A mystical action sequence, complete with a blood-ritual and Inception-type CGI, sets the tone for the movie. Cut to an intricate operation and medical drama, interrupted by the sharply suave yet supremely self-centered Doctor Strange getting riggity wrecked in a literal car wreck, son! A Rick and Morty shoutout can (almost) never go amiss, and also begs the question: is Rick really a [Ph.D.] doctor, despite his lab coat?
Oh, also, Rhodey the War Machine slash Iron Patriot is alluded to - this is what Marvel Easter eggs look like, in case you’re uninitiated in Marvel Cinematic Universe lore.
No surgeon is better than Doctor Strange, so they can’t fix his hands, and he goes bankrupt so obviously he goes to Asia, which is where white people go to stretch out their last dollars. Just kidding, he goes there seeking miraculous healing, guided by born-again Pangborn (not to be confused with Pangong Lake - for that, read below about Pangong Tso, the awesomax endorheic lake at 13,000 feet in the Indian Himalayas).
At inexpensive Kamartaj in expansive Kathmandu, the Ancient One expands his mind, kicks him out, takes him in and trains him with tough love, like a bald (and way more mystical) Mr. Miyagi (of Karate Kid fame).
Spot the crate of Coca Cola if you can (pun unintended), ubiquitous in accordance with emulating Big Mac’s “think globally, act locally”, co-opted and appropriated from Scottish town planning (and conservation, inspired by Patrick Geddes), but that’s never any big corp’s priority ever, is it?
Shamballa is the name of a mythical kingdom in Buddhist tradition, as well as the WiFi password. Many training montages (culminating in a trip to Everest) later, he is ready to sling rings seriously. Wong and Mordo put up with Strange's ego because he is the teacher's pet, even when he opens the Eye of Agamotto which has the Time Stone, and uses it to rot an apple (rotten apple, geddit?) in the library.
Purple nurple Thanos will use this in Avengers: Infinity War to get the last Infinity Stone (Mind, from Vision’s mind - Wandavision trailer) and dust off Half Life (NOT the grisly game, or the radioactive technical term). The Avengers are name dropped, as is Cagliostro - the OG Italian 'magician' who held sway in the courts of medieval Europe and got caught up in Marie Antoinette's machinations, too. He escaped prosecution, only to be thrown in jail for life after the Inquisition commuted his death sentence. No, NOT Monty Python's Spanish one!
Quite conveniently for the plot, he reaches Bleecker Street in New York. The Sorcerer Sanctum in London Has Fallen, and New York also falls eventually, but a mischievous cloak saves Strange so that he can treat himself to the Bond villain laying bare his plans for the One (Yo’mama Dormammu) and the Ancient One.
Ghost-style, he stalks and scares his former co-worker. Coming Back To Life, (rock on Pink Floyd) only to fall out with The Ancient One but making up in time to watch her die (Kung Fu Panda’s Oogway-style), he puts on his game face and arrives too late to save Hong Kong – but time is not a problem when you got the Green Lantern – oh, I’m sorry, the Green Stone. Yo’ mamma gets fed up with Strange’s strangeness and just ups and quits altogether, and everything is alright again, except Mordo, who gets all Mordor-ish.
Easily the most stylish of the MCU movies. Coming from a horror background (not counting The Day The Earth Stood Still), it’s a great job by Scott Derrickson. Benny Cumber goes from vain, to vindictive, to volatile, to voracious reader, to valiant wizard with his usual vivacity. Alliteration – I love it like Stan Lee did. Also, having been to the highly crowded Kathmandu myself, I appreciate them making the effort to shoot there. Tilda Swinton was made for the role, and Wong was named for the role – or was the role named for him?
Stan 'the Man' Lee is riding a New York bus when Doctor Strange & MMA Mordo fall on his window without him noticing, while he reads something “that’s hilarious” in Aldous Huxley’s The Doors of Perception. It's quite apt, considering Strange's perception is altered.
Mid-credits scene: Strange gets Thor unlimited beer refills and mentions Loki disparagingly, setting up Thor: Ragnarok. Check out this nice little featurette about shooting the mid-credit tag:
Post-credits scene: Mordo turns evil, punishing Pangborn by parapleging him from playing basketball ever again. That's not all, folks!
And of course, who am I to deny you the pleasure of watching this instead of reading it? Here is my enhanced-with-free-imagery Re-View:
Firstly, thanks for reading/watching/listening! Where've you been all my life? :) I write here & record fun stuff on YouTube. Your support would be awesomax!
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