Sing

Year: 2016

Director: Christophe Lourdelet and Garth Jennings

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Seth MacFarlane, Taron Egerton, and Tori Kelly
Tagline: Auditions begin 2016
Synopsis: To save his theater, Buster Moon (a koala) puts on a singing competition.  Singing and hijinks ensue.

Review

Sing was simply a movie to see with my mom during Christmas break.  Was it a terrible film?  No.  Did it have moments that entertained me?  Yes.  Did it have cringe-worthy moments that made me roll my eyes and groan?  Yes.  Was it the worst movie I've seen this year?  No.

It's probably wise this film was slated about as far from Zootopia as possible.  As anthropomorphic animal movies go, there is no comparison.  Not in story.  Not in characters.  And not even remotely in animation.  I suppose in Sing's defense, it was never trying to compete and thus it is unfair to compare.  Moving on.

As a film student, I learned there are two types of musicals.  There's the kind that has a definite plot with a story to tell and the characters simply break into song from time to time in order to express their emotions.  And then there's the "Hey, guys, let's put on a show!" variety which inexorably leads to a "The show must go on!" finale.  As the latter, Sing is a paint by musical numbers film.  There's some plot and a few character arcs.  But the outcome is as inevitable as it is predictable.

Then again, the reason that second kind of musical exists is to showcase talented singers and dancers.  In Sing's case, the singers and dancers happen to be animals.  So, we get an array of animals performing 2016's "Now That's What I Call a Soundtrack!"  There is a good deal of variety to the film's music, I'll give it that.  There's a mouse who sings Frank Sinatra (of the Rat Pack, get it?), pigs doing Taylor Swift, a gorilla performing John Legend, and the list goes on.  There's also "Hallelujah," "Venus," "Gimme Some Lovin'," and "Lollipop," to name a few more songs.  Most of the songs are catchy and the animals are amusing.

On the low end, the film had a flatulence gag.  I don't recall anything else questionable.  But I had a hard time liking Buster Moon (the main character).  Hard-working, do-anything-to-succeed is one thing.  Not paying employees, dodging creditors, and stealing electricity and water is another.  [Somebody report this koala to Officer Judy Hopps ...]

There were a few highlights though.  Rosita's housework machine is ingenious and fun.  And her "Bamboleo" routine in the supermarket is entertaining.  I was also amused by the car wash.  The colorful squid are also neat and I'd have liked to have seen more of them.

Overall, Sing brings nothing original to the table.  But if you've got kids dying to see animals singing pop tunes, it's not a horrible way to spend 108 minutes.

*** Spoiler Section ***

There's seriously nothing to spoil.  Sing is like one of those road trip tourist stops.  "30 miles to Buster's Burger Bonanza!"  "20 miles to Buster's Burger Bonanza!"  "10 miles to Buster's Burger Bonanza!"  "Two plot points to Sing's inevitable wrap up!"  "You have reached the happy ending."

Quotable Quotes

• "When you've reached rock bottom, there's only one way to go, and that's up!" -- Buster Moon
• "Has anyone seen my glass eye?" -- Miss Crawly

ISFS

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Year: 2016

Director: Gareth Edwards

Starring: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Ben Mendelsohn, and Mads Mikkelsen
Tagline: A rebellion built on hope
Synopsis: "Rebel spies [manage] to steal secret plans to the Empire's ultimate weapon, the Death Star."

Review

Rogue One is awesome!  I've always enjoyed Star Wars, but I didn't realize how big my inner Star Wars nerd was until I was watching the film and grinning ear to ear with each new tie-in to the other films.  I geeked out quite a bit and enjoyed every minute of it.

It helps that Rogue One is also a solid film.  In fact, I'd say it's better than The Force Awakens.  I'd put it right after A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back.

I can't really think of how to say more about this film without going into spoilers.  So I'm not going to try.  If you haven't seen Rogue One, stop reading and go see it.

*** Spoiler Section ***

I love R2-D2 and am usually amused by C-3PO.  BB-8 is adorable.  But K-2SO may be my new favorite droid.  As a reprogrammed imperial droid, there's nothing cute or fun about his look.  He's tall, dark, and intimidating.  But he adds humor throughout the film: a droll humor that fits with the film and other characters.  He's a no-nonsense droid.  Just about everything out of his voice box could be in the quotes section.

