The View From The Mountain

I dreaded watching the Doctor Strange sequel, so much so that I avoided it for a while now. I didn’t want to see it for the simple reason that Scott Derrickson, who did such a marvelous job with the first Doctor Strange film, opted out of helming the sequel. Derrickson, who directed such frightfully good films like The Exorcism of Emily Rose , Sinister , and The Black Phone , gave us a wonderfully weird and dark Doctor Strange film that was tinged with such strong elements of horror that it was a little unnerving in certain moments. In other words, the first Doctor Strange was pretty fucking great, and remains one of my all-time favorite Marvel Movies. But since I was a Doctor Strange fan from way back when I was a kid, I finally gave in and watched Doctor Strange in The Multiverse Of Madness on Disney Plus, and guess what? It really wasn’t bad at all. In fact, I kinda, sorta liked it. Well, OK, I really liked it. Yes, I really enjoyed Doctor Strange 2, I admit it...

Note, this review has spoilers. The Russo Brothers are probably the best things to happen to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. These sibling directors did an outstanding job turning Captain America: The Winter Soldier into a gripping action film that was genuinely exciting. They worked their same magic on the sequel, CA: Civil War , turning what could have been a mish-mash of superhero cameos into another enthralling thriller. When I heard that they were directing the final two Avengers films, I felt confident that the future of the Avengers saga was in good hands. And when I saw Avengers: Infinity War , I was not let down. After teasing us with a glimpse of Thanos at the end of the first Avengers film (as well as at the end of the second Avengers movie) we get a full blast of the legendary Marvel Comics villain, who was created by writer/artist Jim Starlin, here in Infinity War . No longer content with letting others do his bidding, Thanos goes on a personal crusade to collect the ...

That thing's gonna need a lot of window cleaner! My first introduction to Doctor Strange was a TV movie that was produced in 1978. I haven’t seen it since then (although that will change soon, because I’ve recently discovered that it’s available on video, ), but I remember liking it very much at the time. My father, upon hearing that I had enjoyed this tele-film, proceeded to get me the Doctor Strange comics. To say that the comics were psychedelic head trips on paper is putting it mildly. Doctor Strange ventured into mystical realms that were best described as an LSD trip without the LSD. Once exposed to the comics, my love of the TV movie lessened, as I realized just how lame the movie was, compared to the unrestrained imagination on display within the vibrant panels of the comics. This was why, when they announced that Marvel was producing a cinematic version of the Sorcerer Supreme, I was eager to see it. Not restrained by the meager budget of a TV film (n...