Sanctum Sanctorum - Doctor Strange Spoilers and Discussion Thread

[Kham-Ryn Kurios]

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!!!WARNING!!! !!!WARNING!!! !!!WARNING!!!

This is your final warning, Doctor Strange spoilers may follow.
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[Kham-Ryn Kurios]

This is far and away my favorite Marvel movie to date, and my second favorite movie of the year.

[Darth Tepes]

This is far and away my favorite Marvel movie to date, and my second favorite movie of the year.

Definitely takes the number 2 spot for me in my favorite Marvel Films.

[LivingBrain]

Just got back and I really loved this. It hasn't hit me quite as deeply as other Marvel movies, but it's definitely an above average entry for them. Top of my head ranking:

1. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
2. THE AVENGERS
3. IRON MAN THREE
4. IRON MAN
5. AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON
6. DOCTOR STRANGE
7. ANT-MAN
8. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER
9. THOR
10. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER
11. CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR
12. THOR: THE DARK WORLD
13. THE INCREDIBLE HULK
14. IRON MAN 2

It doesn't get into straight up "I LOVE THIS WITH ALL MY HEART" territory for me (that begins at ULTRON in my ranking), but it definitely hit the sweet spot at times. The pure visual imagination (through both production design, cinematography, and special effects) alone makes it worth it. Scott Derrickson and his team were working some kind of cinematic sorcery with this movie.  

The new ideas and concepts introduced also have me speculating like crazy about Scarlet Witch's powers. I really hope she and Strange meet up at some point.

EDIT: With further thought, it's actually growing on me quite a bit. I'll be thinking about this movie for a while. 

[scifidude79]

This is far and away my favorite Marvel movie to date, and my second favorite movie of the year.

So, still not better than BvS in your book?  Interesting.

[LivingBrain]

This is far and away my favorite Marvel movie to date, and my second favorite movie of the year.

I'm really interested to see your Marvel movie ranking. Mind sharing?

[Kham-Ryn Kurios]

So, still not better than BvS in your book?  Interesting.

Don't get me wrong, Doctor strange is fantastic, I just find myself drawn to the drama in BvS. I myself am a fan of the deconstructionist route they took when it comes to Batman and Superman. Doctor Strange was like a tradepaperback, it's accessible, easy to digest, and full of bright kinetic action. BvS was a really thick graphic novel, looking at it's characters under a microscope, that ran the risk of coming off as pompous; I don't know anyone who is "in the middle" on BvS, it's either beloved, or hated. This is not to say that those who enjoy one or the other are any more or less intelligent than the one another.

I'm really interested to see your Marvel movie ranking. Mind sharing?

1. DOCTOR STRANGE
2. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
3. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER
4. THE AVENGERS
5. IRON MAN 2
6. AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON
7. ANT-MAN
8. THOR: THE DARK WORLD
9. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER
10. THOR
11. IRON MAN 3
12. THE INCREDIBLE HULK
13. CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR
14. IRON MAN

[LivingBrain]

1. DOCTOR STRANGE
2. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
3. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER
4. THE AVENGERS
5. IRON MAN 2
6. AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON
7. ANT-MAN
8. THOR: THE DARK WORLD
9. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER
10. THOR
11. IRON MAN 3
12. THE INCREDIBLE HULK
13. CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR
14. IRON MAN

I have never seen a list with IRON MAN at the bottom and now I'm dying to know your reasons!!!  

It's also really cool to see I'm not the only one that's not so hot on CIVIL WAR. 

[Kham-Ryn Kurios]

I have never seen a list with IRON MAN at the bottom and now I'm dying to know your reasons!!!  

It's also really cool to see I'm not the only one that's not so hot on CIVIL WAR.  

There isn't anything wrong with the movie, but for me personally IRON MAN has fallen into the same category that Citizen Kane, or The Beatles have fallen. I understand how important they are, that they set the example for generations, but I have absorbed everything I can from them. I have seen IRON MAN so many times since it came (out which was only eight years ago), that I feel no reason to go back to it for a long time, because I don't get the enjoyment I used to from watching it.

CIVIL WAR was enjoyable, but much like the iPhone 7, there was not much in the way of improvement to the formula. It's one that works, one that people enjoy immensely, but for me, it lacked the innovation of previous installments.

[LivingBrain]

There isn't anything wrong with the movie, but for me personally IRON MAN has fallen into the same category that Citizen Kane, or The Beatles have fallen. I understand how important they are, that they set the example for generations, but I have absorbed everything I can from them. I have seen IRON MAN so many times since it came (out which was only eight years ago), that I feel no reason to go back to it for a long time, because I don't get the enjoyment I used to from watching it.

