final form in this one. He puts the Eye back, and if you really look at it, he literally never beats Kaicillius. They meet three times, and Strange has to run the first two, and has to sick Dormommu on him the final time. I thought that was interesting, and did a good job of preserving his growth realistically. It makes sense that he can't go toe to toe with a master who trained for years more than he did.

 

[quickwhips]

I imagined strange relived dying for years before a bargain was done. What says gaf?

 

[y2dvd]

People needs to stop expecting a hard R-rated moving from the MCU. I think that's the only thing that will defeat the "It feels like another Marvel movie" criticism, and even then I think you'll still have people say the same thing. It's like decrying Disney animated movies for not being risky for not showing nudity or something.

 

[Garlador]

Can sum up my reaction in one image, really...

I found the characters and story good... but, my word, those visuals...

 

[Totakeke]

People needs to stop expecting a hard R-rated moving from the MCU. I think that's the only thing that will defeat the "It feels like another Marvel movie" criticism, and even then I think you'll still have people say the same thing. It's like decrying Disney animated movies for not being risky for not showing nudity or something.

Did I just hear the only way to make it not feel like a Marvel movie is to make it R-rated? I don't even know where to begin.

Anyway this feels like a trap.

 

[torre_avenue]

Did anyone post the EW article yet on Derrickson's commentary of the spoiler-y parts of the movie?

Another patient, which Strange was more interested in working on, was a woman in her 20s who was struck by lightning – a serious injury complicated by an electronic implant in her brain to help quell her schizophrenia.

When asked if this was a reference to Captain Marvel, who will be played by Oscar-winner Brie Larson in an upcoming film, Derrickson said he could neither confirm nor deny. But he was smiling (so infer from that what you like).

“It’s not even as sentient as Aladdin’s magic carpet,” he said, referencing the 1992 animated Disney film. “But it does act on its own in the comics. We played with that and one of the stunt guys, Jeff Habberstad, our second unit director, came up with the idea of having the cloak slide him back toward the wall to find what’s called the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak.”

The same Cyttorak that made the Juggernaut's Crimson Gem.

In fact, Brother Voodoo is already in this one, played by actor Mark Anthony Brighton. He was one of The Ancient One’s guardians, a character named Daniel Drumm, which was the real name of Brother Voodoo before he died and was resurrected.

“That was Daniel Drumm, who got killed [by Kaecilius], so there’s reason to bring him back into the narrative,” Derrickson said. “When you go to make a movie like this you have this huge buffet of characters. Who do we save for later movies and who do we try to bring in now? That was one we always discussed. I don’t see a Doctor Strange franchise without him.”

And Brother Voodoo is secretly in this movie along with Nico Minoru's mother.

Derrickson said he didn’t shoot that mid-credits sting; it was actually part of the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok film that director Taika Waititi (What We Do In the Shadows) is currently making.

I like the trend of using bits of other movies as the post-credit sequence because it makes the idea that everything in the films is connected a lot more tangible, so to speak.

 

[MetroidPrimeRib]

So do you guys think Dormammu may become the overaching villain of the MCU after Thanos is dealt with?

Don't really think so, but I don't know what they will do after Thanos. He will surely get the full Infinity Gauntlet which puts Thanos at nigh-omnipotence powers, so I don't know if they will try and top that. And since they mentioned The Living Tribunal, I dunno if they will have him stop Thanos and introduce One-Above-All.

 

[Garlador]

Did I just hear the only way to make it not feel like a Marvel movie is to make it R-rated? I don't even know where to begin.

Anyway this feels like a trap.

I personally think the criticism has always been invalid.

Ant-man doesn't feel the same as Winter Soldier which doesn't feel like Iron Man which doesn't feel like The Incredible Hulk which doesn't feel like Doctor Strange which doesn't feel Civil War which doesn't feel like Thor which doesn't feel like Guardians of the Galaxy.

We're jump through genres of fantasy, science fiction, heist movies, thrillers, adventures, espionage, monster movies, etc.

