Doctor Stephen Strange has always been one of my favorite superheroes, and I can personally say Marvel Studio’s movie adaptation of his origin was right on the dot. Marvel stuck with Strange’s original story, and it turned out well for them, making over 85 million dollars in the movie’s opening weekend. Benedict Cumberbatch, overall, did a great impression of Strange with his role of a rich neurosurgeon with an ego that surpasses that of Tony Stark.

   Although many superhero films are obsessed with the model of a rich, egotistical white man, the film had the opportunity to do something different and show the interior of a character forced to rethink everything he knows and the nature of reality itself. The movie did him a favor by making him a likeable protagonist while he was still being an egotistical jerk towards his colleagues and co-workers.

   The movie opens up with Strange moving through the world with little regard for the people around him. The main conflict is introduced shortly after when he is distracted looking at medical documents while driving. Strange’s car accident leaves him with permanent nerve damage in his hands, a reminder of a past he can never reclaim. To fix his hands, he is taken on a path that leads him towards a being called The Ancient One in Nepal. After a series of trippy kaleidoscopic effects that resemble a psychedelic outer space, the doctor is taken in by The Ancient One. Strange’s journey of of bouncing between dimensions in a mirage of colors thus begins.

   While many people are upset with how quickly Strange masters magic, he gains control of his power much faster in the original Marvel series, mastering the spells in almost every book in the Sanctum in just over a year.

   The one person Strange can always depend on is his co-worker, Christine Palmer, whom he lashes out at when his world of medicine and science fails him. Although she is not Strange’s original lover, the white-haired niece of Dormammu, ranking 28th in Comics Buyer’s Guide’s “100 Sexiest Women in Comics,” plays a significant role in Strange’s journey. Strange seeks help from Christine numerous times, asking for forgiveness and rekindling their relationship. Although this support is not as helpful as learning to bend time, to cast forbidden spells, and to wield the Eye of Agamotto, it is important nonetheless.

   With the ending revealing Strange’s classic rival, Marvel does a good job of setting up for a line of Strange movies. Many people are looking forward to watch Strange fighting crime in the future.