Doctor Strange (5 Stars)

This is the 14th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, released in November 2016. I voted it my top film of 2016, but to be honest, I could just as well have picked "Deadpool" or "Captain America: Civil War". All three are outstanding films, and it's difficult to decide between them.

Stan Lee appears for about three seconds as a bus passenger in New York City. He's reading "The Doors of Perception" by Aldous Huxley, and it's making him laugh out loud. I don't know what the significance of his laughter is. I read "The Doors of Perception" when I was a teenager, probably 15, and I don't recall finding it funny. The book was an influence on my poetry over the next few years. I wrote about experiences after eating peyote, but the experiences were fake. I was never able to find peyote on sale, and I could only take LSD as a substitute.

I only took LSD for a few years, and I only wrote poetry for a few years. When I stopped taking LSD I stopped writing poetry. Without it I lost my inspiration. I'm still curious about peyote today. From what I understand, it's a weaker substance than LSD, so it's easier to dose.

The more I watch "Doctor Strange", the more I can accept Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One. I still think she was a curious choice for the role, but she's such a good actress that she plays the part perfectly. On the other hand, I never had any problems accepting Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo. His racial characteristics in the comics are ambiguous, so he could have been played by a white or a black actor.

At the risk of making enemies, I have to say that I've never considered Mads Mikkelsen to be a good actor. He's too one-sided. He can only play characters that are cold, or troubled, or both. That's just the sort of person Kaecilius is, so he was the right person for the role.

I still can't make my mind up whether or not I like Benedict Cumberbatch as an actor. When I first heard that he'd been cast as Doctor Strange I groaned. Anyone but him! I changed my mind after seeing the film. He totally won me over. It's as if he was born to play the role. He doesn't just look like Doctor Strange, he walks and talks and casts spells like Doctor Strange. At least, he casts spells like the 1970's Doctor Strange drawn by Gene Colan.

Doctor Strange has appeared in other MCU films since this, but I'm still waiting patiently for his next solo film. From what I've read a sequel has already been planned, but no release date has been announced.

Success Rate:  + 2.1

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