Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange, intended to be a mind-bending, rule-breaking rebuke to the squares of superhero cinema, turns out to be a rebel in name only -- the textbook definition of a bad trip.

Cumberbatch, both a natural comedian and a subtle one, knows how to get a big laugh from nothing more than an arched eyebrow.

My reaction to this movie is mixed, at best.

With Dr. Strange the Marvel magic seems largely to have run out-which is unfortunate, given the movie's titular protagonist is himself a magician.

Lives up to its title, in mostly good ways.

If it's not great storytelling, at least it's good spectacle, and that seems like the minimum these movies can provide.

"Doctor Strange" follows the formula of success with structural similarity and goofy joy, but some of the same regrettable MCU flaws exist.

Mindlessly entertaining, but even with Cumberbatch, it's the epitome of the formulaic Marvel machine.

The names have changed and the powers are different, but it's more or less the same Marvel formula.

Though Doctor Strange may represent little more than the latest piece in an expansive series, it presents a familiar story in a hallucinatory and playful way.