K2's dry humor is needed; Rogue One has a darker tone, stressing the "war" in Star Wars.  The final third of the film feels a bit like a WWII film, just in space with droids, aliens, and star cruisers.  And the rest of the film shows a Rebellion that is divided, struggling, and not as morally tidy as A New Hope portrays.  Trust and hope are ideals being thrown about by the leaders, but in the trenches things are muddier and those ideals aren't as readily embraced.

One of the great things Rogue One does is it gives that context to A New Hope.  Princess Leia's urgent petulance makes sense.  Han Solo's desire to steer clear of the Rebellion seems sensible.  Luke's naivete is all the more clear.  Moreover, the sacrifice of the Rogue One team makes the Death Star plans all the more valuable.  The film also neatly (and I believe logically) explains why there was a weakness in the Death Star's fortifications to begin with.

When the third act came around, I was surprised just how tense it felt.  There was a sense of urgency throughout the final battle and moments of the film.  That's quite the feat for a film like this.  No matter how many things go wrong or how many people die, we know they'll succeed in getting the plans to the Death Star to Princess Leia.  Yet I still found myself on the edge of my seat, rooting for the characters and internally yelling "C'mon!" and "Just hand off the disk!"  When you are still engaged even when you know the outcome, that's the sign of a well-crafted story.

Although not one of the main saga films, Rogue One feels every bit like a Star Wars film (even without the title crawl).  The music is excellent as always.  While there are new themes, the familiar themes show up as well.  The visual effects was another area that hearkened back to the originals. The film uses miniatures!  There's also plenty of CGI, but the fact they went back to Star Wars roots and used miniatures form some of the spaceships made me quite happy and made it feel more tied to A New Hope.  The film also has plenty of "Easter eggs," cameos, and appearances by familiar characters.  I was especially happy to see Bail Organa appear.  Not only does it make sense, given he is Leia's adoptive father, it connects the prequel trilogy as well.  (There is much that is wrong with the prequels, but I don't recall any problems with Senator Organa's role, which makes it a safe tie-in point.)

Based on A New Hope, it would be improbable to tell the Rogue One story without Governor Tarkin.  I'm sure there were lengthy discussions about whether or not to recast Peter Cushing.  The first scene he is "in," I'll admit it was a little jarring.  But it was also neat to see Governor Tarkin as I remember him.  So I accepted that it was (imperfect) CGI and rolled with it whatever scene he was in.  I'm glad they went that route.  As for Princess Leia, I found her to be a little more jarring.  Perhaps that is because I've seen Carrie Fisher (may she rest in peace) grow older over the years.  It worked, and I liked ending where they did, but it might also have worked if we had cut away before the white-clad princess ever turned around.

While there is much to enjoy about Rogue One, the standout scene is when Darth Vader walks down a hall.  When the original trilogy came out, Darth Vader became one of the best cinematic villains ever.  If the prequels tarnished some of that image, Rogue One polishes and reinstates him.  His lair -- on Mustafar of all places -- puts Syndrome's lava fortress (from The Incredibles) to shame.  Vader is calm and collected and a force to be reckoned with.  And when he walks down that hall filled with cowering Rebel soldiers, we remember why he is such an awesome and enduring villain.

If you can't tell, I thoroughly enjoyed Rogue One.  I look forward to seeing it again.  And it makes me look forward to watching A New Hope again.  May the Force be with you ... always.

Quotable Quotes

• "Be careful not to choke on your aspirations, Director." -- Darth Vader to Director Krennic
• "I'll be there for you, Jyn ... Cassian says I have to." -- K-2SO
• "I am one with the Force.  The Force is with me." -- Chirrut Imwe
• "There were a lot of explosions for two people blending in." -- K-2SO to Cassian and Jyn
• "I've got a bad feeling about --" "K!" "Quiet!" -- K-2SO, Cassian, and Jyn

ISFS

The Music of Christmas

In the Dr. Seuss Christmas classic, the Grinch attempts to stop Christmas from coming to the Whos down in Whoville.  He steals their presents.  He steals their lights and their trees.  He even steals the food for their feast, taking every roast beast.  Though he has stolen every tangible sign he could get his green hands on, the Grinch finds that Christmas comes anyway.  This discovery comes to him because of one of the things he could not steal: the music of Christmas.  Without drums, without trumpets, without harps, horns, or bells, the music of Christmas still filled the air.

