After Captain America: Civil War got Marvel Studios' Phase 3 slate of franchise films off to a flyer, matters now turn to another one of Marvel's classic comic characters Stephen Strange, whose last real-life portrayal coming all the way back in a 1978 television film! Scott Derrickson, known for his work in the horror film circuit, with Sinister & Deliver Us from Evil under his resume, is tasked with introducing Doctor Strange, with his mystical powers into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and while last year's Ant-Man benefited from its Avengers connection, can Doctor Strange pull a rabbit out of the hat with a new horizon for the franchise into the realm of magic?

Right from the get-go, Doctor Strange treads very closely to the usual origin story beats, and more particularly in tandem with the original Iron Man way back in 2008, with the film beginning with your egotistical protagonist (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) whose accident puts him on a path to help others with the assistance of irregular abilities. Sounds like someone took the Iron Man script and labelled a sticky note saying "ADD MAGIC!" (no discredit to the writers here).

Aside from the sense of superhero origin deja vu, it's the fantastical elements introduced in Doctor Strange that sets itself apart from the 14 MCU films before it, with a particular sequence looking like a view through a kaleidoscope, with flashing colours and freaky patterns abound. Praise has to be given to the film's VFX team, who created an out-of-this-world cinematic experience unseen since Christopher Nolan's Inception, with more trippy buildings and warping skylines effects enough to make M. C. Escher (artist behind the Relativity and House of Stairs) go in a doozy. 

In between, Strange meets with a very absolutist sorcerer named Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and his master the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), who opens Strange's mind towards parallel universes and unforeseen dangers. Some scenes, especially Strange's training in Nepal, also feels short-ended and rushed to progress to the next part of the story (without even a montage in sight!). While some quips, often a complaint of the MCU's lighter tone, can be extremely humourous with a dead-on execution (the mantra and the Mr Doctor scenes are spot on), some don't exactly land as intended, making some scenes look tacky and provides a sense of awkwardness for that brief minute (it involves Adele and Eminem for non-spoiler reasons).
Nevertheless, it's refreshing to see Derrickson & Christopher Robert Cargill attempt to change things up with a rather meta third act, just when it looked like Doctor Strange was heading towards yet another potential end of the world disaster nonsense picture seen repeatedly since The Avengers all the way till the recent Suicide Squad. The exposition in the film, with mentions of astral projections and parallel dimensions may looks absolutely puzzling on the comic strips, but the writing team here did a great job of breaking them down into consumable, understandable jargon's.

After seeing this film though, I can't imagine anyone else than Cumberbatch to take on the mantle of the Sorcerer Supreme, who not only looks the part, but brings a sense of cockiness and suave to his portrayal (just like Tony Stark, and to an extent Cumberbatch's other role as Sherlock) of the former neurosurgeon. Had he not ditch his British accent, it would have very likely looked like a Sherlock story with magic peppered over it.

Rachel McAdams, who plays an ER surgeon doubling as Strange's former muse, who offers a sense of normality amidst this two hour acid trip. Tilda Swinton's portrayal of the originally Tibetan character serves as another standout alongside the titular character, with one particular scene on a hospital balcony serving as one of the more poignant moments in the franchise. Goes to show how controversy can be rendered minute with a worthy portrayal in the end.

Yet again, with a great central protagonists and an equally interesting supporting casts, the villain this time round feels like yet another footnote in the MCU's ever-growing roster of characters, and it's a shameful waste when the latest villain to get the short-end of the stick is the talented Mads Mikkelsen as Kaecilius, who you'll feel to have some great potential character development initially, but his motivations turns up rather vague and ultimately pointless towards the end (perhaps a better role in Rogue One will suffice for Mikkelson?).

An origin story pretty much LIKE any other, Doctor Strange is still an enjoyable popcorn flick with an excellent performance from the likes of Cumberbatch and Swinton, topped off with perhaps the most arresting visual effects seen on film in recent memory. Even if the film still succumbs to the cliches and pitfalls of the previous Marvel franchise films, this magical new world introduced (conjured?) by Sorcerer Supreme, like Guardians of the Galaxy before it, represents a willingness from Marvel Studios to explore new elements, yet still wrapped in a familiar Marvel Studios package.