Marvel's Doctor Strange was a solid new entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe that was embraced by most fans. That certainly doesn't mean the film was perfect. A new video points out every single problem that the movie actually had. It was really only a matter of time before CinemaSins got their hands on this one. Now, they've finally done it. Check out everything wrong with Doctor Strange.
In traditional CinemaSins fashion, the sins of Doctor Strange run the gamut from legitimate criticism to nit pick to funny nit pick to ridiculous comment. The video does call out Stephen Strange for being mostly a terrible person who never takes responsibility for his own predicament, which does make him a difficult person to empathize with. From a story perspective, it is an issue with the film. While the character does eventually gain some humility, he never really accepts the blame for his own injuries.
One item that I had a bit of an issue with is brought up in the video. The Ancient One tells Doctor Strange that learning the mystic arts will take him years, and, while the exact timeline of the movie is never specifically stated, the implication is that he learns a great deal over a matter of weeks or months. While he certainly hasn't completed his training by the end of the movie, he's certainly learned a great deal in a fairly short period of time. For a guy who was utterly unaccepting of the concept for a long time, that would seem to be unlikely. Even a little line of dialogue that acknowledges that Strange is learning things unusually quickly could have been useful.
And seriously, that email font is massive. Who does that?
Also, Rachel McAdams is mostly wasted in the film which is a tragedy. She's great in every scene that she's in which just makes us want to see more of her. We can only hope that there are more plans for her within the MCU but, to be honest, it's unlikely that she'll be seen outside of future Doctor Strange movies beyond the occasional cameo. Though we can still hope.
In an interesting twist, CinemaSins actually gives themselves sins over the corse of the video. They are entirely justified as the "Wong side of history" pun is a terrible thing that should never have been uttered.
Doctor Strange does get some credit, in the form of sins removed, for a few recognized high points. Specifically, the comedy of the cloak that has a mind of its own, the great effects of the slow-motion lightning, and the film's finale with Dormammu, which was truly inspired and one of the things that does elevate the movie from being merely acceptable to being something actually quite good.
In the end, Doctor Strange is given 91 total sins, which is fairly minimal number all things considered and sentenced to the (Man in the) Mirror Dimension. What's your verdict on Doctor Strange as a film? Let us know in the comments below.