Just as the Whos down in Whoville, Christmas and music go hand in hand.  No other holiday has music so intrinsically a part of it.  Music is so ingrained into the season that we even sing about singing.  When we “need a little Christmas” we also “need a little singing, ringing through the rafters.”  When we are “dashing through the snow” we can’t help but “ride and sing a sleighing song tonight.”  Whether we are “caroling, caroling through the snow” or “rockin’ around the Christmas tree,” the music of the season fills the air and fills our hearts.

Of course not all Christmas music is created equal.  Those songs which testify of the birth of our Savior traditionally bear the label “carols.”  One such carol, “Carol to the King,” has become a personal favorite.  It invites: “Tune your heart to hear His music / feel the glory of His love.”  Just as Christ is at the heart of Christmas, so too is He at the heart of Christmas music.  That is why it is so near and dear to our own hearts and brings us closer to Him each season.

As wonderful as it is to have a “holly, jolly Christmas” and do the “Jingle Bell Rock,” may we make time this season and always to turn our minds to Christ and tune our hearts to His music.  In life, we will likely still have to go “dashing through the snow,” but first and last let us “hasten to the manger, that we too may join the song.”  After all, the song we sing is not of sleigh rides or snowmen, reindeer or gifts.  Rather, we “sing the song of redeeming love” (Alma 5:26), a song which is “joyful and triumphant.”  Filled with such a song, our hearts – like the Grinch’s – can’t help but grow.

“We all rejoice, with songs we sing, to bring the world a newborn King.”

Merry Christmas!
Jennifer A. Henderson

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Year: 2016

Director: David Yates

Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Colin Farrell, Dan Fogler, Ezra Miller, Alison Sudol and a number of truly fantastic beasts
Tagline: Explore a new era of J.K. Rowling's wizarding world
Synopsis: When some of his magical beasts get loose in New York City, Newt Scamander must hurry to recapture them before they get hurt ... or before they get blamed for the destruction being wreaked by something else.

Review

I love Harry Potter.  His movie series ended, though, before I started this blog.  My love for that world began with the film  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and has grown ever stronger since then.  From the moment we briefly hear "Hedwig's Theme" during the Warner Bros. logo, I was happily sucked into Fantastic Beasts.  I was even more happy as the credits finished rolling.

J.K. Rowling wrote the screenplay to Fantastic Beasts and it is a stronger film/story for it.  The film also benefits from this being an original story and not an adaptation.  Does it set itself up for a sequel?  Yes.  Very much so.  But it can also stand on its own I think.

You don't have to be familiar with Harry Potter's world in order to appreciate Fantastic Beasts.  That is another of the film's strengths.  The film is immersive enough (and self-explanatory enough) that anyone can enjoy its magic.  Of course, if you are well-versed in the Potterverse, you'll find extra tidbits to appreciate and get excited over.  I had quite a few such moments.

Everything about the film is well done: the visuals, the story, the music, the roaring 20s setting, the acting.  I loved all of it.  One thing that I especially enjoyed are all the small details that make the world so immersive.  One example is when Jacob is reading a borrowed book.  The book isn't at all important to the scene.  He just happens to have it on his lap.  But the book is a magic book, so the cat on the dust jacket wanders around.  It's subtle, tiny, and easily missed.  But it brings the wizarding world to life.

In a movie called Fantastic Beasts, you know you've got to have some impressive magical creatures.  The film doesn't let down.  One of the most magical scenes is when Newt gives Jacob (a "No-Maj" or Muggle) a tour inside his briefcase.  As awesome as the bowtruckle, niffler, and occamy are, "Frank" the thunderbird was definitely my favorite.

