Marvel Studios’ release is a ‘Strange’ trip

Any film about a doctor that boasts a cast of four Academy Award nominees in the leads, and a November release date, may create expectations that it is going to be some stuffy Oscar bait, perhaps set in a Victorian-era infirmary during simultaneous outbreaks of cholera and scarlet fever. 

And while the producers of "Doctor Strange" may indeed have award aspirations, the second the Marvel Studio’s logo flashes on the screen, you can rest assured that each one of those actors will be given an opportunity to get a little freaky between their next role in hoop skirts and frock coats. 

As the lead, Benedict Cumberbatch (he who has embodied such prestigious characters as Sherlock Holmes, Alan Turing and Vincent Van Gogh), does indeed shake out the crazy here as the cult comic-book character who is now joining the ever-expanding empire.

It's actually easy to see why such a film may have attracted such heavy hitters, as it is perhaps the most audacious in the entire Marvel Universe, featuring enough folding metaphysics to give Edward Witten a headache. And even while doing this, it still manages to be thoroughly engaging from start to finish, complete with the requisite post-credit "bow" that ties it into the existing narrative of the other Avengers. 

Strange is a brilliant-but-smug neurosurgeon whose life is upended when a car crash sends him to the Far East to find healing. He walks away holding the keys to unlock an alternate universe, thanks to Tilda Swinton's Ancient One (imagine a lovechild of The Last Airbender and Ziggy Stardust). With the help of Baron Mordo (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor), they train Strange to lose the real-world swagger to venture to the mountaintops to study the dark arts and unplug from the Matrix. 
 
In other words, trade the macho for Machu Picchu. 
 
It is through them that Strange learns of the Sanctorums that reveal ancient knowledge to keep otherworldly evils at bay. Meanwhile, Strange's ex (and fellow surgeon) Christine (played by Rachel McAdams) pines his absence. Strange, of course, must face the inevitable climactic threat to the universe, in the form of Mads Milken's Kaecilius, an otherworldly apostate with some nasty plans of death and destruction for Earth. 

Each actor appears almost exhilarated to be visiting this super-heroic universe, and embraces their roles in much the same way Robert Downey Jr. inhabited Tony Stark. And what a universe director Scott Derrickson has envisioned for them.
 
The film plays like a Christopher Nolan's Greatest Hits compilation: "Batman Begins" stunning snow-capped mountain vista training area; the city-folding spectacle of "Inception," and the overall feel of "The Prestige's" world of illusion throughout. 
 
The visuals are some of the strongest and most creative we've seen in the Marvel Universe to date and play out like some Stephen Hawking fever dream. When New York City is transformed into a living M.C. Escher painting during a climactic battle, it's hard to keep your eyes focused on the main action, as there are so many trippy details that fill the frame. 
 
And that, perhaps, is the most thrilling/concerning aspects of "Strange" - the ability to mold the very fiber of "reality" at any given time. One hopes Derrickson learns the lessons of the Wachowski Siblings in the "Matrix" sequels and does not descend too far into the metaphysical wormhole, keeping the action as well-paced and well-placed as it is here. For if he does, we could all enjoy a long "Strange" trip for future installments.