Having some connective tones and elements bind it all together is essential to their success and helps ease the transition of group movies, so when Thor rubs elbows with Doctor Strange or when Ant-man and Spider-man interact it doesn't feel forced.

"Feeling like a Marvel movie" shouldn't be a criticism, really, not anymore than a Star Wars movie should "feel like a Star Wars movie" or an Indiana Jones movie "feel like an Indiana Jones" movie. That's important to ensure it DOES feel like it belongs.

All the criticisms against having a joke here or there just boggles me, as if the source material they pull from doesn't have lightheartedness, cultural references, and humor as well. When someone generalizes that all the Marvel heroes are just wisecrackers, it really misses all the vastly different elements that make them unique. Star-Lord cracking a joke just as Iron Man would doesn't make them identical or even remotely similar characters.

Marvel's greatest tool has always been to leverage their properties not as superhero films but as genre films. Doctor Strange is a bizarre mix of Harry Potter, Batman Begins, The Matrix, Kung Fu, Inception, and Fantasia all packaged through the Marvel lens for wide audience consumption, and it's really impressive that they pulled it off.

I say it EVERY time a new Marvel film has come out lately, but it's surreal to me to see them succeed with properties so bizarre. If you had told me 8 years ago that I would enjoy a Doctor Strange movie more than a Batman and Superman team-up film or a Suicide Squad adaptation, I'd have called you mad. I STILL remember journalists and media critics being highly skeptical that Marvel could make a character "as silly as Thor" work on film in a post-Batman Begins world where everything is grounded and even Iron Man was just technology and hardware.

It's almost cute to look back at that skepticism and see how Marvel just made all the weirdness mainstream. Not just a cross-pollinated cinematic universe, but a world where viewers can suspend disbelief and accept that this universe has Soviet spies, Norse gods, magic wizards, time-displaced American propaganda, sentient robots, talking raccoons, and monosyllabic tree people, and they can all co-exist.

Doctor Strange is pretty unique for me since I AM a pretty voracious comic book reader, and I was familiar with every single character Marvel has introduced up to this point. Except Doctor Strange. I knew who he was, and I knew of his support cast, but never read a Doctor Strange comic. It was uncharted territory for me, a far cry from the overt familiarity I have with a Spider-man character.

It's a sign of their talent that I've walked out of the theater a Doctor Strange fan and more than eager to read up on some classic Strange comics.

 

[GAMEPROFF]

People needs to stop expecting a hard R-rated moving from the MCU. I think that's the only thing that will defeat the "It feels like another Marvel movie" criticism, and even then I think you'll still have people say the same thing. It's like decrying Disney animated movies for not being risky for not showing nudity or something.

We should send them copys of Zootopia

 

[Xamtheking]

Don't really think so, but I don't know what they will do after Thanos. He will surely get the full Infinity Gauntlet which puts Thanos at nigh-omnipotence powers, so I don't know if they will try and top that. And since they mentioned The Living Tribunal, I dunno if they will have him stop Thanos and introduce One-Above-All.

After the movie I shot the breeze with a fellow moviegoer and brought up that Stan Lee could be The One Above All, which actually might make some sense because at one point Jack Kirby was The One Above All, and it would actually provide plot reasons for the cameos

 

[George Oscar Bluth II]

Did anyone post the EW article yet on Derrickson's commentary of the spoiler-y parts of the movie?




The same Cyttorak that made the Juggernaut's Crimson Gem.

And Brother Voodoo is secretly in this movie along with Nico Minoru's mother.

I like the trend of using bits of other movies as the post-credit sequence because it makes the idea that everything in the films is connected a lot more tangible, so to speak.

Oh shit, I didn't realise those were the Crimsons Bands of Cyttorak.

I was aware of Tina Minoru being in this along with the Staff of One but holy shit I didn't know that guy was Brother Voodoo.

SHIIIIIEEEEET.

The post credits scene being a scene taken from Thor: Ragnarok makes sense.

 

[HardRojo]

Oh, so it is confirmed that the Strange-Thor exchange happens during Ragnarok?

