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cjlasky7"Wait...this came out in 2022. And you're just getting to it now? I thought you were this biiiig Doctor Strange fan!"
Well...I was busy. (Shut up.)
******************
Warning: spoilers and extreme nerdiness ahead.
This movie almost works. Almost. Everything you need in a Doctor Strange movie is in there (plus a bonus at the end, which I'll get to). But the movie is overstuffed, and the vital material gets swamped under by extraneous action scenes, distracting superhero cameos and dangling loose ends from other corners of the MCU.
BUT before I start kvetching, let me focus on what I loved about this movie: the character of Stephen Strange himself. Not his sooperwizard powers--the man, who he is and where he's going. After we finished the movie, I told my wife: "It's comforting to know that, throughout the multiverse, Stephen Strange will always be an asshole." And it IS comforting! It's consistency of character, from his debut in Strange Tales #110 to right now. He was an arrogant prick as a high priced neurosurgeon and he's STILL an arrogant prick as a wizard. (Only now he saves the world. And he doesn't run up your insurance bill.)
It amused me greatly to see Dr. Strange screaming at everyone that Wanda was coming to kill them all, and the other characters nodded politely and said: "Yes, that IS a problem. But let's talk about YOU, Stephen." Stephen Strange may be the hero of the movie, but to most of the characters in it, HE is the biggest threat to the multiverse. And they're right! At least two other Stranges have destroyed their realities by fatally overestimating their ability to control the forces they've unleashed. So what makes our version of Dr. Strange any different?
That's the central question holding the movie together. Has he grown at all, or at least enough to avoid those catastrophic displays of hubris? Can he finally let go of Christine Palmer and move on with his life? Maybe. He does bow to Wong, a show of deference and respect. He defends and then empowers America Chavez, who must remind him of the little sister he lost. And he finally fixes that damn watch. (Symbolism!) Is he a humble Master of the Mystic Arts and lover of puppies at the end? Don't be ridiculous.
You see? All good! But to get to that good stuff, you have to deal with the plot. And that means dealing with the Scarlet Witch.
Look, I don't really mind that Marvel used this movie to clean up the loose ends of WandaVision; if you're going to continue the story of a powerful sorceress, a Dr. Strange movie is a good fit. But why does it have to be another "Wanda Goes Batshit" plotline? Speaking as a long-suffering Marvel reader, haven't we had too many of those already? In WGB stories, Wanda often seems like a gigantic plot device rather than a legitimate character, setting huge events in motion with her chaos magic, because she's crazy powerful (emphasis on "crazy").
Same here. Why does Wanda have to go apocalyptically evil because her "children" were magical illusions? Isn't there a better path here? (I feel there are a few steps missing between "dealing with grief" and "murderous rampage.") And if you say "the Darkhold is warping her mind", then why does she snap out of it so quickly when her "kids" are scared of her? Shouldn't an infamous book of dark magic have a better hold on its victims?
[Side note: boy, Sam Raimi loves his books of dark magic, doesn't he?]
I think this whole plotline was handled better in Avengers 184-186, when Chthon (the demon who created the Darkhold) actually possessed Wanda and sent her on a rampage. That might have worked better here. (If you're interested, that story is reprinted in the "Nights of Wundagore" graphic novel. Vintage John Byrne artwork. Pick it up!) So even though I wouldn't say Wanda's story was "botched" ("clumsily handled" is more accurate), it still left me with a sour stomach and detracted from the good stuff listed above.
But if I was slightly down on the movie when the credits rolled, that post-credits scene picked me right up:
Clea!
Charlize Theron as Clea!
Hell yeah!
For those of you unfamiliar with the comics, Clea is the niece of his arch foe, the dread Dormammu, occasional Queen of the Dark Dimension, with power levels off the charts... and (sadly) Stephen's ex-wife. (Clea is a courageous superheroine in her own right, not to mention stunningly beautiful, but Stephen just "couldn't make it work." What an asshole.)
Clea is one of the last pieces of the Dr. Strange mythos to fall into place, and it is the perfect set up for the third movie in...2031?
I can't have it right now?
Kevin Feige did not think this through.
Well...I was busy. (Shut up.)
******************
Warning: spoilers and extreme nerdiness ahead.
