Happy Doctor Strange week! By now, you’re either a fan of this franchise or you simply don’t care. I haven’t met many that find themselves in the middle, although I’m sure there is a few out there. However, most people we interact with find themselves on one side of the fence or another. And if you’ve ever listened to our show, you’ll know we are big fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and we are always glad to go back when a new offering comes our way. Doctor Strange also brings a new element to the MCU, thrusting us into the world of magic and the mystic arts. If you’ve seen the trailer for this film, that element looks exhilarating and trippy. I’m also curious how this new realm will play into the larger scope of the MCU and how this will effect the Avengers themselves. Similar to Ant-Man, this will probably have huge dividends down the road.
Another reason I’m excited for Doctor Strange, is the casting of Benedict Cumberbatch, who looks perfect as Steven Strange. Aesthetically speaking, I’m not saying he jumped off the page of the comic book, but he looks really good in that costume. More importantly, Cumberbatch is an actor that can impeccably ride that line of drama and humor, which is a staple of the MCU thus far. Doctor Strange will also see the likes of Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Mads Mikkelsen and Tilda Swinton. That’s a pretty awesome cast if you ask me. Now, I know this film has seen some controversy with the casting of Swinton as the Ancient One. Personally, I can’t speak to it given my background, but I can sympathize with the outrage and I agree Hollywood needs to consider equal representation more. However, it seems that director Scott Derrickson has done some great work in building understanding and that’s great to see. Despite all of that, I love this cast and I’m looking forward to seeing what they bring to the MCU.
Speaking of Derrickson, he’s another component to Doctor Strange that I’m looking forward to this weekend. The reason being, he’s mostly been a horror film director. Making a Marvel film is way outside of his wheelhouse, which should raise some red flags on paper. I’m confident that Kevin Feige picked him for a specific reason though, and that’s enough for me. On top of of that, the horror films that Derrickson has made have been pretty descent. I can’t speak to his entire resume, but Sinister and Deliver Us from Evil are films I would definitely recommend. So, it should be fun to see what he does with this property and all of the (ahem) strange quirks he brings to it.
How do you feel about Doctor Strange? Are you excited?
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Here’s what else you can expect this weekend at the box office:
Trolls
Hacksaw Ridge
Loving (limited)
The Eagle Huntress (limited)
Peter and the Farm (limited / VOD)
Army of One (limited)