 

[MetroidPrimeRib]

After the movie I shot the breeze with a fellow moviegoer and brought up that Stan Lee could be The One Above All, which actually might make some sense because at one point Jack Kirby was The One Above All, and it would actually provide plot reasons for the cameos

Ew no theres enough masturbatory Stan Lee shit in these movies already

 

[diaspora]

Kinda wish there was a Boomerang cameo, or at least a baby Dormammu one.

 

[woodland]

Can anyone explain why they needed the sling rings or slip rings or whatever to make portals? I thought they were relics and the way Mordo spoke early on people could make relics pretty easily... so why can't the doors be made temporarily without rings?

 

[The Kree]

Set up vague villain with something for like 2 seconds, show arrogant main character, set up a joke in the middle of the movie, some sort of glowing thing destroying a middle of a city, hero saves the day, joke is delivered.

Then throw in some pop culture references in there and bam you have a Marvel movie.

I'm not saying it's terrible, I'm saying it's forgettable and basic as fuck. I thought this would be a little more off beat but even the inception world thing was like "ok i guess".

It's always a huge power creep too with this. They could have started so small and kept it a little small, focusing on Strange coming together. But nope, let's fucking throw in a thing that like eats worlds or something and have Strange learn some super advanced form of time space magic (after like what, 3 months?) so he can save the day.


It honestly just boggles my damn mind that people are not seeing how formulaic all this is. I grew up a DC fan but damn I can at least admit a subpar movie when its a subpar movie.

It boggles my mind that people didn't start noticing genre conventions until Marvel Studios started making movies. You sound like a first year film student.

 

[wildfire]

I'm reading a lot that this film is great in 3D but can't tell if it's just PR to justify higher ticket prices. I saw Civil War in IMAX 3D and really regretted it. The action had tons of blur and it was generally distracting. Is it actually worth it this time?

Definitely worth seeing it in 3D. I could say there was one fight that was briefly blurry but that's a fault of the director and possibly editor and not the visual mechanic. Think of how Batman Begins had too many closeups.

Overall the 3D helped add a lot of weight to the the more advanced Ditko visuals and I seriusly have a hard time believing it will look as good in 2D. Time will tell.

90% on Rotten Tomatoes. 91% User Reviews. Even factoring in the bias, you simply are in the minority opinion.

Your complaints can be levied at every Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Batman and Superman movies, Jurassic Park, Independence Day, Men in Black, Pixar films, Disney films, The Matrix, Pirates of the Caribbean, and 90% of all good blockbusters.

The "formula" is never the problem (most films do "the hero's journey" to a degree), merely the execution. And the execution of Doctor Strange was very enjoyable.

The movie barely follwed the formula to begin with. Strange lacks the emotional punches these movies usually attempt forget about if they achieved it or not.

Age of Ultron had a lot more joke per sequence than Strange but none of them took away from the seriousness of specific scenes.
Captain America wasn't as interesting as Strange potentially could've been but their execution was far better in creating an arc for Strange and Red Skull.

Strange is simply ok and watchable. It's nothing as special as it should've been.

 

[SpaceWolf]

Did anyone post the EW article yet on Derrickson's commentary of the spoiler-y parts of the movie?

Another patient, which Strange was more interested in working on, was a woman in her 20s who was struck by lightning – a serious injury complicated by an electronic implant in her brain to help quell her schizophrenia.

When asked if this was a reference to Captain Marvel, who will be played by Oscar-winner Brie Larson in an upcoming film, Derrickson said he could neither confirm nor deny. But he was smiling (so infer from that what you like).

 

[Satanic Saint]

OK I need an explanation. I couldn't listen to the balcony talk properly because some idiot started talking on his phone during that scene.

Did the Ancient One tell Stephen that he can heal his hands by the power of some other dimensions but then he wouldn't be able to use magic. That's what the paraplegic man did to heal himself and thus he couldn't use any more magic. To bypass this the Ancient One heals herself using the power from the Dark World.