As for the human characters, I enjoyed them as well.  Newt is a quirky, sometimes awkward character who is clearly far more comfortable around beasts than beings.  I really liked Tina (the American witch who ends up helping Newt).  She's brave and capable, but she also has fears and inadequacies that make her relatable.  And she's compassionate.  Queenie (Tina's sister) is also a fun character.  My favorite though is Jacob Kowalski, the would-be baker who accidentally gets sucked into the wizarding world.  He's a down-to-earth, likable fellow.  And he serves a useful function in the story.  As an outsider to magic, he is the person the audience can latch on to as we are introduced to the wizarding world together.  He receives the explanations the audience needs.

As for the villains and antagonists in the film, I can't say too much without spoiling the story.  But I found them interesting and fitting.  We have a different set of villains than in Harry Potter's stories.  The one character I will mention is Mary Lou Barebones, the leader of the Second Salem movement which is out to expose and stop witches and wizards.  There's a calmness about her.  During one scene where she could have gone off the handle, she remained perfectly calm, collected, polite, and earnestly sincere.  It is elsewhere that her dark streak is seen and you realize she makes Petunia Dursley look like mother/aunt-of-the-year.

In that vein, I should note that Fantastic Beasts has a darker tone.  I'd put it more with the later Harry Potter books.  There is certainly humor.  Quite a bit.  And the closest thing to inappropriate is that one of the beasts is described as "in heat" and "needs to mate."  But there are themes of abuse, repression,  and prejudice, as well as some of the consequences thereof.

I loved Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and was thrilled to be back in the wizarding world again.  I am eagerly on board for all the sequels this film will get (it's currently supposed to be a pentology [5]).  Honestly, I'll happily hand over my money anytime J.K. Rowling wants to invite me into her wizarding world.  As cliche as they may be, the best descriptors I can come up with are "magical" and "fantastic."

*** Spoiler Section ***

The film did leave me with a few questions (which may or may not be answered in the next film): Was there ever a real Percival Graves?  Why did Modesty have a wand?  Did the Obscurus survive?

Not gonna lie, I got very excited when I saw the symbol of the Deathly Hallows.

Also, I really hope that isn't the last of Jacob and Queenie.

Quotable Quotes

• "Your skull is susceptible to breakage under immense force." -- Newt to Jacob after handing him a helmet
• "What did you do today, Jacob?  I was inside a suitcase." -- Jacob, to himself
• "And try very hard not to be predictable." -- Newt to Jacob and Queenie

ISFS

Moana

Year: 2016

Director: Ron Clements and John Musker

Starring: Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Alan Tudyk, and Jemaine Clement
Tagline: The ocean is calling
Synopsis: In order to save her island, Moana sets off with the demigod Maui to return the heart of Te Fiti and restore balance.

Review

As is usual for Disney animated films, the feature was preceded by a short: Inner Workings.  The premise is how the various internal organs (brain, heart, lungs, stomach, etc.) of Paul interact with each other and dictate Paul's day.  It's a clever short and it is entertaining.  But at the end, I was left wishing it had the heart of a Pixar short.

And now, our featured presentation:

Computer animation keeps getting better and better and more impressive each year.  Moana beautifully displays that progress.  The entire film is a visual treat, but especially the lush islands and the ocean.  It truly is stunning, and worth seeing for that alone.

At one point, Maui teases Moana by calling her a princess (she's the daughter of a chief) and asking if she is going to start singing.  Moana is a musical, and yes, she breaks out into her own ballad ("How Far I'll Go").  Maui also has his own catchy song ("You're Welcome") which will go toe to toe with villainous Tamatoa's "Shiny" in terms of which will get stuck in your head.  I enjoyed all the music, though I don't feel it has quite the enduring feel as other Disney films (such as The Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast).

As a character, I liked Moana.  She's an intelligent, spirited, driven young woman.  As a Disney character, she of course has the requisite animal sidekicks.  Pua is an adorable pig.  And Heihei is a "special" chicken.  I think the hapless fowl might have been my favorite part.  The Ocean also is a character, helping guide Moana and Maui, and -- when necessary -- keeping everybody on the boat in spite of themselves.  Moana's father and grandmother were also enjoyable (they reminded me a bit of the father and grandmother in Mulan).  And then there's Maui.  He's an entertaining demigod.  But his arrogance and self-absorption started to wear a bit thin.

