SPOILER ALERT

“Doctor Strange” can be summed up as a risk. The character, mostly unknown to movie-going audiences, forced Marvel Studios to find the correct balance between familiarity and originality. With 14 films in the Marvel series, the demand for imagination was at its highest, but the risk paid off.

Although “Doctor Strange” is yet another origin story, the film keeps the Marvel cinematic universe fresh by introducing the elements of magic and inter-dimensional travel. In “Doctor Strange,” we have a main character thrown into a world of which he has no understanding, a main villain who has a power that must be stopped and the protagonist is protected from truths for the sake of drama. The story is nothing original, but how director Scott Derrickson and crew tell that story is fascinating. The cast, acting, editing and action are on levels of quality which comic book movies have rarely seen. All of this is vital to making the superhero formula work again and again.

Audiences will immediately compare the personality, wit and arrogance of Stephen Strange, expertly played by Benedict Cumberbatch, to that of Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr. Both characters are masters of their craft. Their arrogance and personal ambition eventually forces them to question their purpose in life, but a distinction is drawn. With Stark, it was his own weapons of mass destruction that led to his capture during the first act of “Iron-Man.” With Strange, what happens to him is out of his control. A car crash ruins the functionality of his hands and the other doctors and nurses have no way of fixing them. As he is lying on the hospital bed, he declares that were he the doctor performing the surgery, he would have fixed his hands.

Much of the first of act of “Doctor Strange” constantly throws roadblocks in Strange’s path, and it is compelling to see Cumberbatch bring that struggle to the table. Even though he alienates his only friend Christine Palmer, played by Rachel McAdams, there is a charm about Strange that keeps you interested. It can be said that this connection would be severed were it not for Cumberbatch’s acting.

When it was announced that the Ancient One was going to be played by a British woman, Tilda Swinton, it created enormous controversy. Many felt it was another example of Hollywood whitewashing cinema and not giving Asian actors a chance to shine in blockbusters. Later, Derrickson commented on the situation, admitting that it was a “no-win scenario” yet, “Doctor Strange” did benefit from it.

First, the Ancient One was introduced as a character in 1960s, and was a racial stereotype; a Tibetan magician with exotic facial hair who shows an American doctor how the world really works. Writer C. Robert Cargill commented the current political relations with Tibet are complicated, and Marvel did not want to be in a position that would offend anyone.

Second, the film is already “strange” in nature and it presented the crew with an opportunity to make Swinton’s character something of its own world. Even though the Ancient One’s gender is established in the film as female, the idea of a bald woman existing in the world of Doctor Strange seemed fitting. Her presence is other-worldly and androgynous, and it gives the narrative a new depth. The universe that Derrickson and crew created now seems inspired, and Swinton, much like Cumberbatch, made her character work. The Ancient One is pleasant, comforting and excited to show Strange things he has no idea about.

There is a brilliant sequence toward the end of Act 1 where Strange is left with no options. He spends his last dollar and puts stock into the help of Eastern medicine, thinking that the methods are just an extension of Western practices. Strange loses all his patience when he sees nothing that could help him. As a result, he paces around the room and picks a fight with the Ancient One. Strange is then thrown into a wild, trippy, psychedelic sequence that goes through countless dimensions, bends of the normal universe and visuals that are impossible to describe with words. From there, the journey begins.

“Doctor Strange” establishes two very important things. One, Marvel knows how to have fun with its material. Characters in “Doctor Strange” make light of what is happening around them just enough that it does not become a farce, and audiences are reminded that being a superhero can be fun.

Two, it is paramount that a film has a balance of drama, humor and captivating visuals. If anyone could learn magic, create a mirror dimension to stop a bad guy that protects the real world from harm, reverse time to make things right and maintain your wit and convictions, very few people would say “no.”

“Doctor Strange” is no exception to a superhero film doing things right. The visuals in the film are like nothing ever seen, and must be seen in 3D. People will draw comparisons to “Inception” and “The Matrix,” with buildings folding in on themselves and individuals warping their bodies, but “Doctor Strange” takes it to a whole new level.

It goes so far that the film demands you to question, “How did they do that?” Granted, many of the action takes place in front of a green screen, but to have the actors physically choreograph from one tangible thing to the next in seamless progression like this is beyond deserving an Academy Award.

Shortly after the international release of “Doctor Strange,” it was awarded the Hollywood Visual Effects Award. Specific recognition must also go to the eight visual effects artists from the art school Exceptional Minds, which give autistic adults the chance to use their animation skills to their fullest potential. Artists from Exceptional Minds have previously worked on “Captain America: Civil War.”

“Doctor Strange” is not perfect, however. Although we get a detailed sense of characterization from Stephen Strange and the Ancient One, main villain Kaecilius, played by Mads Mikkelsen, is another case of Marvel falling short of having good villains. Kaecilius' motivations are shoved into one elongated dialogue that is convoluted, which makes it hard to keep up. The film would have greatly improved if Kaecilius' efforts and beliefs were delivered throughout the entire film, rather than having a majority of them expressed an hour and 20 minutes in. This is the only major criticism I have, but because the acting is so strong and convincing, this pacing issue can be forgiven.

For those who think the superhero genre is exhausting itself and has run out of options to tell an interesting story, “Doctor Strange” subverts that notion entirely. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is here to stay and the possibilities are endless.

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