So Stephen decided to not heal his hands in order to continue using magic.

This is my understanding. Am I correct? Why couldn't they use magic if they healed themselves? I didn't get this part. If someone has the dialogue script of this scene please post it.

 

[Oersted]

90% on Rotten Tomatoes. 91% User Reviews. Even factoring in the bias, you simply are in the minority opinion.

Your complaints can be levied at every Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Batman and Superman movies, Jurassic Park, Independence Day, Men in Black, Pixar films, Disney films, The Matrix, Pirates of the Caribbean, and 90% of all good blockbusters.

The "formula" is never the problem (most films do "the hero's journey" to a degree), merely the execution. And the execution of Doctor Strange was very enjoyable.

Sorry, I'm gonna disagree with you on this. You don't have some special insight that allows you to be one of the select few chosen by fate to see the "truth" that these movies actually suck. You simply have a vastly differing opinion than the majority of viewers. Like someone who thinks "Who Let the Dogs Out" is the greatest song ever composed or something.

Average score of 7.3 and and Metascore of 72%.

Rottenscore tends to be a not so reliable indicator with such a kind of movies.

 

[torre_avenue]

OK I need an explanation. I couldn't listen to the balcony talk properly because some idiot started talking on his phone during that scene.

Did the Ancient One tell Stephen that he can heal his hands by the power of some other dimensions but then he wouldn't be able to use magic. That's what the paraplegic man did to heal himself and thus he couldn't use any more magic. To bypass this the Ancient One heals herself using the power from the Dark World.


So Stephen decided to not heal his hands in order to continue using magic.

This is my understanding. Am I correct? Why couldn't they use magic if they healed themselves? I didn't get this part. If someone has the dialogue script of this scene please post it.

I think the way the Ancient One put it was, Stephen could either channel his magic into making his hands work again or he could stop trying to heal his hands & continue being able to spell cast and save the world.

It's basically saying he can use his magic selfishly, every day using it to only make his hands work, or he can use it to save the world again. It's choosing where to allocate all his magic too.

 

[Glass Rebel]

Average score of 7.3 and and Metascore of 72%.

Rottenscore tends to be a not so reliable indicator with such a kind of movies.

"reliable"

 

[DrForester]

"People are Strange" was never played in this movie.



Worst movie ever.

Spoiler

I enjoyed it. And I know nothing about this character.

 

[SpaceWolf]

OK I need an explanation. I couldn't listen to the balcony talk properly because some idiot started talking on his phone during that scene.

Did the Ancient One tell Stephen that he can heal his hands by the power of some other dimensions but then he wouldn't be able to use magic. That's what the paraplegic man did to heal himself and thus he couldn't use any more magic. To bypass this the Ancient One heals herself using the power from the Dark World.


So Stephen decided to not heal his hands in order to continue using magic.

This is my understanding. Am I correct? Why couldn't they use magic if they healed themselves? I didn't get this part. If someone has the dialogue script of this scene please post it.

To heal his hands like the other dude, Strange would have constantly had to focus all of his magic on himself. To consciously keep drawing magic from the dark dimension takes a great deal of effort and energy, which would have ultimately have prevented Strange from using magic to help anyone but himself.

Basically, the other guy who The Ancient One helped in the past just decided to use his magic as a means of healing himself before hightailing it back to New York. The Ancient One offers Stephen the more nobler choice of using his magic only in the service in others, sacrificing the use of his hands for a larger mission.

It's Strange's main emotional arc in the movie. After that talk on the balcony with The Ancient One...Stephen truly decides that literally "everything isn't all about (him)", as he learns to abandon his ego and his selfishness as he learns to embrace the role of a protector.

 

[Satanic Saint]

I think the way the Ancient One put it was, Stephen could either channel his magic into making his hands work again or he could stop trying to heal his hands & continue being able to spell cast and save the world.

It's basically saying he can use his magic selfishly, every day using it to only make his hands work, or he can use it to save the world again. It's choosing where to allocate all his magic too.

