Despite the exquisite visuals, it is the heart and the humour in the writing that wins the day
It is, quite frankly, very difficult to write about a fictional work when a catastrophic non-fiction event has just occurred in a country that has affected so much around the globe since World War II.
More than ever, action films, from Marvel universes to X-Men reboots, bet their dramatic credibility on the incredibly high stakes that involve rescuing the world if not the universe, from disaster. From today onwards, with the shocking election of a fascist, racist, sexist demagogue, a purported billionaire who hasn’t paid his taxes in over 20 years, who has been accused of harassing multiple women, the parameters of what is at stake have just changed again.
Doctor Strange is a welcome break from our ugly world because of its digression from the usual tropes that make Marvel action films so successful, but also so very predictable. With a cast of diverse talents such as Chiwetel Ejiofor and Benedict Wong, lead by a starring cast of Benedict Cumberbatch and Tilda Swinton, Doctor Strange abandons the usual break-neck action for a gentler, more humourously-paced origin story about a man who must re-evaluate his priorities when he suffers from an unexpected, debilitating accident.
Benedict Cumberbatch’s Dr. Stephen Strange is a familiar archetype: an arrogant, immensely successful neurosurgeon who wields the power of life and death in his hands. The Dr. Strange at the beginning of this film is the kind of anti-hero that Cumberbatch has excelled at making likeable (his Sherlock Holmes is mesmerising), even as he implodes at the loss of the skills that prop up his ego.
Enter Kathmandu, stage front, as the land to which Stephen Strange travels to meet the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), whom he hopes will help him regain the full use of his hands.
The film takes interesting risks as it attempts to define spirituality, fully indulging viewers in a Western concoction of what people imagine as mysticism in this part of the world. Backed by stunning visuals, and beautifully shot settings in our very own Swayambhu, Pashupati, and the stunning Newar architectural backdrop of Patan Durbar Square, Doctor Strange succeeds in bringing glowing, original visual backup to a quirky, cosmic story about a man who is trying to find his own way but gets caught up in an epic battle of good versus evil.
As with most successful films of the genre, despite the exquisite visuals, it is the heart and the humour in the writing that wins the day, with the wonderful Rachel McAdams as Dr. Christine Palmer, the human foil and moral anchor to Stephen Strange’s initially cold brilliance. At a time when the future of the tangible world seems so bleak, one can only pin hope in the belief that even the lost can find their way - in fiction and in reality.
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