Doctor Strange (2D+3D Blu-ray SteelBook) (Zavvi Exclusive) [UK]

[paulboland]

Release date: March 6, 2017
Purchase link: Zavvi
Price: £24.99
Notes: This steelbook has the title on the spine.

Spoiler

 

[Flloydo]

I have to agree that the blue print of this film and the origin of strange is very simular to iron man. These two more so than other characters.
Just that one has robots and the other has magic.
And a lot of the marvel films that introduce the characters in the first films have a simular origin and set up guide line like how it all starts and ends up in each film,
(Iron man, cap the first avenger, Thor, ant man, strange even guardians etc) but the main simularities they all share is how the villains are and how long the last for each film except Loki (to a degree)

but I do love the films and I can switch all that off when watching the MCU. I'm just happy to see it all come to life on the big screen

But I agree that in a few years people might start getting extremely tired of superhero films (I know loads who are sick of them already)
I hope I don't but who knows what frame of mind I'll be in in 10 years. Might be sick of films all together lol

 

[PUNISHER]

I have to agree that the blue print of this film and the origin of strange is very simular to iron man. These two more so than other characters.
Just that one has robots and the other has magic.
And a lot of the marvel films that introduce the characters in the first films have a simular origin and set up guide line like how it all starts and ends up in each film,
(Iron man, cap the first avenger, Thor, ant man, strange even guardians etc) but the main simularities they all share is how the villains are and how long the last for each film except Loki (to a degree)

but I do love the films and I can switch all that off when watching the MCU. I'm just happy to see it all come to life on the big screen

But I agree that in a few years people might start getting extremely tired of superhero films (I know loads who are sick of them already)
I hope I don't but who knows what frame of mind I'll be in in 10 years. Might be sick of films all together lol

I think you have to remember that a lot of people going to see these films don't read comics so their interest is going to be limited. I'm sure many of them never heard of Doctor Strange before this.

 

[Flloydo]

I think you have to remember that a lot of people going to see these films don't read comics so their interest is going to be limited. I'm sure many of them never heard of Doctor Strange before this.

I didn't read the comics either (well as a kid I probably owned 10
Comics- a few x men, few spidey, some iron man and a fantastic four comic. None in order, complete at random - my dad was a printer and used to bring random stuff home so I never see how stories panned out lol )

I was more the animation marvel
Lover. Loved and watched all the spidey cartoons, x men etc and I only really heard of strange a couple of years back, same with ant man and I'd never heard of guardians until it was announced as a film (none of those appeared in the cartoons I watched) tbh i only knew little bits about iron man (didn't like him in th cartoons) So I know nothing on these characters until the films came out. Just small details like there are 2 ant mans (Lang and pym) and strange was a neurosurgeon who had an accident and then used magic etc.

All my mates who either love or hate or don't mind the films never read any comics either. So it's a mix bag but I get what you mean.
I have a mate who pretty much hates films unless it's lock stock or snatch but he loves the guardians film and likes the first avengers.

I have 2 mates who share the same passion for x men as I do but they didn't read the comics either. Like me just watched the cartoon as a kid. And probably not in order lol

 

[PUNISHER]

I didn't read the comics either (well as a kid I probably owned 10
Comics- a few x men, few spidey, some iron man and a fantastic four comic. None in order, complete at random - my dad was a printer and used to bring random stuff home so I never see how stories panned out lol )

I was more the animation marvel
Lover. Loved and watched all the spidey cartoons, x men etc and I only really heard of strange a couple of years back, same with ant man and I'd never heard of guardians until it was announced as a film (none of those appeared in the cartoons I watched) tbh i only knew little bits about iron man (didn't like him in th cartoons) So I know nothing on these characters until the films came out. Just small details like there are 2 ant mans (Lang and pym) and strange was a neurosurgeon who had an accident and then used magic etc.

All my mates who either love or hate or don't mind the films never read any comics either. So it's a mix bag but I get what you mean.
I have a mate who pretty much hates films unless it's lock stock or snatch but he loves the guardians film and likes the first avengers.

I have 2 mates who share the same passion for x men as I do but they didn't read the comics either. Like me just watched the cartoon as a kid. And probably not in order lol

I've been reading comics since I was a kid in the early 70's so as much as I love (most) of the superhero movies I'll always go back to the source material. I think it's the same with a lot of Stephen King fans who would say his books are a lot better than any of the film versions. I do think Marvel have gotten it right with superhero movies the last few years though.