To heal his hands like the other dude, Strange would have constantly had to focus all of his magic on himself. To consciously keep drawing magic from the dark dimension takes a great deal of effort and energy, which would have ultimately have prevented Strange from using magic to help anyone but himself.

Basically, the other guy who The Ancient One helped in the past just decided to use his magic as a means of healing himself before hightailing it back to New York. The Ancient One offers Stephen the more nobler choice of using his magic only in the service in others, sacrificing the use of his hands for a larger mission.

It's Strange's main emotional arc in the movie. After that talk on the balcony with The Ancient One...Stephen truly decides that literally "everything isn't all about (him)", as he learns to abandon his ego and his selfishness as he learns to embrace the role of a protector.

Alright thanks. This makes so much sense now. Also the dialogue about Mordo's soul being rigid and Stephen's being flexible meant that Stephen was ready to break the rules while Mordo was a rule stickler. Or was there a deeper meaning to that dialogue?


Also what did Stephen say which made Wong finally laugh.

 

[cLOUDo]

Is dormammu more powerful than Thanos?
Because is this movie he looks dope, where is mvc3's dormammu?

I enjoyed this movie a lot, but i founded the most basic marvel's movie

 

[SlickShoesRUCrazy]

Just got home from watching this in 3D. Was damn awesome!

 

[KeyBladerXIII]

Did anyone post the EW article yet on Derrickson's commentary of the spoiler-y parts of the movie?




The same Cyttorak that made the Juggernaut's Crimson Gem.

And Brother Voodoo is secretly in this movie along with Nico Minoru's mother.

I like the trend of using bits of other movies as the post-credit sequence because it makes the idea that everything in the films is connected a lot more tangible, so to speak.

I thought the Crimson bands were more like, you know, wrist jewelry things, not a metal net you throw at someone, that's much cooler.

And holy shit at Brother Voodoo, I was a bit confused when he showed up out of nowhere after Strange was calling out.

 

[orthodoxy1095]

I personally think the criticism has always been invalid.

Ant-man doesn't feel the same as Winter Soldier which doesn't feel like Iron Man which doesn't feel like The Incredible Hulk which doesn't feel like Doctor Strange which doesn't feel Civil War which doesn't feel like Thor which doesn't feel like Guardians of the Galaxy.

I agreed with this defense until Doctor Strange. This is the first movie where the formula seems more obvious to me and where the humor seems more inserted. That's not a critique of the formula or the idea of using humor but of the execution.

 

[Green Mamba]

Saw this last night, really liked it. Some of the humor didn't land for me but man that confrontation with Dormammu might be one of my favorite moments in the MCU so far.

 

[BronsonLee]

I haven't seen the movie yet but I have already confirmed from multiple sources that it is booty!

 

[SpaceWolf]

Alright thanks. This makes so much sense now. Also the dialogue about Mordo's soul being rigid and Stephen's being flexible meant that Stephen was ready to break the rules while Mordo was a rule stickler. Or was there a deeper meaning to that dialogue?

Basically that Stephen is much more willing to think outside the box to get things done and has a more imaginative approach to the way he uses magic, as demonstrated in the end by the unorthodox way in which he deals with Dormammu. The statement might also serve as foreshadowing that Mordo seeing the world in very black and white terms...leading him to take The Ancient One's apparent "betrayal" so much more personally before setting out for revenge, as opposed to Strange who understood The Ancient One's reasoning and forgave her for it.

Also what did Stephen say which made Wong finally laugh.

Paraphrasing, but after he banishes Kaecillius , he tells him something along the lines of "You might want to read the book (on dark magic) more carefully! The warnings are at the end!", which is a call-back to when Wong tells Strange something similar in the library in an earlier scene.

 

[thebigmachine]

First movie I have seen in Dolby Cinema, worth the price for sure. Movie was thumps up across the board with all of my friends.

The comedy hit more then it missed. I wasn't expecting that from the one trailer i saw a while ago. The CG was also top notch. Nothing jumped right at me as bad cg.Can't wait to see him again in Ragnorock.

