While DC continue to pick up the pieces from their Batman Vs Superman disaster, Marvel have worked their cinematic magic once again, this time on Doctor Strange.

Starring Benedict Cumberbatch and directed by Scott Derrickson (The Day the Earth Stood Still, Sinister) Doctor Strange follows the journey of brilliant neurosurgeon Stephen Strange as he heads East to explore the mind-bending world of sorcery in a desperate bid to heal his damaged hands. But dark forces are at work and Strange is forced to decide who he wants to be…the arrogant neurosurgeon or a powerful force of good.

Cumberbatch is clearly enjoying playing in Marvel’s sandbox as he delivers a finely-tuned performance, deftly navigating the potential pitfalls associated with arrogant characters. It’s easy to alienate the audience by overplaying it, but the combination of Cumberbatch’s natural charm and the exposing of Strange’s vulnerabilities, albeit briefly, keep the audience onside.

It is inevitable that comparisons will be drawn between Strange and Sherlock. While both characters are highly intelligent individuals who question the world around them, for me, that is where the comparisons end. There’s a lightness to Strange that is missing from the sleuthing detective as Cumberbatch embraces Marvel’s characteristic sense of humour, injecting Strange with a warmth that’s understandably absent from Sherlock.

While Derrickson’s direction allows the film to soar as it explores the magical world, its Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios head honcho, who’s responsible for the film’s most successful sequence, its final act.  Set in Hong Kong, the sequence is a direct, yet beautiful, response to the accusation frequently levelled at Marvel that all it does is go around destroying cities both real and fictional, for example New York in The Avengers, and it’s a response that I would happily watch over and over again.

Doctor Strange builds on the work begun in Civil War, with the introduction of Black Panther and Spiderman, in reassuring fans that there is life left in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the original stars (Downey Jr, Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth), near the end of their contracts.

Not only does it create a new element for the universe to explore but Doctor Strange also acts like a breath of fresh air, so different is the character from the other heroes we’ve met. I for one can’t wait to see Doctor Strange interact with the other members of the Marvel Family. That post-credits teaser wasn’t enough!

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