 

[Flloydo]

I've been reading comics since I was a kid in the early 70's so as much as I love (most) of the superhero movies I'll always go back to the source material. I think it's the same with a lot of Stephen King fans who would say his books are a lot better than any of the film versions. I do think Marvel have gotten it right with superhero movies the last few years though.

I'm not saying i didn't like comics, just wasn't in to them as much as maybe I should of been. But like I said my dad used to surprise me with stuff like that (not just marvel)

I'm a huge batman fan too and as much as I can handle superman etc on screen and I want DC to work in the film world, Marvel just have the right formula. Their casting in every film is 10/10. They choose either great directors or random unknowin-ish directors who deliver on full potential (apart from the Thor 2 director)

The Thor 3 director is a very interesting choice, New Zealand guy who directed eagle vs shark (not a stupid b movie giant eagle and shark fighting film lol - a cool indie film, think 500 days of summer but weirder), what we do in the shadows - amazing vampire mockumentary and he directed some flight of the conchord episodes (he works with jermaine clement a lot - grew up together).

 

[lights]

Let's face it most super hero's are very similar so will have similar origins. Either they have had an accident with radiation or something or they are billionaires who invent stuff.

 

[Flloydo]

Let's face it most super hero's are very similar so will have similar origins. Either they have had an accident with radiation or something or they are billionaires who invent stuff.

True

Spideys one of my fav and I'm kinda happy homecoming isn't a origin story. I mean we have already met him and he's been spidey for 6 months and by the time the film is out prob been spidey nearly a year. I'm happy about that but I imagine we will still see a flash back or nightmare to uncle Ben dying. But at least it's not going over everything again

 

[lights]

True

Spideys one of my fav and I'm kinda happy homecoming isn't a origin story. I mean we have already met him and he's been spidey for 6 months and by the time the film is out prob been spidey nearly a year. I'm happy about that but I imagine we will still see a flash back or nightmare to uncle Ben dying. But at least it's not going over everything again

Yeah that was what I thought at first when they announced they were rebooting it again, not another reboot of the origin. I liked what they did in the Daredevil series actually, that you learn about his back story over a series of flashbacks.

 

[PUNISHER]

I'm not saying i didn't like comics, just wasn't in to them as much as maybe I should of been. But like I said my dad used to surprise me with stuff like that (not just marvel)

I'm a huge batman fan too and as much as I can handle superman etc on screen and I want DC to work in the film world, Marvel just have the right formula. Their casting in every film is 10/10. They choose either great directors or random unknowin-ish directors who deliver on full potential (apart from the Thor 2 director)

The Thor 3 director is a very interesting choice, New Zealand guy who directed eagle vs shark (not a stupid b movie giant eagle and shark fighting film lol - a cool indie film, think 500 days of summer but weirder), what we do in the shadows - amazing vampire mockumentary and he directed some flight of the conchord episodes (he works with jermaine clement a lot - grew up together).

I was more a fan of Batman in the comics especially when drawn by Neal Adams, Frank Miller and Bernie Wrightson. The Batman movies have been very up and down for me. And the less said about Batman & Robin (1997) the better. I also don't understand why they wanted to make Superman dark and moody like Batman, even down to the oily looking suit. Looks like he got it out of a garbage heap. Did I mention how much I dislike Constantine?

 

[Flloydo]

I was more a fan of Batman in the comics especially when drawn by Neal Adams, Frank Miller and Bernie Wrightson. The Batman movies have been very up and down for me. And the less said about Batman & Robin (1997) the better. I also don't understand why they wanted to make Superman dark and moody like Batman, even down to the oily looking suit. Looks like he got it out of a garbage heap. Did I mention how much I dislike Constantine?

Batman was always up there for me too with spidey and x men. I had a couple of batman comics too and the odd graphic novel.

Ha, yeah that's a bad bad bad film. bat nipples are scarred in my eyes for life now

The burton batmans are good (was better when I was a kid) and nolans begins is great and the dark knight is possibly one of the best superhero films but rises is soooooo bad. Loved it at the cinema but since then I've noticed how bad it is. Which is a shame (more the script)

I enjoyed man of steel and it is my favourite superman film and I like it being dark but I would of prefered a brighter more comic book style colour system.


No you haven't, tell me about Constantine?

I only own it on DVD and looking forward to the steel. Can't wait to see it in HD.

 

[PUNISHER]

No you haven't, tell me about Constantine?

I only own it on DVD and looking forward to the steel. Can't wait to see it in HD.

Where do I start? I've not seen Doctor Strange yet so hopefully this week. A morning show so I have the place to myself.

