The Flickering Myth Team react…
Yesterday, we got our first look at the Mystical side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe via the trailer for Doctor Strange [watch it here]. It’s only a teaser, but we got to see a lot of Strange’s new and exciting worlds which will certainly act as a nice pallet cleanser following Captain America: Civil War.
But what did the Flickering Myth writing staff make of it?
Chris Cooper: Now I know what a Nolan Marvel film would look like. A mix between Batman Begins and Inception, with some Interstellar mixed in. Colour me curious.
AJ Black: Loved it. Feels like a superhero movie brewed with Inception. Fantastic. More excited about this than any other superhero film this year.
Rob James Kojder: I know nothing about Doctor Strange, but that looked trippy and fun. I echo the Inception similarities comment. Benedict Cumberbatch is also my guy (our birthdays are on the same day).
Villordsutch: This trailer tells me virtually bugger all about the world of Strange or its dangers and I’m very much quite interested now. I’d like to see more thank you.
Luke Graham: Benedict’s dodgy American accent aside, it’s a great teaser. I’m very excited to see more.
Thomas O’Connor: Looks like a fun Marvel adventure, though here’s hoping for more colorful, psychedelic imagery in the final film. And more Tilda! Straw poll: does Cumberbatch’s American accent sound more like Hugh Laurie as House, or Hans Gruber in that one Die Hard scene where he pretends to be American?
James Garcia: I was not excited for this film at all before seeing the trailer, but now I’m pretty intrigued. I echo the previous Inception similarities, and suspect that they’re partly responsible for my new-found excitement. This is truly unlike anything Marvel has done (visually, anyway), which is refreshing for someone like me, who’s becoming less and less interested in the MCU as time goes on. I’m not completely sold yet, but this new Marvel adventure now has a place on my radar.
Eric Bay-Andersen: It’s bumped me up from curious to excited. Nolan similarities are a good thing, especially in a year without an actual Nolan film. Marvel is doing what it needs to to stay fresh, which is experiment with different looks and tones for their films. Excellent first trailer.
Eddy Gardiner: It looks decent enough; I guess a little different from the rest of Marvel’s output. I must admit I’m finding it increasingly difficult to muster enthusiasm for each new comic book movie that comes along, but that seems to be working out well as it stifles expectations.
David Fleming: Looks great. Tilda knocking his Astral self out of his body was a nice touch. Very excited for this as it’ll add a fresh angle on the MCU movie side.
Kris Wall: I’m definitely finding that I’m much more interested and intrigued by Marvel’s ‘B-Team’ movies than I am about the ones revolving around the main Avengers. As everyone else has noted, was immediately drawn in and captivated by the Inception-style visuals on display. The trailer didn’t really give much away but it definitely has a different look and feel to everything else that Marvel have done this far, and it’s great to see them trying something a little different and riskier. Not sure what to make of Cumberbatch’s accent though at the moment. Having said that, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more on this, especially Mads Mikkelsen.
AJ Black: I really appreciated a trailer which doesn’t blow the beans on the whole thing as well straight away. Honestly I want the main trailer to be much the same & just tee up the basics – Strange, car crash, training, weird shit – and let us discover most of it when we get in the cinema. In other words, that they’re not as dumb as WB showing basically *all* of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in the trailers.
Tom Roach: I’ve been so excited for Doctor Strange, more so than Captain America: Civil War. Now this trailer confirms my excitement. It looks unique to anything Marvel has done. I think it will be amazing.
Kat Kourbeti: Okay, I was completely dismissive of this film, but now… Now I can’t wait. The Nolan-esque aesthetic alone is enough to make me wanna see this. Cumberbutt, not so much – but I’ll give him and his dodgy accent a chance. Also Tilda Swinton is an androgynous miracle, I already love the look of her.
Kris Wall: I feel like Kat, James and I have our own little opinions team going on here, which definitely helps if ever there’s a Flickering Myth Civil War
Thomas O’Connor: And I’m just the guy in the corner being snarky about the Civil War. Which I’m absolutely okay with. Enthusiastic about, even.
Gav Logan: Looks phenomenal. Going to be visually stunning. Are we sure Nolan didn’t direct this?
Anthony Donovan Stokes: Looks good. Hopefully this will stop the arbitrary “all Marvel movies are the same” complaints. But probably not.
Ricky Church: Really enjoyed this one, it works well as a teaser and introduces you to the concept of Doctor Strange leaving you wanting more information about him and the world he inhabits. I liked the juxtaposition of Cumberbatch before and after his accident, those were some very well done shots. The overall look of the film is great, its got a visual look that’s unique to the rest of the Marvel films right now, though I also noticed the similarities to Nolan. The shot of Cumberbatch and Tilda on a snowy mountain top seemed straight out of Batman Begins, and it was my wife who commented to me on the Inception similarities. Emulating Nolan’s visual flair isn’t a bad thing at all, however, and if it gives Doctor Strange a different look and feel to the rest of the MCU then go right ahead. I was interested before, but now I’m very much looking forward to this. Plus, they finally got Mads Mikkelsen in the MCU. I want to see Hannibal tear them up!