 

[Glass Shark]

This comes up like every 10th post. The writing team has explicitly denied this. The time scale doesn't work out either, since Strange's training in Kathmandu lasts at least a year.

Wait, really? That's absolutely insane.

 

[The Kree]

Wait, really? That's absolutely insane.

Not really. It's probably one of these guys.

The scene said the guy was in experimental armor. War Machine's armor is not experimental. It already works the way it's supposed to. Details, details.

 

[GAMEPROFF]

Is dormammu more powerful than Thanos?
Because is this movie he looks dope, where is mvc3's dormammu?

I enjoyed this movie a lot, but i founded the most basic marvel's movie

1. Depends on the writing
2. MvC Dormammu is not rankable since he can be beaten with some Karate.

 

[Kurdel]

Loved the ending gambit with Dormammu and the time gem, felt like a unique way to deal with a unique threat.

 

[CrichtonKicks]

I apologize if this has been discussed but was the final conversation with the Ancient One and Strange added later, during reshoots? It looked like Swinton was CGI for the entire scene and I could see that being the case if it was done after she had grown her hair back.

 

[Quick]

I apologize if this has been discussed but was the final conversation with the Ancient One and Strange added later, during reshoots? It looked like Swinton was CGI for the entire scene and I could see that being the case if it was done after she had grown her hair back.

I'm pretty sure they just covered her hair, don't think she actually shaved it.

 

[BLACKLAC]

Just got back... LOVED IT. Easily the 2nd best origin story in the genre, maybe #1 after some re-watches (Cap 1 current #1).

Average score of 7.3 and and Metascore of 72%.

Which doesn't help your point at all. Not every critic gives a score.

Hacksaw Ridge 7.2. Yet Gibson Stans will fawn over it.

 

[Glass Rebel]

Just got back... LOVED IT. Easily the 2nd best origin story in the genre, maybe #1 after some re-watches (Cap 1 current #1).

are you me?

 

[LionPride]

Pretty good. Pretty pretty pretty good

 

[Ultimadrago]

The biggest downside is that it still felt very much like a Marvel movie to me. It plays pretty safe with the themes and plot. Otherwise a pretty solid movie that doesn't quite reach the first Iron Man for me. It felt Doctor Strange had too much of a good time throughout the story.

Honestly, the first Iron Man wasn't exactly a blooming flower itself, while I largely look back on it fondly. I'd say I prefer the introduction in Iron Man more while Dr. Strange's final act (while not much better) is better.

I agree with you, of course, Dr. Strange was simply "alright". I went with a family member and they loved it, but the stale taste haunting a majority of Marvel films keeps them safely in the mediocre-to-slightly above average range for me. This was in the latter. I'd recommend for someone to see it on the big screen for the Ancient One scene if they are interested at all. If you know what you hate from the Marvel formula, I wouldn't recommend this film nor discourage one from seeing it.

The rest of the movie, gah. I didn't hype it going in and got what was expected. I wish I were wrong and got more, but I secretly know it's not going to happen with these films. The humor was the usual (though used a bit better than a few past Marvel films), the plot was a snore, the romance stagnant (though no kiss on the lips was an almost pleasant surprise). Going back on the humor, they interjected it too often as usual. Marvel still doesn't trust its films to hold a dramatic few minutes without a piece of levity. Childish.

I will say, I appreciated the use of melee magic versus relying on more ranged offensive abilities. If Scarlet Witch is anything sign, Marvel needs to learn how to have their cast use magic without looking like complete fucking morons. Using more close combat effects for weapons dealt with this while making the fights more entertaining than they likely would have been without. Unfortunately, the fight cinematography ranged from the fairly fluid to the signature "What the fuck is going on" awful lightning-fast cuts/close-ups plaguing typical Hollywood martial arts. It was a mixed bag overall, but it was not a "Blast for Blast" match. For this, I am grateful.

P.S. I'll admit, I chuckled with the audience at the Wong jokes. They were total trailer-ripe crap, but I really enjoyed them.