 

[FN-2187]

Sorry but you're talking nonsense. With that logic, every animated Disney movie is exactly the same, every horror film is exactly the same, etc, and we should only watch one film from each genre? Maybe you simply don't like superhero movies? If so there's no need to criticize them all, just accept it's not your thing.

Don't get me wrong, I do hate a majority of the films that Disney and Disney/ Pixar create, and I've already wholeheartedly accepted that most Animated films aren't my cup of tea... with exceptions to Paprika, Akira, Princess Mononoke, HttYD, and Zootopia.

However I can acknowledge that even if I don't like Disney's films- each of them are different. Zootopia was a introspective of societal commentary that presented an idealist view of a Utopia and then deconstructed it for its flaws. That's very different from most Disney films.

The issue that I have with Doctor Strange and Marvel proper is that with these films all having the same tonality and structure, and this leads to the film itself being very monotonous in nature. I drew parallels to Iron Man because the structure of Strange is nearly identical to that of Iron Man in the arrogance and self-motivation of the character- his transcendence to selflessness, the mentor figure is there while the plot is convenience and then... you know- even the same dramatic beats are the same with the character being on the operating table and their female companion operating on them while they oversee the procedure. Mads Mikkelsen is there, too... for some of the movie.

Yes, the script is well written but the writing and settings seem superfluous to the "Typical" superhero origin story. Ant-Man was very similar to this as well but at least Ant Man had the decency to add a heist element to the film to change it up- the magic in Doctor Strange didn't really add anything other than a difference in special effects.


I feel very disappointed by having this film hyped up to be "Marvel's Fantasia" like how Kevin Fiege said- as the sheer generic-ness of Strange leads me to believe that they took they comparison to Fantasia because there are a lot of colors.

 

[ChrisIW]

Don't get me wrong, I do hate a majority of the films that Disney and Disney/ Pixar create, and I've already wholeheartedly accepted that most Animated films aren't my cup of tea... with exceptions to Paprika, Akira, Princess Mononoke, HttYD, and Zootopia.

However I can acknowledge that even if I don't like Disney's films- each of them are different. Zootopia was a introspective of societal commentary that presented an idealist view of a Utopia and then deconstructed it for its flaws. That's very different from most Disney films.

The issue that I have with Doctor Strange and Marvel proper is that with these films all having the same tonality and structure, and this leads to the film itself being very monotonous in nature. I drew parallels to Iron Man because the structure of Strange is nearly identical to that of Iron Man in the arrogance and self-motivation of the character- his transcendence to selflessness, the mentor figure is there while the plot is convenience and then... you know- even the same dramatic beats are the same with the character being on the operating table and their female companion operating on them while they oversee the procedure. Mads Mikkelsen is there, too... for some of the movie.

Yes, the script is well written but the writing and settings seem superfluous to the "Typical" superhero origin story. Ant-Man was very similar to this as well but at least Ant Man had the decency to add a heist element to the film to change it up- the magic in Doctor Strange didn't really add anything other than a difference in special effects.


I feel very disappointed by having this film hyped up to be "Marvel's Fantasia" like how Kevin Fiege said- as the sheer generic-ness of Strange leads me to believe that they took they comparison to Fantasia because there are a lot of colors.

Fair enough and each to their own I suppose. But I don't see why the tone should shift too dramatically within Marvel films - they are all set in the same universe after all - and it would be weird if all of a sudden they turned into gritty dramas with the comical elements toned down (for example). To me there has been more than enough variety in terms of stories, but if you already think all Marvel films are basically the same then it's no surprise that you also think Doctor Strange is the same again.

 

[lights]

Don't get me wrong, I do hate a majority of the films that Disney and Disney/ Pixar create, and I've already wholeheartedly accepted that most Animated films aren't my cup of tea... with exceptions to Paprika, Akira, Princess Mononoke, HttYD, and Zootopia.

However I can acknowledge that even if I don't like Disney's films- each of them are different. Zootopia was a introspective of societal commentary that presented an idealist view of a Utopia and then deconstructed it for its flaws. That's very different from most Disney films.

The issue that I have with Doctor Strange and Marvel proper is that with these films all having the same tonality and structure, and this leads to the film itself being very monotonous in nature. I drew parallels to Iron Man because the structure of Strange is nearly identical to that of Iron Man in the arrogance and self-motivation of the character- his transcendence to selflessness, the mentor figure is there while the plot is convenience and then... you know- even the same dramatic beats are the same with the character being on the operating table and their female companion operating on them while they oversee the procedure. Mads Mikkelsen is there, too... for some of the movie.