While I certainly enjoyed Moana, it did have some weak points.  For one thing, there was no memorable villain.  Disney animated films excel at captivating villains (Scar, Maleficent, Captain Hook, Mother Gothel, Ursula, Jafar, etc.).  There is no main antagonist here though.  We've got the Kakamora (pygmy pirates who wear coconuts as armor) for one sequence.  Then there's Tamatoa, the giant (and shiny) crab monster.  And lastly they face Te Ka, the lava monster.  They are all interesting antagonists for Moana and Maui to face, but they lack the epicness I've come to expect from Disney villains.

Moana's biggest weakness though is the story itself.  I have no problem with rehashing the basic hero's journey formula: the protagonist's world comes into conflict so the protagonist sets forth on a quest to set things right.  That part of the film worked for me.  It does, however, have one scene that felt like a moment rehashed straight from Lion King (but without the emotional umph to back it up).  And the third act felt weak.  I'll leave it at that and say more in the spoiler section.

Overall, I enjoyed Moana and think it is a worthy inclusion in the Disney (and Disney princess) pantheon.  It's beautiful to look at.  It has fun characters and catchy music.  And it celebrates a part of the world I'm not as familiar with.  It's certainly worth seeing, and beautiful enough to warrant seeing on the big screen.  Stay through the credits for a brief scene.

*** Spoiler Section ***

My main qualm with Moana is that the stakes didn't feel high enough.  This takes two forms: 1) What are the costs if Moana and Maui fail? and 2) What are Moana and Maui willing to risk in order to succeed?

For the first one, we are shown earlier in the film that Moana's island, Motunui, is starting to die.  The coconuts have become diseased and the fishing grounds are empty.  That is indeed serious.  But that's early in the movie and never touched on again once Moana sets out.  So the peril feels distant rather than pressing.

I'd have liked to have had a scene back on the island where we see the problem is spreading and getting worse and worse.  Moana's potential failure would then be put into greater perspective.  (That's a tactic Frozen used well as we see the increasingly frostbitten Arendelle.)  Alternatively, the story could have taken a short detour where Moana and Maui find an island that has died.  That would put into perspective what will happen if they fail in their quest.  (That's a tactic Mulan used in a sobering scene involving a village razed by the Huns.)

For the second problem, I've come to expect more from Disney films.  Sure, Moana and Maui's lives are in peril throughout their quest.  But in the end, Maui seems more worried about losing his fishhook than his life and Moana seems more worried about being a failure than that her island (and potentially her people) will die.  If more was mentioned, it didn't stick with me.  Without greater risk, there also wasn't the potential for sacrifice.  And after the last few Disney animated films, that left the story lacking.

In Big Hero 6 Baymax sacrifices himself for Hiro and ... the woman in the pod thing.  In Wreck-It Ralph, Ralph is willing to sacrifice himself for Vanellope.  Frozen has Anna sacrifice herself for Elsa.  And Tangled has Flynn/Eugene sacrificing himself for Rapunzel.  That's just the most recent films.

Sacrifice, or willingness to sacrifice, is a powerful thing.  It creates powerful, memorable stories: stories that "[stay] with you. That [mean] something" (to borrow Samwise Gamgee's words).  Such sacrifice transforms likable characters into heroes.  Moana never had that transformative experience.  And Maui ... Maui could take a lesson or two from Hercules.

Quotable Quotes

• "I am not a princess!" "If you wear a dress and have an animal sidekick, you're a princess." -- Moana and Maui
• "Did not see that coming." -- Maui, after the ocean puts Moana back on the boat
• "That chicken ... the one eating the rock ... maybe we should just eat him." -- Villager describing Heihei

ISFS

Arrival

Year: 2016

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Starring: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Heptapods Abbott and Costello
Tagline: Why are they here?
Synopsis: When 12 alien spacecraft appear around the globe, linguist Louise Banks is recruited to learn the aliens' intentions.

