So, was the wait worth it? Find out with our review of the latest film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe!
Back in 2012, Benedict Cumberbatch was approached to become part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). He was offered the lead villan role in the "Thor" sequel "Thor: The Dark World" as Malekith the Dark Elf (eventually played by another "Doctor", Christopher Eccleston of the Sci-Fi Classic TV series "Doctor Who".) and thankfully for us all, he passed. He held out for the master of the mystic arts, Doctor Strange.
"The journey he goes on was supremely important to me and there are great qualities of drama, but also great humor amongst that profundity and oddness, and unique weirdness." - Benedict Cumberbatch
When he was originally cast in the role, he knew that there was "a lot of work to be done" but he was more than up for the challenge. "This film had lots of endearing qualities, lots of things that made me really want to go to it, and this character, particularly what Scott and Kevin were pitching to me as his origin story and his trajectory, and where he was going to go in the universe. The journey he goes on was supremely important to me and there are great qualities of drama, but also great humor amongst that profundity and oddness, and unique weirdness."
The Doctor Will See You Now
With a domestic gross of $232,641,920 (and a total worldwide gross of $677,718,395) a sequel to "Doctor Strange" was assured. Not only did he show up in the Avengers Infinity saga, but he was a key player in the MASSIVE global hit "Spider-Man: No Way Home". So to say that the anticipation for the good doctor's return was high, is an understatement. But was it worth the wait? Well, as far as I'm concerned, YES IT WAS!
In it's first week of release in the United States, it grossed $230,859,523, which if you do the math is only $1,782, 397 less then it's predecessor's ENTIRE domestic cinematic run! I predict that this film will go on to reach at least $350,000,000 domestically when it's all said and done, and may even break the $400,000,000 ceiling.
Sam Rami helped to usher in the modern age of Marvel Films with 2001's "Spider-Man" starring Tobey Maguire. It was a fun, family-friendly romp. However, Sam Rami cut his teeth on low budget gore with the Horror/ Comedy films "Evil Dead", "Evil Dead 2", & "Army Of Darkness" starring the one and only Bruce Cambell. Rami brings his sense of darkness and quirky humor to this piece as it has some moments that I thought I would NEVER see in a Marvel movie... namely, the undead and their rotting corpses reanimated. In other words, ZOMBIES!
If you have ever read a Dr. Strange comic, you know that it can get pretty trippy and that is on full display here as the plot dictates that Dr. Strange hops from one odd universe to another in order to save an teenage girl named America Chavez (Played wonderfully by Xochitl Gomez in her big budget feature film debut) from being chased and eventually devoured by interdimensional demons! Like any good doctor facing a new challenge, he sought the consultation of a colleague. Namely, his former Avengers teammate Wanda Maximov a.k.a The Scarlet Witch. After Wanda illumitaes to Strange exactly what he is facing, the film kicks into high gear as there are epic battles and action aplelenty along with some moments that are chilling, and some great fist pump moments. All in all, things get wrapped up and the stage is set for future adventures of Dr. Strange. Now, if only they could figure out a way to work in having Benidict Cumberbatch's Strange utter the immortal words "By The Hory Hosts Of Hoggoth!"
RUNNING TIME: 2 Hrs. 6 Min.
OVERALL SCORE: 7out of 10
MARVEL CHARACTER CAMEOS: Several very cool ones!
NUMBER OF POST CREDITS SCENES: 2. One near the begining and one all the way at the VERY end so don't leave if you only see ONE Post credits scene!
RECOMMENDED PRE-FILM VIEWING: "Doctor Strange" (Film), "Wandavision" (TV Series), and "What If?" (Animated TV Series) All can be found on Disney+