Simon Columb: Clearly taking their own character and using what we love about recent films to make it relevant. Let’s be honest here, it is clear that Inception, Batman Begins and even a touch of The Matrix is driving this film forward. The James Bond movies are similar in how they steal from the best action movies to develop their own. The tragedy is how, while Inception has a deeply cerebral plot, Batman Begins tackles social unrest and The Matrix merges faith and religion together, Doctor Strange will seek nothing more that flashy effects and a fun, engaging story. Again, Marvel will no doubt deliver a good – but not outstanding – film. The three films referenced in trailer are ultimately superior to all of Marvel Studios offerings.
Anghus Houvouras: I’ve been hard on Marvel and the redundancy of their latest output, but this…. THIS… this is what I’ve been waiting for. Get me into a new corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe where there’s opportunity for new stories to be told. Yes, it was me who first suggested that Benedict Cumberbatch would be perfect for Doctor Strange. I can’t take all of the credit, but i’m willing to seize 4% of the credit for the casting. This trailer succeeds because it presented us with fragments of this weird and wonderful world Scott Derrickson and company are creating. Guardians of the Galaxy gave us galactic Marvel, and now Doctor Strange is bringing us Mystic Marvel. I’m so in. I was already psyched about this movie just based on my love of the source material. Now, I’m ecstatic.
Tai Freligh: Not knowing anything about Doctor Strange, this trailer had me intrigued for the movie. The visual style looks very different from your standard Hulk smash Marvel movie. It did seem to nod towards The Matrix a bit, but that’s okay. I like that kind of stuff and if it’s worlds within worlds like Inception, that should be interesting too. I need to see more to better understand what the story is, but this first trailer had me interested to see more.
Helen Murdoch: Initially wasn’t sure of the casting of Cumberbatch but I think he can pull it off. It looks unique, visually stunning and I can’t wait to see more of Mikkelsen!
Scott J Davis: Inception meets The Matrix meets Batman Begins + Tilda Swinton × Mad Mikkelsen = sold!
Tom Jolliffe: I’m not a big Marvel fan as the central canon for me tends to all blend together, and I had no previous knowledge of Doctor Strange bar the name. However this, as Deadpool was, seems an entity entirely of its own. Visually it looks interesting (if a little derivative) and the cast also makes this look well worth a watch. Eggs Benedict Cummerbund will surely make for an interesting hero in this kind of film. I’m intrigued. I look forward to seeing the full trailers in the coming months.
Luke Owen: I thought it was… okay. I’m not sold on Benedict Cumberbacth as an actor and can’t quite fathom his popularity. He looks the part, but his performance seems fairly questionable. The derp face he pulls as he falls into the Astral Plane was hilarious. I get all the Inception and Batman Begins references, but I feel like The Matrix is a bigger comparison piece. The Ancient One’s scene with Strange was taken straight from the “I know Kung-Fun” sequence – costumes and all. If it embraces the bonkers fights from Thor: The Dark World as well as its unabashed silly tones, this could be good fun. What I will add, however, is the concept art trailer I saw last November promised some really cool and unique landscapes that were less Matrix-y and Batman Begins-y.
—
So a mostly positive response to the first trailer, with many excited to see where they go next. A lot of comparisons to The Matrix, Inception and Batman Begins – who of which were directed by the same man. It’s not the overwhelming positivity we saw for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but still very encouraging.
Thumbs Up: 75%
Thumbs in the Middle: 20%
Thumbs Down: 5%
What did you all make of the trailer?
@HolyFranchise @flickeringmyth After hearing Cumber's US drawl, should "Doctor Strange" be renamed "Doctor Strangely Unconvincing Accent"?
— Martin Keady (@mrtnkeady) April 13, 2016
@HolyFranchise @flickeringmyth well this has become a reality, and an exciting one at that!
— Outlands Comic (@OutlandsComic) April 13, 2016
Doctor Strange is set for release on October 28th in the UK and November 4th in the US, with Scott Derrickson (Sinister) with a cast that includes Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) as Stephen Strange, Tilda Swinton (Snowpiercer) as The Ancient One, Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave) as Baron Mordo, Benedict Wong (The Martian) as Wong and Rachel McAdams (True Detective) and Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal) in as-yet-unconfirmed roles.
. url=”.” . width=”100%” height=”150″ iframe=”true” /]