This movie almost works. Almost. Everything you need in a Doctor Strange movie is in there (plus a bonus at the end, which I'll get to). But the movie is overstuffed, and the vital material gets swamped under by extraneous action scenes, distracting superhero cameos and dangling loose ends from other corners of the MCU.
BUT before I start kvetching, let me focus on what I loved about this movie: the character of Stephen Strange himself. Not his sooperwizard powers--the man, who he is and where he's going. After we finished the movie, I told my wife: "It's comforting to know that, throughout the multiverse, Stephen Strange will always be an asshole." And it IS comforting! It's consistency of character, from his debut in Strange Tales #110 to right now. He was an arrogant prick as a high priced neurosurgeon and he's STILL an arrogant prick as a wizard. (Only now he saves the world. And he doesn't run up your insurance bill.)
It amused me greatly to see Dr. Strange screaming at everyone that Wanda was coming to kill them all, and the other characters nodded politely and said: "Yes, that IS a problem. But let's talk about YOU, Stephen." Stephen Strange may be the hero of the movie, but to most of the characters in it, HE is the biggest threat to the multiverse. And they're right! At least two other Stranges have destroyed their realities by fatally overestimating their ability to control the forces they've unleashed. So what makes our version of Dr. Strange any different?
That's the central question holding the movie together. Has he grown at all, or at least enough to avoid those catastrophic displays of hubris? Can he finally let go of Christine Palmer and move on with his life? Maybe. He does bow to Wong, a show of deference and respect. He defends and then empowers America Chavez, who must remind him of the little sister he lost. And he finally fixes that damn watch. (Symbolism!) Is he a humble Master of the Mystic Arts and lover of puppies at the end? Don't be ridiculous.
You see? All good! But to get to that good stuff, you have to deal with the plot. And that means dealing with the Scarlet Witch.
Look, I don't really mind that Marvel used this movie to clean up the loose ends of WandaVision; if you're going to continue the story of a powerful sorceress, a Dr. Strange movie is a good fit. But why does it have to be another "Wanda Goes Batshit" plotline? Speaking as a long-suffering Marvel reader, haven't we had too many of those already? In WGB stories, Wanda often seems like a gigantic plot device rather than a legitimate character, setting huge events in motion with her chaos magic, because she's crazy powerful (emphasis on "crazy").
Same here. Why does Wanda have to go apocalyptically evil because her "children" were magical illusions? Isn't there a better path here? (I feel there are a few steps missing between "dealing with grief" and "murderous rampage.") And if you say "the Darkhold is warping her mind", then why does she snap out of it so quickly when her "kids" are scared of her? Shouldn't an infamous book of dark magic have a better hold on its victims?
[Side note: boy, Sam Raimi loves his books of dark magic, doesn't he?]
I think this whole plotline was handled better in Avengers 184-186, when Chthon (the demon who created the Darkhold) actually possessed Wanda and sent her on a rampage. That might have worked better here. (If you're interested, that story is reprinted in the "Nights of Wundagore" graphic novel. Vintage John Byrne artwork. Pick it up!) So even though I wouldn't say Wanda's story was "botched" ("clumsily handled" is more accurate), it still left me with a sour stomach and detracted from the good stuff listed above.
But if I was slightly down on the movie when the credits rolled, that post-credits scene picked me right up:
Clea!
Charlize Theron as Clea!
Hell yeah!
For those of you unfamiliar with the comics, Clea is the niece of his arch foe, the dread Dormammu, occasional Queen of the Dark Dimension, with power levels off the charts... and (sadly) Stephen's ex-wife. (Clea is a courageous superheroine in her own right, not to mention stunningly beautiful, but Stephen just "couldn't make it work." What an asshole.)
Clea is one of the last pieces of the Dr. Strange mythos to fall into place, and it is the perfect set up for the third movie in...2031?
I can't have it right now?
Kevin Feige did not think this through.
no subject
Date: 2024-02-08 12:02 am (UTC)I thought you'd already seen this one and reviewed it. (Also where's the Poor Things review? Did I miss it? As an aside? That's weirdly controversial. One group thinks it's misogynistic, another group thinks it's more feminist than Barbie. Personally, I wouldn't compare the two, but I also haven't seen Poor Things. But someone did.)