Review

Alien movies aren't normally my thing, so Arrival wasn't on my radar until the reviews started coming in and I noticed how rave they were.  It sounded like the film was more science fiction than alien invasion movie.  So, I gave it a try.  I'm very glad I did.

Arrival isn't a movie about aliens.  It's a movie about humanity.  It's also a movie about life and death, love and loss.  It's a movie about time.  And it's a movie about linguistics.  Aliens just happen to be the catalyst to all that happens.

Throughout the film, Louise is tasked with teaching English to the two aliens in the Montana pod (one of twelve around the world).  Speaking between the two species is impossible.  But they can use writing.  The point of the endeavor is to be able to ask the aliens their purpose in coming to Earth.  Assisting in this task is theoretical physicist Ian Donnelly.  He's the one who dubs the heptapods (they have seven tentacles) Abbott and Costello.

Arrival is a slow-burn kind of film.  It's intense, but on a simmering level, not a boiling one.  It's also very cerebral.  This is thinking sci-fi, not blasting away at aliens sci-fi.  The story is told in a non-linear fashion, which can be a little confusing at times.  But then that is the point, and it works within the film.  Time does not exist for the heptapods, in their existence or in their language.  As she learns their language, Louise finds that her own perception of time changes.

While the rest of the cast do a good job in their respective roles, the film is carried by Amy Adams' portrayal of Louise.  She does an excellent job.  Louise comes across as a very real, very relatable woman.  She's brilliant and brave, but clearly swimming in deep water trying to keep her head up.

The film has a certain hopefulness about it.  But it is also very melancholy: from Louise's traumatic life, to the stark simplicity of the heptapods' ships and forms, to the muted colors of the cinematography, to the haunting soundtrack.  They all mesh perfectly to create a uniform look and feel to Arrival.  One song in particular that is used is Max Richter's "On the Nature of Daylight."  It was not written for the film, but it might as well have been because it fits so well.

As much as I enjoyed the film, Arrival is not without flaws.  Whenever writers start messing with that whole "timey wimey" stuff, things are bound to get complicated and not entirely work when looked at under a microscope.  The film does a good job overall of explaining its own internal science.

While the film seems to be trying for a hopeful melancholy, I was also left feeling a lot of cynicism regarding humanity.  The film focuses primarily on Louise, Ian, and the few military and CIA personnel working with them.  But newscasts and dialogue reveal what is going on in the rest of the world: riots, looting, fear-mongering, government crackdown, threats, and a spreading disunity and lack of trust among and within nations.  According to the movie, humanity as a whole does not react well to alien invasion.  (Given current events, it's far too easy to carry that cynicism into the real world.)

Arrival is a clean film.  No sex.  No real on screen violence.  The only swearing was one very deliberately placed f-bomb. (Seriously? We didn't need that.)  But it is intense.

Throughout Arrival I was (mostly) able to suspend my disbelief and accept all that was presented to me.  And I thoroughly enjoyed watching the film.  It kept my attention riveted.  If you want a welcome relief from the explosions-laden blockbusters or you want a slow-burn, thinking movie, Arrival is for you.

*** Spoiler Section ***

One of the things that has gnawed at me the most about Arrival is the captain who goes rogue and sets of the explosion.  I get that it was a somewhat necessary plot point to move the story forward and bring some escalation.  But it felt so trite in an otherwise fresh film.  And it was obvious.  The first pausing shot of the captain's troubled face and I knew we couldn't trust him and he was going to do something stupid.  It was a weak part for me.

Also, while the dematerializing spacecrafts were interesting, they were a bit anticlimactic.

While I enjoyed the film, it left me with a number of questions.  Did Abbott know when he came to Earth that he would die?  If China (or Russia) had fired on the spacecraft, would the missiles have had any effect?  Why did Louise never see any of her future beyond Hannah's death?  (And is Louise really going to age that well?)  Is she still going to tell Ian about Hannah's disease, even though she knows how he'll react?  Is he really going to completely abandon is family like that?  (Seriously, that left me not liking Ian very much by the end, further adding to the film's cynical feel.)

