A-

Visually the most striking Marvel film to date. Would have looked even more impressive had it not been for Inception, but the scale here is so much larger. It is the first MCU film with really good 3D too. Cumberbatch and Swinton are perfect, the pace is terrific. The only weaknesses are Mikkelsen's villain and McAdams' wasted love interest.

Sorry for the delay, busy week!

McAdams may be wasted, but she is A LOT better than Portman was in the Thor movies.

A-

This was an impressive visual experience, actually making me wish that I'd have given it a try in 3D (which I tend to avoid). Normally I'm not a big fan of Cumberbatch (it's his face, I dislike its snake-like nature) but I enjoyed him in this. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong and Tilda Swinton were great, though like Lecter said McAdams really didn't get to do much, and I'm not sure if they'll manage to expand on her role in future installments. It just doesn't fit in Doctor Strange's fantastical world much, unless they try and ground future films more in reality, which I don't think the franchise really needs.

Doctor Strange is very good and definitely sticks out of the Marvel Universe as one of the better entries. The film feels a lot more down to earth in which the story is told but at the same time features the most wacky effects seen in any super hero film. Cumberbatch is perfectly cast, and McAdams, Swinton, Mickelsen, Ejiofor play very convincing characters as well. The story moves along fast, but there were moments where I did feel it losing my attention. It has a finale that plays out great and visually it surely is very striking. I saw it IMAX, my first time doing IMAX, and it does give you more a sense of being in the film. But I can't say that I feel it's better than regular cinema. Maybe with this film it should have extra helped because of the outer-dimensional worlds and it surely was nice, but without I think I would have experienced it just as good. Anyway, it's very good, a nice introduction of characters well cast and can't say nothing about the effects, but it lacks any real draw for me. It's the mystical way of the world that isn't so much my taste.

B+

After an injury sustained during a car crash threatens to end his illustrious career, renowned neurosurgeon Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) turns eastward after Western medicine fails to heal him. At a Nepalese monastery, he becomes a student of the Ancient One (a captivating Tilda Swinton), an immortal sage who reveals to him an infinite system of universes and teaches him to bend space and time to his will. After one of the Ancient One's former protégés (Mads Mikkelsen) leaves the fold to embrace an otherworldly and malevolent entity, Strange must decide whether to use his newly gained power to help people other than himself. The fourteenth film in the overarching Marvel Cinematic Universe, following Captain America: Civil War and leading into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Doctor Strange is not free of the brand's predictable problems—Rachel McAdams is squandered as a particularly extraneous love interest, the intensely magnetic Mikkelsen is squandered even worse as a disposable antagonist, and the egoist-to-hero origin-story arc registers as Iron Man lite—but the magical-monastic context, even if it is more decorative than intrinsic, is enticing and rejuvenating. It allows for psychedelic, rainbow-colored, geometry-manipulating action sequences which are enthralling by any measure and truly novel for the superhero sub-genre. And Cumberbatch, with a just-right blend of anger, charisma, pomposity, and sly humor, is an engaging lead who should be a valuable addition to the expanded Avengers roster.

B

mega spoilers ahead

1. The new Marvel title screen is awesome.
2. Dr. Strange is awesome!!

I'm really surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Now I'm a total marvel marm and admit this freely. The lowest grade I've given an MCU film is a B and we are over a dozen films in. Dr. Strange is still able to create a new compelling world within this already huge world.

I was not a big fan of the Cumberbatch casting, but he's basically playing Hugh Laurie playing Dr. Strange. Much different than anything I've seen him in and it works so well. He is funny, but not as funny as he thinks he is. Someone like Laurie or McGregor would just be funny and another Tony Stark. Cumby is still kind of a dick at the end of the movie. And I kinda loved how he bullied the dark lord into submission and taunted Hannibal after he already won. The Ancient One tells him he needs Chiwata and he's like nah I'm good. Yet he still comes so far from the beginning, mostly thanks to a fantastic trip tp Everest, that it can qualify as a complete redemption arc. This is the best he is gonna get and maybe the multiverse is better for it. It's certainly a funnier place when he's using demensional portals to steal books from the library.

The building bending didn't inspire wonder as it did six years ago, but I liked how they incorporated it into the fighting. Doing the climatic action scene in reverse was very clever and I've talked about how much I enjoyed the final showdown being played comedically. My favorite action scene was definitely the astral projection fight and what came before it. "Christine!!" And the freaking cape! The way the comedy intercepts with the action is so impressive and probably the main reason I loved it.

A few things could have been better. Another Rachel McAdams scene would have been nice. Atleast give her the post credits scene! And the score is awful. There's no getting around it. And it's not like music has ever been a strong point universe, but it's usually good enough. Strange's is times new roman, as generic as they come. It rarely captures the magic of what is happening on screen. Total cash in for Giacchino.

But I loved it and recommend it to everyone.

I also think Dr. Strange has created the need for three tiers when it comes to rankings.

1. Guardians of the Galaxy
2. The Avengers
3. Civil War
4. The Winter Soldier

5. Thor
6. Iron Man
7. Dr. Strange
8. Captain America
9. The Incredible Hulk

10. Age of Ultron
11. Iron Man 3
12. Iron Man 2
13. Thor 2
14. Ant-Man

I thought this was just okay... probably one of my least favorite Marvel entries. Liked Cumberbatch but Doctor Strange as a character was kinda underwhelming. Visuals were cool but the story just kinda fell flat to me.