Anyhow - as I said in my review of it over a century ago (oh right that was 2022?), my difficulty with the movie is it didn't follow up on Spiderman: Far From Home well. Spiderman: Far From Home set up a really cool idea - in that Strange had accidentally created a multi-verse in how he was handling things in Spiderman. And would most likely need someone else's help to set it right. I thought Wanda was going to be pulled in to help. And end up falling into the trap of hubris, Strange does in Spiderman, and they have to work together. Or something like that - that's what the trailer and Spiderman had lead me to believe. Of course, that's not what they did. (Damn, Sam Rami. That man keeps doing the same move over and over again. And always gives Campbell a cameo. The fun part of a Rami film is hunting for Bruce Campbell.)
Anyhow, I was disappointed as a result. I agree with your review for the most part. Wanda was problematic, everyone who saw the movie had issues with her characterization. Also the side-kick bit Marvel's been doing - isn't working for me, although here it wasn't too bad?
I've not read the Strange or Avengers comics - so can't comment on those. Good to know it sticks closely or close enough to its source material. Right now, I think Clea is Doctor Strange in the Marvel Verse.
no subject
Date: 2024-02-08 02:02 am (UTC)Cumberbatch said he's signed on to appear in Marvel's Phase 5 movies and he's willing to do DS3. So there's no problem on that end. (Multiverse of Madness just barely missed a $1B box office, so maybe Marvel would be willing to give it a slot... eventually.)
Actually, I was a little behind the curve with my summation of Clea and Stephen's relationship:
Two years ago, Stephen died and Clea took over as Sorcerer Supreme. First order of business? Resurrecting Stephen. She faced heavy resistance on multiple fronts (from enemies and friends), but she got him back. They're together again and living at the New York Sanctum Sanctorum. Clea is still Sorcerer Supreme; Stephen is semi-retired and acts as a consultant on magical problems for the rest of the Marvel universe. (This sounds good; I don't collect comics anymore, but I should check it out!)
The Poor Things review is coming. But with my wife confined to home for the next two weeks, I'm the only mobile adult. Give me time.
no subject
Date: 2024-02-08 03:32 am (UTC)(I read comics digitally via my Amazon Fire Kindle HD. So I don't collect them, I just read them. Some free. Some at a discount. No comic book stores. Easier to read, and doesn't require storage space. Also easier to access.)
I wondered if she'd resurrected him. I knew he died. But I also knew he returned. And Clea pops up in the Gods comic as well. Stephen is an arrogant prick here as well. But then he has company.
It's very speculative fiction. Marvel has gotten oddly existential and into speculative fiction of late.
Hope your wife feels better soon. Sounds like your in full care-giver mode?
no subject
Date: 2024-02-08 04:18 am (UTC)I'm still making her breakfast before I go to work and I either buy takeout or make dinner (under her strict supervision). I have to drive the boy around everywhere. So I'm going to be a busy bee over the next two weeks.
Just for You: If Nora Ephron Wrote Doctor Strange
Date: 2024-02-08 07:32 pm (UTC)FRIEND #1: Again?! Clea, sweetie, this is getting ridiculous. Who was it this time? That Maximoff woman?
CLEA: Wanda? She's still dead. And she would know better.
FRIEND #1: He can't treat you like this! You're the sorcerer supreme... of two dimensions! Doesn't that deserve some kind of respect?!
FRIEND #2: Your relationship is just too complicated. With me, it's very simple: I'm introduced to the male. We mate. I eat him. No worries.
CLEA: Well, when it comes to eating Stephen--
[Joke censored]
FRIEND #3: [TERRIFYING HISS]
CLEA: Magda, I know you don't really mean that.
FRIEND #3: [TERRIFYING HISS w/GURGLING NOISES]
CLEA: Thank you, Magda. It's good to know you have my back in times like this.
FRIEND #1: Where is our food? Did the entire staff portal out to another dimension?
FRIEND #2: It's only been five minutes.
FRIEND #1 [pats her belly]: Well, I've got five thousand hatchlings in here and they're all hungry.
[Dr. Strange materializes at the table. Clea's friends eye him coldly.]
DR. STRANGE: Ladies. [beat] I'd like to talk to Clea. Alone.
CLEA: We have nothing to talk about.
[Clea vanishes. Dr. Strange then disappears in a plume of orange smoke.]
FRIEND #1: Showoff.
FRIEND #3: [TERRIFYING HISS]
FRIEND #2: Oh come on. You'd do him in a second.
FRIEND #3: [TINY SQUEAK]