Lastly, as cynical as the film seems to be about how some of humanity deals with things, what are the socio-political ramifications of people being able to learn heptapodese and changing their perception of time?  Is the language going to turn out to be a weapon after all?

Quotable Quotes

• "How about we just talk to them before throwing math problems at them?" -- Louise to Ian
• "You know, you approach language like a mathematician."  "I'll take that as a compliment." -- Ian and Louise
• "That just happened." -- Ian, upon experiencing the gravity shift in the spacecraft

ISFS

Doctor Strange

Year: 2016

Director: Scott Derrickson

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, and Mads Mikkelsen
Tagline: Open Your Mind
Synopsis: After a car accident ends his career, Doctor Stephen Strange discovers the mystic arts as a way to find healing ... and to save the world.

Review

Each time I start getting superhero ennui, Marvel throws a twist out there, like Doctor Strange.  Sure, in many ways it is a familiar origin story.  And yes, there are lots of comparisons to be made with Tony Stark/Iron Man (even down to the goatees).  But the magic and the world-warping dimensions are like nothing else we've yet seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).  Doctor Strange is definitely worth a see.

Before going into the film, I knew nothing about Doctor Strange, the Eye of Agamoto, the Ancient One, or anything else from that part of the comic book universe.  So I went in with an unbiased mind that was ready to suspend my disbelief and be entertained.  And I was.

From the very first scene, we see this is something new.  Rather than explosions blowing up city streets, we've got sorcerer's bending, twisting, and otherwise contorting city streets and buildings.  It's like Inception on steroids.  And it is awesome.  The visuals in this film are fantastic.  In addition to warping our world, we also get glimpses of other dimensions within the multi-verse.  When the Ancient One is introducing Strange to magic it is downright trippy.  One review I saw described that part as an LSD trip on film.  Weird as it is, it's cool to look at.

One element I enjoyed in this film were the new characters.  Wong (Benedict Wong) is a no nonsense, no laughing, no taking books without permission librarian.  The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) is an apparently ageless Celtic mystic who manages to teach Strange while throwing in a some great snarky lines.  Also enjoyable is Doctor Palmer (Rachel McAdams) who is amazingly good at taking things in stride when her former boyfriend shows up first physically and then in his "astral" form.

The villain, Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen), is a bit generic.  I can't think of anything new he brings to the villain table (other than weird eye makeup).  He's a worthy enough opponent for an origin story.  But it is clear Strange will find a new nemesis.

As for Strange himself, I enjoyed his character.  Before his accident, he's completely full of himself.  After his accident, he's completely desperate.  As the film progresses, you see both of those sides within him as he matures in magic.  He's also very witty and his strategy during the film's climax is clever.

My favorite character, however, isn't even a person.  The Cloak of Levitation is a relic that sort of adopts Strange.  As a magical relic, it is imbued with various powers, but it also seems to have a certain amount of sentience.  It protects Strange from others and even from himself.  It sort of reminded me of Carpet from Aladdin.

As a Marvel film, Doctor Strange makes sure to remind us it is within the MCU.  There are several prominent shots of the Avengers Tower in New York City.  There's an oblique reference to Rhodey and his injury in Captain America: Civil War.  There's the obligatory Stan Lee cameo.  And if that weren't enough, the mid-credits scene solidifies Doctor Strange's place in the world of superheroes.

Doctor Strange is yet another win in the Marvel lineup.  The visuals alone are worth the cost of a movie ticket.  And the rest of the film is enjoyable as well.  Be sure to stay through all the credits.

*** Spoiler Section ***

Whenever someone said Mordo's name, I kept thinking of "Mordor."  This made it rather confusing and hard to accept him as a good character.  But as the end of the film hints, and the end credits scene shows, that likely won't be a problem in the inevitable sequel.

Oh look, another Infinity Stone.  Have we found them all yet?  I'm seriously losing track.

Quotable Quotes

• "What's this, my mantra?"  "It's the Wi-Fi password.  We're not savages." -- Strange and Mordo
• "How's your Sanskrit?"  "I'm fluent in Google Translate." -- Wong and Strange
• "Dormammu, I've come to bargain." -- Strange
• "They put the warnings at the end." -- Strange to Kaecilius

ISFS