“Death is what gives life meaning; to know your days are numbered, your time is short.”
-the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton)

Doctor Strange, the visually stunning 2016, Marvel film directed by Scott Derrickson, delivers the ideas of life, death, and immortality in a way that has never been shown on the big screen before.

After neurosurgeon Doctor Steven Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) loses the use of his hands, he migrates to a house of healing named Kamartaj. When he arrives at Kamartaj, he encounters Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor, Wong (Benedict Wong), and the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton). Under the apprenticeship of Master Mordo and the Ancient One, Strange learns how to bend the dimensions with his mind. Months after his first lesson, Strange must battle an evil sorcerer that plans to hand Earth over to the Dark Dimension: Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen).

This action-packed thriller is not for the faint of heart. This movie is rated PG 13 because of violence— something screenwriter’s can hardly avoid in sci-fi/thrillers. One minute the world is ending, and within the next few frames, Strange rewinds time to bring it back together. Not to mention that Cumberbatch performs brilliantly, and the shake in Strange’s hands looks real. The need for a good, emotional actor in action movies is a great one.
The most interesting part of this movie is the mirror dimension: the mages (wizards that generally rely on the elements to perform magic) can’t affect the outside world there, but the dark mages are stronger inside it. In the mirror dimension, buildings twist, turn, click together and pull apart. The sound effects and CGI (computer generated images) are captivating. The camera flips and twists and rolls, giving viewers a wonderful sense of vertigo, not to mention how the music flows within the scene.

Music plays an important part in this movie. At key emotional points, soft pianos fill the theater; whereas at incredibly fast-passed chase scenes, trumpets, horns, symbols, and many, many more instruments blare. One can feel their heartbeat pick up as the music progresses and gains momentum. One of the most important parts of a great movie ishow the  music connects viewers to the story. Props to the composer, Michael Giacchino, for interconnecting this incredible story.

Overall, this movie combined space, time, and spirit in an incredible fashion; not to mention the brilliant casting and the actors’ performances. Doctor Strange is a must-see for anyone who loves a great marvel film. On a side note, almost everything that happens in this movie is possible to achieve; mages could learn to use light and optics to make a whip or bend the very nature of our world.