Doctor Strange Review Roundup

Doctor Strange opens in theaters this week, and if you've been curious about the strange, mystic superhero, then you'll be happy to hear that critics have started to deliver their verdicts. So far, the critical reception is largely positive.

The next movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe focuses on the magician Doctor Strange. He's a master of the mystic arts with a bunch of weird items that help him vanquish evil. Benedict Cumberbatch (Star Trek Into Darkness) portrays him in this week's Doctor Strange, and he's accompanied by the likes of Rachel McAdams (Spotlight), Tilda Swinton (Trainwreck), Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal), and Chiwotol Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave).

We've compiled an assortment of review scores and editor opinions into an easy-to-read list below. For an even wider view of the critical reception, check out GameSpot sister site Metacritic.

• Film: Doctor Strange
• Director: Scott Derrickson
• Production Company: Marvel Studios
• Release Date: November 4
• Rating: PG-13

GameSpot

"Doctor Strange doesn't show much narrative ambition. It sticks close to the origin formula that Marvel established in Iron Man, and given the similarities between Stark and Strange, this doesn't come as a surprise. But it's also an enchanting movie that is a reminder that superhero stories are at their best when they inspire wonder, depict larger than life characters, and realise fantastical worlds that leave our imaginations racing. At a time when DC's heroes are at their dourest and the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is consumed by infighting over ideological disputes, this otherworldly adventure stands apart as spellbinding." -- Tamoor Hussain [full review]

TheWrap

"Doctor Strange, the latest movie in the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe, casts a few impressive spells of its own, not the least of which is the redemption of the visual-effects extravaganza. In a year where bloated, empty spectacles have induced a crushing level of CG fatigue--Now Showing: Alice Through the Warcraft Suicide Apocalypse Justice--this funny, freaky adventure reminds us of how effective VFX can be when they've got some imagination behind them." -- Alonso Duralde [full review]

Entertainment Weekly -- B+

"When you strip away the Secrets of the East mumbo jumbo and psychedelic special effects, Doctor Strange is a formulaic Marvel origin story, but it's done with high-IQ wit, all but name-checking the myth of Sisyphus and the kaleidoscopic architectural origami of M.C. Escher. (We're a long way from the blunt-force shenanigans of HYDRA here.) Doctor Strange is thrilling in the way a lot of other Marvel movies are. But what makes it unique is that it's also heady in a way most Marvel movies don't dare to be. It's eye candy and brain candy." -- Chris Nashawaty [full review]

Variety

"The character is literally fighting for his life in this film, and Cumberbatch captures both his humbling and the subsequent recovery of confidence. Here is a man who cockily swore off being an emergency room surgeon because he wasn't interested in saving one life at a time, only to be rendered useless by his injuries. So, while we might yawn at yet another threat to all mankind, Doctor Strange has been presented in such a way that this higher calling restores his ability to help the world entire. We understand that this calling matters to him, even if his motives remain a mystery." -- Peter Debruge [full review]

The Hollywood Reporter

"A '60s cult figure stuck on the periphery of the Marvel Comics universe for 50 years finally spins into orbit to command the world's attention in Doctor Strange, an engaging, smartly cast and sporadically eye-popping addition to the studio's bulging portfolio. Determined, among other things, to beat Christopher Nolan at his own game when it comes to folding, bending and upending famous cityscapes to stupendous effect, this action movie ostensibly rooted in the mind-expanding tenets of Eastern mysticism is different enough to establish a solid niche alongside the blockbuster combine's established money machines." -- Todd McCarthy [full review]

Empire -- 4/4

"Introducing spells and sorcery to the MCU--not to mention doing it via a wizard resembling a prog rock drummer--is Marvel’s riskiest move to date, but the gamble pays off. What could have been the studio's first serious misstep is a confident stride into new territory that reinvigorates a tired formula while expanding the shared universe. This is both a reality-defying 'CG f***athon' and the most dazzling spectacle of the year." -- James Dyer [full review]

Screen Crush -- 6/10

"Typically Marvel movies have terrific characters and so-so visuals and action. Strange is the opposite; it's glorious to look at (and the rare blockbuster where the 3D genuinely adds something to the experience) but the people are kind of dull. It's to Derrickson's credit that he managed to conjure up images to match his protagonist's adventurous spirit. But you can see right through his characters, even when their souls aren't floating outside of their bodies." -- Matt Singer [full review]