Following the premiere of a brand new clip from ‘Captain America: Civil War’ on Monday’s episode, ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ debuted the very first trailer for ‘Doctor Strange‘ the next night. Scott Derrickson’s Phase Three film starring ‘Sherlock’ and ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ star Benedict Cumberbatch definitely looks pretty epic so far, but let’s break down this initial look at the movie bit by bit. But first, let’s watch the trailer again:
In the opening moments of the trailer, we see the outcome of the horrific car accident that leaves the neurosurgeon’s hands badly injured. Seeing Stephen Strange floating helplessly in the water is a bit discerning, but it sets the scene nicely for what’s to come, which happen to be a nice juxtaposition of images from his former and current lives. For instance, his face during and after the accident:
Then we see him at a window looking rather dapper before switching to an image of the good doctor looking more disheveled and bearded. It’s weird seeing Strange without the goatee wearing a tuxedo because he looks an awful lot like BBC’s Sherlock Holmes attending Dr. John Watson’s wedding.
As Tilda Swinton’s Ancient One talks in a voiceover about the different realities that exist, we see Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo, a fellow student of the dark arts. I’ll never get tired of seeing this actor with a sword on his back. He proved in ‘Serenity’ that he knows how to use it, so let’s see how he fares when magic gets thrown into the mix.
We also hear Cumberbatch speak as Strange for the first time. His American accent sounds a bit weird. I kinda wish that they had let him keep his British accent for the role.
Now we get to the good stuff. We finally get to see what magic looks like in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With the help of the Ancient One, Strange is thrust into the Astral Plane and takes on an astral form. As the doctor takes it all in, he and the audience both are thinking how cool this is.
And it gets even more trippy from there because here comes Mads Mikkelsen pulling some crazy ‘Inception’-esque moves. We didn’t know who the ‘Hannibal’ actor would be playing in this film before and this we still don’t know because the trailer doesn’t give us any hints, but he can clearly do some really cool stuff.
If I didn’t see those close-up shots of his eyes looking like molten rock cracking around his eyes that have been floating around online, I’d say that Mikkelsen looks like he’s been crying all his eyeliner off. Also, his friends look like they’ve been doing the same thing. Either that or these guys are pretty big fans of The Misfits or ‘Black Parade’ era My Chemical Romance.
Speaking of ‘Inception’, I’m pretty sure that this exact shot was in that movie somewhere. But the visual of Strange falling from one reality into another is pretty cool.
Finally, we have Doctor Strange walking into his Sanctum Sanctorum with his flowing cape. Great looking shot, but it leaves a little to be desired. Throughout the whole trailer, we didn’t get a single shot of our hero in his iconic attire adorned with the Eye of Agamotto. The last shot of the trailer definitely could have had the camera pan around to give us the big reveal of the character in all his glory.
Since we’re so many months away from the film’s release, it’s not that surprising that they’re holding off on giving us that shot. Until then, we’ll just have to look to the first photos released from the production and the latest posters, like this one:
Overall, this was a good tease for what’s to come. It definitely doesn’t overshadow the Star-Spangled Avenger and his big movie coming out in less than a month, but it gives us just enough to start generating buzz. Though I’m disappointed that we didn’t get to really see the costume or the doctor’s hand motions as he conjures some magic (or even his manservant, Wong), I know that we’ll get all of that in due time. For now, let’s just soak in the magic.
What did you think about the first trailer for ‘Doctor Strange’? Are you excited for the Sorcerer Supreme to manifest in a theater near you this winter? And does anyone know why Benedict Cumberbatch frequently appears in a shot from behind as a flowy coat or cape dramatically waves behind him in the wind? Let us know in the comments below.
‘Doctor Strange’ starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tilda Swinton, Rachel McAdams, Michael Stuhlbarg, Benedict Wong, and Mads Mikkelsen emerges on this plane on November 4, 2016.
Despite being a “professional writer”, Ben likes run-on sentences and puns far too much. Also, every little thing he does is magic. For more of his attempts at being funny and the occasional insightful thought, follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