CIVIL WAR was enjoyable, but much like the iPhone 7, there was not much in the way of improvement to the formula. It's one that works, one that people enjoy immensely, but for me, it lacked the innovation of previous installments.

That's very good reasoning for IRON MAN. I have it higher on mine because it still holds up really well and set the example, but it's not one of the ones I often rewatch. I have it there as a form of respect.

I completely agree with you on CIVIL WAR. My big issues with it are their centering the conflict around Bucky (a non-entity they've done very little character work for, leading to zero emotional investment in him), and their haphazard way of raising questions and themes to look "serious," but not making any statements about them. They also skimp out on a lot of story material and brush it off with jokes (like Ant-Man having literally no reason to be there, even if he steals the show).

For that matter, Spider-Man didn't need to be there either. They did an incredible job with his introductory scene, laying out his ethos, personality, and relationship to Tony with wonderfully concise writing, but it feels like their entire purpose was just to get him in the story, rather than asking if he has a real place in it. In fact, I wish the conflict was just between the main players. That way, it could have been more personal and examined more thoroughly rather than having so much screentime devoted to fun and quips and whatnot. Cap, Tony, Widow, Rhodey, Falcon, Wanda, Vision, Sharon, Black Panther (who fits really well into the story btw), Bucky, and Hawkeye is more than enough to create an engaging narrative; Spidey and Ant-Man are superfluous.

It does subvert some tropes in some cool ways (like the final battle being small and personal), but those other failures make it impossible for that to impress me. Most of the action is horribly shot too so, aside from moments in the airport battle and the final brawl, it's not even that thrilling.

[Master Seblaise]

What i do not like in the movie:

Fights are not lisible
The apprentissage of Magic is too short and magic power are poorly displayed on the screen ... exception of the Mirror Dimension

What i LOVE in this movie:

Everything else 
Casting, director, photography, plot ... everything
Mirror Dimension is greatly made ... love that


Not the best Marvel for me ... but really love this one

[LivingBrain]

What i do not like in the movie:

Fights are not lisible
The apprentissage of Magic is too short and magic power are poorly displayed on the screen ... exception of the Mirror Dimension

I thought this was some of the best action in the MCU! What didn't you like about the fights?

You're right that the training was too short. They did a really poor job of communicating passage of time.

I liked how they visualized magic, but I want to hear more of what you thought of it. Do you prefer how Harry Potter does it?

[Master Seblaise]

I thought this was some of the best action in the MCU! What didn't you like about the fights?

You're right that the training was too short. They did a really poor job of communicating passage of time.

I liked how they visualized magic, but I want to hear more of what you thought of it. Do you prefer how Harry Potter does it?

I thing that the fights are confused on the screen, as if the camera was too close. It is an artistic choice i respect but i do not like it

To me, Magic is not "spectacular" enough in the movie (exception of the dimensions) ... Spectacular like this:

[LivingBrain]

I thing that the fights are confused on the screen, as if the camera was too close. It is an artistic choice i respect but i do not like it

To me, Magic is not "spectacular" enough in the movie (exception of the dimensions) ... Spectacular like this:

I watched it again and you're absolutely right that the camera is still too close. I thought the action was much clearer in this than in most Marvel movies (CIVIL WAR especially), which was helped greatly by a greater propensity in STRANGE to occasionally cut to wide shots in action scenes, but it still could have been clearer. I think it's better than most of what we've seen in the MCU, especially since it used its crazy new concepts to deliver extremely inventive confrontations, but there is still some ways to go!

And, my goodness, do I want that panel you shared to come to life. That's truly mystical and spectacular! There was a lot of mind-bending stuff in this film, but it mostly related to messing with space and the physical world. We need some more metaphysical goodness.  

[Drahcir]

My biggest problem with this movie was that I had a hard time placing in within the universe timeline.
Some of the news that is mentioned early on when he is first injured makes it sound like that was happening around Iron Man 2.
Which makes me wonder if he was actually training that entire time and it just looks horribly rushed to get to what is today/modern time.

That and I found the musical score underwhelming.

I otherwise enjoyed it quite a bit, it's probably ranked 6 or 7 on my list of Marvel movies.

Edit:

I guess I'll include my ranking.

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

Oh, and I'm the first to admit Civil War is a controversial number one.
It's only there because of how near and dear Spider-man is to me.
It'll probably fall from that place as time passes and more movies are released.