Yes, the script is well written but the writing and settings seem superfluous to the "Typical" superhero origin story. Ant-Man was very similar to this as well but at least Ant Man had the decency to add a heist element to the film to change it up- the magic in Doctor Strange didn't really add anything other than a difference in special effects.


I feel very disappointed by having this film hyped up to be "Marvel's Fantasia" like how Kevin Fiege said- as the sheer generic-ness of Strange leads me to believe that they took they comparison to Fantasia because there are a lot of colors.

Have you not seen the Winter Soldier? The tone of that is completely different to most Marvel movies.

 

[JCC]

Don't get me wrong, I do hate a majority of the films that Disney and Disney/ Pixar create, and I've already wholeheartedly accepted that most Animated films aren't my cup of tea... with exceptions to Paprika, Akira, Princess Mononoke, HttYD, and Zootopia.

However I can acknowledge that even if I don't like Disney's films- each of them are different. Zootopia was a introspective of societal commentary that presented an idealist view of a Utopia and then deconstructed it for its flaws. That's very different from most Disney films.

The issue that I have with Doctor Strange and Marvel proper is that with these films all having the same tonality and structure, and this leads to the film itself being very monotonous in nature. I drew parallels to Iron Man because the structure of Strange is nearly identical to that of Iron Man in the arrogance and self-motivation of the character- his transcendence to selflessness, the mentor figure is there while the plot is convenience and then... you know- even the same dramatic beats are the same with the character being on the operating table and their female companion operating on them while they oversee the procedure. Mads Mikkelsen is there, too... for some of the movie.

Yes, the script is well written but the writing and settings seem superfluous to the "Typical" superhero origin story. Ant-Man was very similar to this as well but at least Ant Man had the decency to add a heist element to the film to change it up- the magic in Doctor Strange didn't really add anything other than a difference in special effects.


I feel very disappointed by having this film hyped up to be "Marvel's Fantasia" like how Kevin Fiege said- as the sheer generic-ness of Strange leads me to believe that they took they comparison to Fantasia because there are a lot of colors.

Wait...who is the mentor figure in Iron Man? I don't remember one...feel free to prove me wrong. But of course both Iron Man and Doctor Strange have the black sidekick who disagrees with him and turns into a villain...

 

[FN-2187]

Fair enough and each to their own I suppose. But I don't see why the tone should shift too dramatically within Marvel films - they are all set in the same universe after all - and it would be weird if all of a sudden they turned into gritty dramas with the comical elements toned down (for example). To me there has been more than enough variety in terms of stories, but if you already think all Marvel films are basically the same then it's no surprise that you also think Doctor Strange is the same again.

May I please point out the success of Marvel Series' such as Daredevil and Jessica Jones? They are very gritty dramas about the criminal underbelly and about a literal ****, respectively. And both of these series have been the most compelling and engaging Marvel Stories to date. I understand that in an industry where each of your films NEED to cross the billion dollar mark, that they are made in an effort to appeal to the widest variety of people- hence watering them down to be the most in-offense and safe films you can show to general audiences- but I feel that it is in that sheer industrial manufacturing of films that destroys the creative storytelling that brought us films, even superhero films such as The Dark Knight and Watchmen.

Have you not seen the Winter Soldier? The tone of that is completely different to most Marvel movies.

Yeup. The Winter Solider is the pinnacle of Marvel Films in my opinion. It's also one of the few movies without the McGuffin Stone... I mean- the Infinity Stones.

Wait...who is the mentor figure in Iron Man? I don't remember one...feel free to prove me wrong. But of course both Iron Man and Doctor Strange have the black sidekick who disagrees with him and turns into a villain...

In Iron Man I was referencing Yin Sing. Mentor figure to who reveals to our character his selfish nature and inspires them to achieve something greater in their life while simultaneously helping them to achieve the power that allows them to unlock their fullest potential... then dies.

 

[JCC]

In Iron Man I was referencing Yin Sing. Mentor figure to who reveals to our character his selfish nature and inspires them to achieve something greater in their life while simultaneously helping them to achieve the power that allows them to unlock their fullest potential... then dies.

If that is your definition of "mentor", then yes, in the movie Yin Sing does affect Tony Stark and help put him on the path to something greater. But it was mostly through his death that he did this.

The mentor is a common action/adventure story trope...see Star Wars Episode I, Star Wars Episode IV, Star Wars Episode VII for mentors who die when they are no longer needed in the plot...
And yet Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor 1, and Ant-Man don't have such a mentor whose death is needed to compel the protagonist.

