Doctor Strange manages to perfectly meld stunning CGI, an interesting, yet slightly confusing plot and relatable characters all while not having any pre-established Marvel characters to help it along.

Benedict Cumberbatch does a fantastic job portraying Strange, being both a character who we want to hate while also being funny and someone we can identify with. He feels like Tony Stark at times with his ‘I’m untouchable’ attitude and snarky humor. All of the characters feel genuine and meld together very well, building a world that feels relatable and genuine. The overall plot is captivating without drowning you in exposition. It feels fresh while still feeling familiar, and the origin story is nothing we haven’t seen before.

With the more recent Marvel movies, there is a feeling that we know all the characters and all that is new is the plot, even in movies such as Ant Man, which  was relatively well known before his movie. On the other side,  Doctor Strange was not very well known outside the comic community. It is very refreshing to get to discover something new every scene. We meet a new hero and see genuine magic–not just Thor’s ‘science you don’t understand’ magic.

The psychedelic visuals and music played in reverse really stands out from the muted color tone and relaxed scenes. Any time someone uses magic, vivid colors and stunning CGI abound, standing from the rest of the film and helps show just how out of place magic is in their world.

Overall, Doctor Strange has a predictable origin story but has a plot that redeems it. The action sequences are quick paced but have a good amount of screen time. The characters are fun, and as always, Marvel’s actors seem like their characters and not actors giving lines. With all that in mind, I would rate Doctor Strange at 9/10 really only lacking a slightly deeper plot.