Dark Goddess Review: Dr. Strange

Everybody into the pool for this one! Dr. Strange, in addition to providing nearly two hours of blissful Cumberbatch watching, might be subtitled The Rehabilitation of Psychedelics. Get out those old beads and feathers, folks, and go to the movies:)

I have been immersed in the world of comic book heroes for several years, compliments of my avid superhero-worshipping grandson and his sister, who loves a good explosion. This has been okay with me (and with them, since I pay) considering my own Superman and Batman fascination, while it didn't last into puberty, took up a lot of my childhood energy. I surely wish my Grandma had not given all those 1950s comic books away! But I digress.

Going to the movies with Gabe and Emma has kept me abreast of the latest in computer graphics, reintroduced me to my updated old friends, and introduced me to a whole raft of new characters with powers undreamed of in my innocent youth. And if I can't remember which gang is which, or who belongs to what movie, Gabe is there to educate me. I have even found several to be stellar productions, and Dr. Strange, along with Guardians of the Galaxy and Antman, is among the best.

Gabe says that Strange is a new Marvel character, and rather than getting his powers from a lab accident or radiation or some other disaster, he learns them as a talented student of sorcery, kind of David Carradine with electricity. Cumberbatch is no stranger to the kind of arrogance a wunderkind like Strange needs to be believable, and this is the source of much humor sprinkled into the melodrama of his fall and recovery through the spirit arts. He is at first a reluctant and then a spectacular sorcerer and I look forward to his next performance.

But the real star of the show was the special effects folks - and I counted at least 18 companies listed in the credits, including post-production sound that hinted echoes of the 70s by Lucas's Skywalker Sound. The bending and folding of reality for much of the story was spectacular, all those companies combining their skills to create a multi-dimensional psychedelic battleground for action that included just a touch of steampunk - a nostalgic dip in time and space that will lift your spirits as it lights up your memories like a night game.

Don't miss this one:)