I am enjoying this back and forth. While I ultimately disagree with your point that Marvel movies all follow the same plotline, you do have some good points. Ultimately, the majority of hero stories follow the Hero's Journey, as Joseph Campbell outlined many years ago. It is also the same narrative that George Lucas liberally borrowed from many years ago. The majority of your points also apply to ANY movie franchise.

 

[FN-2187]

If that is your definition of "mentor", then yes, in the movie Yin Sing does affect Tony Stark and help put him on the path to something greater. But it was mostly through his death that he did this.

The mentor is a common action/adventure story trope...see Star Wars Episode I, Star Wars Episode IV, Star Wars Episode VII for mentors who die when they are no longer needed in the plot...
And yet Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor 1, and Ant-Man don't have such a mentor whose death is needed to compel the protagonist.

I am enjoying this back and forth. While I ultimately disagree with your point that Marvel movies all follow the same plotline, you do have some good points. Ultimately, the majority of hero stories follow the Hero's Journey, as Joseph Campbell outlined many years ago. It is also the same narrative that George Lucas liberally borrowed from many years ago. The majority of your points also apply to ANY movie franchise.

Yes, that is correct- just like how in Strange [SPOILER ALERT], it is the death of the Ancient One and her last words she imparted on to him of which compelled him to become a greater person, also being that her death is directly what motivates and inspires our protagonist.

And yes, while other Marvel films don't necessarily need to have the death of a mentor figure- some of them, like Guardians, not necessitating this role be filled in any capacity. It would be simple to draw parallels to Iron Man and Ant Man, but honestly, the slight subversion of how the movie handled the typical archetypal story allowed for it to be enjoyed whereas with Strange, the differences are only cosmetic.

While it is only natural to see that the Hero's Journey is archetypal in its structure, and can be an inevitable similarity- I feel that it should be the duty of Marvel to rethink the way these stories are told, and to shift the producer centric strategy to a more director oriented approach. I mean, Batman Begins is still a hero's journey, but it in no way shape or form feels like Iron Man or any other Marvel Film- it feels like a Christopher Nolan film.

I think that with the sheer volume of films that Marvel is producing, and to the fact that they can basically print money- I'm wishing that they would be more adventurous as to NOT do a typical story, and to instead try a riskier move with more innovative and dynamic storytelling. I also understand how easy it is to be lost in the fact that this film is an Origin Story, and can therefore be justified in being this archetypal- or how archetypal the Hero's journey normally is, yet when a studio constantly puts out 2-3 films a year, of which, so many similarities can be drawn between each of their films- it stops being entertaining, because it stops being surprising.

I don't hate Marvel, I just hate that they're not more adventurous with their programming. My fear from Marvel is that they are so set in their way of storytelling that we'play never get something on the caliber of The Dark Knight, because there isn't enough creativity and drive to want to achieve that.

 

[Flloydo]

Yes, that is correct- just like how in Strange [SPOILER ALERT], it is the death of the Ancient One and her last words she imparted on to him of which compelled him to become a greater person, also being that her death is directly what motivates and inspires our protagonist.

And yes, while other Marvel films don't necessarily need to have the death of a mentor figure- some of them, like Guardians, not necessitating this role be filled in any capacity. It would be simple to draw parallels to Iron Man and Ant Man, but honestly, the slight subversion of how the movie handled the typical archetypal story allowed for it to be enjoyed whereas with Strange, the differences are only cosmetic.

While it is only natural to see that the Hero's Journey is archetypal in its structure, and can be an inevitable similarity- I feel that it should be the duty of Marvel to rethink the way these stories are told, and to shift the producer centric strategy to a more director oriented approach. I mean, Batman Begins is still a hero's journey, but it in no way shape or form feels like Iron Man or any other Marvel Film- it feels like a Christopher Nolan film.

I think that with the sheer volume of films that Marvel is producing, and to the fact that they can basically print money- I'm wishing that they would be more adventurous as to NOT do a typical story, and to instead try a riskier move with more innovative and dynamic storytelling. I also understand how easy it is to be lost in the fact that this film is an Origin Story, and can therefore be justified in being this archetypal- or how archetypal the Hero's journey normally is, yet when a studio constantly puts out 2-3 films a year, of which, so many similarities can be drawn between each of their films- it stops being entertaining, because it stops being surprising.

