An Alternate Reality-Doctor Strange- A Film Review (2016)

DVD Review 

By Sam Lowell 

Doctor Strange, starring Dominick Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, 2016 

Blame it on the big bang theory, blame it on an expanding universe, or better after watching the film under review, Doctor Strange, expanding multi-verses. Heck blame it on Steven Hawking if you want but modern day alternative reality films are here to stay (that alternative reality business these days maybe reflecting a desire to move away from the earth-bound situation of late). Add in almost constant action of various sorts, meaning mostly fighting and assorted mayhem and a lot of interesting special effects that drive a lot of these kinds of films today and you have a worthwhile new addition to the alt-reality genre. Doctor Strange raises his head to the challenge,            

Here’s the play. Doc Strange, a Type A personality, is a hot shot big time surgeon in New York City. No “meatball” surgery for this guy, nothing by prime cases to beef up his reputation, get him into the big medical journals as whiz. He had it all, dough, a great place, a great car, a great looking girlfriend if he wanted her. Then one night he got into a big car crash in which his hands, his beautiful surgeon’s hands remember, were smashed up. End of career, move on to I don’t know what maybe a factory job. Hey, did you forget he is a Type A guy so no way is he going to not try for a big come-back. Nothing works though until he gets a line on going Zen essentially. Going to the outback in Katmandu out in Nepal. Go study with the serious meditation warriors.       

Of course when our good doctor gets there he is, being a secular rationalist and deep believer in science, skeptical of what is going on until the sorceress, the head of the monastery where he has been directed shows him a whole new way of thinking outside the box. Developing skills that will put the earthly surgeon’s game in the backseat. He buys into the program after a while and being a Type A still despite his new inner calm discipline he goes all out to be the best, to find out al there is to know about being a neo- Zen warrior.   

Naturally this alt-reality is heady stuff and not everybody is down for the cosmic challenge. It seems that the universe, really multi-verse is being threatened by a bad guy, a force of darkness who wants to be number one in that multi-verse. What else is new. He recruited some of the sorceress’s student with the promise of eternal life. And these guys, especially the mascara running all over his eyes leader took it as good coin to side with the multi-verse’s Mister Bad. So the battle was on. You know the battle between good and evil. You also know that our good Doctor Strange after about twelve confrontations with Mister Bad’s agents in order in the end to save Earth when the chips were down wins the day. Wins the day but also is now confronted with the idea that he has to make sure things work out right, make sure the Earth is safe from the Mister Bads of the multi-verse. So if you hear about a sequel to this film you heard it here first.