Yay or Nay? Critics Give Their Early Reviews For Doctor Strange Epic

They've seen the trailers, looked over the posters, sifted through the off screen controversies and examined the material in depth. Now after all the hype surrounding Marvel's latest installment with Doctor Strange, what is the consensus on the 2016 blockbuster? According to Variety, it is worth the price of admission.

The 100% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes is a red herring prior to making its general release to moviegoers. But with the U.S. screenings dropping midnight on Sunday for the critics, the film was universally praised for the stunning visuals and avoiding basic cliches from the genre. 

Benedict Cumberbatch also appears to look the part as a genuine superhero, as the wordsmiths gave their opinions on social media.

Strange A Welcomed Member To Extended Marvel Family

Doctor Strange

Peter Debruge from Variety explained: "This new project shares the same look, feel, and fancy corporate sheen as the rest of Marvel’s rapidly expanding Avengers portfolio, but it also boasts an underlying originality and freshness missing from the increasingly cookie-cutter comic-book realm of late. From this second-tier side character, the studio has created a thrilling existential dilemma in which its flawed hero’s personal search for purpose dovetails beautifully with forays into the occult New Age realm of magic and sorcery where Doctor Strange ultimately finds his calling."

David Ehrlich from Indiewire was staggered to see how unique a film this was amongst a franchise that had familiarity about it.

“It’s one thing to take a new world and make it feel familiar," explained Ehrlich, "and quite another to take a familiar word and show us new ways of looking at it. This is the first chapter of the MCU that accomplishes that second, more difficult, more thrilling task, and that bodes well for a better, stranger tomorrow for the MCU.”

Swinton Praised And Nolan Toppled According To Critics

Doctor Strange TV Spot Screenshot

Jen Yamato from The Daily Beast gave glowing praise to the female lead whose performance was worth singling out.

“Swinton is effortlessly excellent in her role—one that was gender-flipped, in a progressive move for strong female representation in the genre, at least—and her arc, too, focuses instead on more simple universal binaries: Life vs. death, shadows vs. light, good vs. evil, the kind of yin and yang terrain that dials right into the major currents of Strange’s origin tale. As a contained standalone this is the most inventive Marvel has allowed its movies to get so far, which is a positive indication for new freshness as Phase 3 rolls out.”

And if Marvel weren't already getting ahead of themselves, Todd McCarthy from THR said the mind-altering landscape scenes got the better of Inception!

“Determined, among other things, to top Christopher Nolan at his own game when it comes to folding, bending and upending famous cityscapes to eye-popping effect, this action movie ostensibly rooted in the mind-expanding tenets of Eastern mysticism is different enough to establish a solid niche alongside the blockbuster combine’s established money machines.”

While high expectations can be dangerous, it looks like Doctor Strange is a sure thing.

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