Dr. Strange Hits My Sweet Spot
By Tripp Hudgins, That Kid Who Wished He Were a Wizard
It’s true. I missed Marvel’s Dr. Strange in the movie theater. I blame my almost two-year-old son. Sure. That’s it. But that’s beside the point. Finally, just last night, I had the chance to watch the movie at home. I was so hopeful…and concerned that Marvel would find a way to ruin it. My hopes were not disappointed.
You can read reviews that point out all the faults of the film, especially the distressing choice to make The Ancient One a Celtic woman. The critics’ points are valid. And yet, I was not disappointed. Instead, it might be the first of the Marvel films that I purchase. Why? Well…I wanted to be Doctor Strange.
All we have left of us at the edge of reason is our imagination.
Let me first confess that I am a big fan of the Marvel movie universe. Even when X-Men films seem to go a little off the rails, I still spend my money. I’m devoted. I grew up reading these comic books. I was in junior high school in the Phoenix saga was a thing. I followed the Fantastic Four and still possess the first 30 issues of The Thing’s solo series.
No, we do not discuss these films. They were heartbreaking. I’ve seen them all, but I died just a little inside. Moving on.
The film adaptation of Doctor Strange was almost perfect. CGI allows us to do all sorts of things that we could never do before. It was visually stunning. Cumberbatch did not disappoint (Yes, I believe he will get better with his American accent.). But most of all, it reignited that childhood sense of enchantment.
Strip away the need of a young boy to escape what he perceives to be a difficult life. Strip away the wounded healer stuff that also claims so much of our psychic attention. Simply embrace enchantment.
But most of all, it reignited that childhood sense of enchantment.
The world is alive. There is so much that we simply cannot see or even begin to perceive. There is so much that even our mathematics cannot tell us about the nature of the cosmos. All we have left of us at the edge of reason is our imagination. Our imagination is the gift that keeps on giving. It is the thing that our souls speak through most clearly. I loved how imaginative the film was. And I loved how it sparked my imagination as I walk around my neighborhood with my own child.
Our world is a tiny fragment of an unimaginably large cosmos. Multi-verse theory and quantum mechanics are only just beginning to scratch the surface of where we actually live. So, we tell stories. We have magicians and demigods hanging out and talking about Asgardian politics. From Terry Pratchett to Stan Lee, Octavia Butler to Ursula Le Guin, the world is alive and we are only just beginning to wake up.
I’m truly grateful for this film. It reminded me of the things I already know but had forgotten.