I don't hate Marvel, I just hate that they're not more adventurous with their programming. My fear from Marvel is that they are so set in their way of storytelling that we'play never get something on the caliber of The Dark Knight, because there isn't enough creativity and drive to want to achieve that.

I completely get what you mean and I love marvel.

I see this again yesterday and the structure is very similar to iron man in pretty much every aspect and like you said before even the arrogance of the character and his way of living. Even doing things at the operating table like singing in the environment in his way or no other way and correcting people on their knowledge etc little things. And then the story too and how it pans out. But as a origin story I was expecting all that too so it's swings and roundabouts

Iron man has better humour though lol

I really enjoyed it the first time but liked this even more the 2nd and I actually prefer it to the first iron man tbh except I prefer Downey Jr. As iron man (if that makes sense)

So far this and guardians has the best use of CG

 

[JCC]

Yes, that is correct- just like how in Strange [SPOILER ALERT], it is the death of the Ancient One and her last words she imparted on to him of which compelled him to become a greater person, also being that her death is directly what motivates and inspires our protagonist.

And yes, while other Marvel films don't necessarily need to have the death of a mentor figure- some of them, like Guardians, not necessitating this role be filled in any capacity. It would be simple to draw parallels to Iron Man and Ant Man, but honestly, the slight subversion of how the movie handled the typical archetypal story allowed for it to be enjoyed whereas with Strange, the differences are only cosmetic.

While it is only natural to see that the Hero's Journey is archetypal in its structure, and can be an inevitable similarity- I feel that it should be the duty of Marvel to rethink the way these stories are told, and to shift the producer centric strategy to a more director oriented approach. I mean, Batman Begins is still a hero's journey, but it in no way shape or form feels like Iron Man or any other Marvel Film- it feels like a Christopher Nolan film.

I think that with the sheer volume of films that Marvel is producing, and to the fact that they can basically print money- I'm wishing that they would be more adventurous as to NOT do a typical story, and to instead try a riskier move with more innovative and dynamic storytelling. I also understand how easy it is to be lost in the fact that this film is an Origin Story, and can therefore be justified in being this archetypal- or how archetypal the Hero's journey normally is, yet when a studio constantly puts out 2-3 films a year, of which, so many similarities can be drawn between each of their films- it stops being entertaining, because it stops being surprising.

I don't hate Marvel, I just hate that they're not more adventurous with their programming. My fear from Marvel is that they are so set in their way of storytelling that we'play never get something on the caliber of The Dark Knight, because there isn't enough creativity and drive to want to achieve that.

While Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight is a masterpiece, my counterpoint would be the Zack Snyder movies. I believe he had plenty of creative freedom, and yet Man of Steel follows the exact same structure that we talked about. There is nothing adventurous about that movie. I really only enjoyed it because we finally get to see Superman in CG action finally. And while most fans of Batman v Superman defend it as a stylistic masterpiece, it's really just a muddled mess in my opinion. The script is awful and doesn't make sense, but it does have Zack Snyder's style - which is not enough to offset the rest of the movie.

Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy was great, but it didn't have to fit into a larger plan. There was no shared universe to worry about. The Avengers movie would not have been possible without the Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America movies. I believe what Marvel is afraid of is a Zack Snyder situation. Giving more artistic freedom to individual directors could damage their brand name. Zack Snyder could single-handedly doom the DC universe if the Justice League movie flops (that CG Steppenwolf looks like another Doomsday...I'm just saying). That's a lot of pressure. Or consequently - with more hands in the pot, maybe the executives will step in and ruin the Justice League movie on their own.

But that doesn't mean that the Marvel movies are devoid of both style and substance. Far from it. While we may never see a Wes Anderson or a Darren Aronofsky-helmed Marvel movie, that's ok. Why? Because directors like the Russo Brothers and James Gunn are able to infuse their voice and style into their movies, still within the Marvel limitations. For me, The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Civil War have more replay value than The Dark Knight. Mainly because of the humor, action, and script. The Dark Knight is a masterpiece, but it's so dour that it's not a movie I will put in the player as often. One of my ex-girlfriends used to pop in GotG after she had a bad day. Marvel may never produce a film as stylistic or dour as The Dark Knight and may never take huge chances on their movies. But I am ok with that! Because in my mind, The Winter Soldier and Civil War are both masterpieces. I think that once you get past the origin story and have laid the groundwork, it's possible to branch out a bit more and take more chances.

I really enjoyed Doctor Strange and enjoyed the resolution of the conflict. I expect great things from the inevitable sequel. So in the end, I guess I agree to disagree.