Flava's list is pretty relatable, mine in 3 tiers:

(A-, B+)
1. Iron Man
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
3. Civil War
4. Dr. Strange
5. The Avengers
6. The Winter Soldier

(B-, C+)
7. Iron Man 3
8. Avengers: Age of Ultron
9. Ant-Man

(C, C-)
10. Thor
11. Iron Man 2
12. The Incredible Hulk
13. Captain America: The First Avenger
14. Thor: The Dark World

Ant-Man is one of the best!

"Diet Rite is awesome!"

A solidly entertaining Marvel origin flick with some really quite cool and kick-ass Inception style mind bending visual effects. Benedict Cumberbatch is actually pretty charismatic here, which is not a word I would usually associate with him. Tilda Swinton and Chiwetel Ejiofor lend the proceedings an aura of dignity, and Rachel McAdams makes the most out of her underwritten love interest. The sequel could potentially be very interesting depending on where they go with it. B+

It's not a top tier Marvel film, but for a solo movie I definitely think it's one of their best. They are basically recycling the Iron Man formula once again for an origin story, but it's the trippy visuals combined with the creative, mind bending action sequences that make this one really stand out. Cumberbatch is totally interchangeable with RDJ here, but it works because he so charismatic and entertaining to watch. Like this is easily the most fun I've seen him have with a role and I honestly cannot wait to see him interact with other Marvel characters in the future (the scene with Thor at the end was gold). The rest of the cast was fine, but Rachel McAdams is wasted and as much as I liked his personality, Mads is just another disposable baddy. In fact it's crazy how awesome, scary Scott Adkins was in this while not having a single line of dialogue.

1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
2. Avengers: Age of Ultron
3. Guardians of the Galaxy
4. Captain America: Civil War
5. Captain America: The First Avenger
6. The Avengers
7. Iron Man 3
8. Thor
9. Iron Man
10. Ant-Man
11. Doctor Strange
12. The Incredible Hulk
13. Iron Man 2
14. Thor: The Dark World

Everytime I type up these lists it reminds me how most of these are merely decent.

Lists, yeah.

1. Guardians of the Galaxy
2. Captain America: Civil War
3. Avengers: Age of Ultron
4. Iron Man
5. Doctor Strange
6. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
7. The Avengers
8. Thor: The Dark World
9. Iron Man 3
10. Thor
11. Captain America: The First Avenger
12. Iron Man 2
13. The Incredible Hulk
14. Ant-Man

It's good. The first two-third's are a lot of fun. The stuff with the cape alone was fantastic. But I have the same problem I had with Civil War: From the end of ACT II on (right after he's resuscitated in the hospital and has the spirit fight) I just stopped caring. And the ending is both ingenious and anti-climactic. I'm sure there's a workaround I don't know about, but it pretty much gives Strange the opportunity to pull a Superman (despite what Feige says) if something bad happens.

I don't know how, but Marvel needs to get me to care again, especially in their third acts. Fourteen films in, and not surprisingly, the formula is getting kind of stale.

B

I don't have to think too much about this one, because I know exactly where it ranks.

Anyways, here's mine.

1. The Avengers
2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
3. Iron Man
4. Captain America: Civil War
5. Guardians of the Galaxy
6. Doctor Strange
7. Avengers: Age of Ultron
8. The Incredible Hulk
9. Captain America: The First Avenger
10. Thor: The Dark World
11. Iron Man 3
12. Ant-Man
13. Thor
14. Iron Man 2

I found the time-loop/"I've-come-to-bargain" bit clever enough to mostly compensate for the rote idea of the Hero Facing a Big, Evil, Computer-Generated Head to Stop a City's Destruction.

My list would roughly be:

A-
1. Captain America: The First Avenger

B+
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
3. The Incredible Hulk

B
4. Avengers: Age of Ultron
5. Doctor Strange
6. The Avengers
7. Ant-Man
8. Iron Man
9. Thor

C+
10. Iron Man 3
11. Captain America: Civil War
12. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

C
13. Thor: The Dark World

D
14. Iron Man 2

And, yet, somehow, for critics it isn't.

Marvel really has mastered the art of the "good enough" film.

Yep.

And...

List! (I'm sure these have varied from each MCU thread to the next)

The Avengers - A+
Iron Man - A
Captain America: The First Avenger - A-
Ant-Man - A-
Guardians of the Galaxy - B+
Iron Man 3 - B+
Captain America: The Winter Soldier - B+
Avengers: Age of Ultron - B+
Doctor Strange - B
Captain America: Civil War - B
The Incredible Hulk - B
Thor: The Dark World - B
Thor - C+
Iron Man 2 - C+

I'm honestly mixed on the finale. It's cool they found a way to add a twist to the whole climatic, city battle, but it felt cheap at the same time. Maybe it will grow on me in repeat viewings, but I just couldn't take Dormmammu seriously as a threat, and his silly, CGI, floating head design wasn't helping either. It was like watching ROTSS all over again.