---
title: "Doctor Strange: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/doctor-strange/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/doctor-strange"
critics_score: 77
critics_reviews: 22
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Doctor Strange (2016): what the critics said

Critics' score 77 from 22 reviews: 17 positive, 5 mixed, 0 negative.

Most critics like Doctor Strange, and none of the 22 reviews dismisses it outright. The praise gathers almost entirely around the effects: the folding cities, the Escher-like architecture and the Mirror Dimension sequences are singled out again and again as a real departure for Marvel. Benedict Cumberbatch is the other constant, judged well cast and enjoyable in a vain, sardonic role, with Tilda Swinton the supporting player most often mentioned.

The reservations are as consistent as the praise. Several reviews find the story thin and the hero’s arc familiar, and Sight and Sound points to an underwhelming villain and an underused female lead. Time Out goes further, finding the lead unlikeable and the film short of tension, while The Independent thinks it lacks the emotional depth of Iron Man. The spread is narrow: the coolest verdicts, from Screen Daily and Collider, still admire the visuals and object mainly to the storytelling underneath them.

## Radio Times

Rating ★★★★★. 25 October 2016. 

The critic calls it a barnstorming origin story with dramatic heft and astounding visual dexterity, singling out the mind-bending effects and strong cast for praise. It is hailed as top-notch, innovative fantasy that stands out in the Marvel universe.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/doctor-strange-review-benedict-cumberbatch-redefines-the-marvel-universe-in-a-visually-stunning-and-absorbing-origin-story/)

## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis

Rating Critic’s Pick. 4 November 2016. 

The film is a visually transfixing and giddily enjoyable origin story that stands out for its inventive spatial and temporal effects. Derrickson and the cast, led by Cumberbatch, elevate the familiar Marvel beats with strong performances and dazzling imagery.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/04/movies/doctor-strange-review.html)

## Vulture — David Edelstein

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 3 November 2016. 

Doctor Strange is an impressive cosmic spectacle with a dazzling kaleidoscopic palette that compensates for the thin story, thanks to Benedict Cumberbatch's entertaining lead performance and the director being freed to use his imagination. The visuals and wit make it a standout Marvel entry.

[Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2016/11/review-doctor-strange-benedict-cumberbatch.html)

## Empire — James Dyer

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 24 October 2016. 

It successfully introduces sorcery and psychedelic visuals to the MCU in a confident stride that reinvigorates the formula. Cumberbatch brings easy charm while the gamble on new territory pays off despite some supporting roles feeling underused.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/doctor-strange-review/)

## Evening Standard — David Sexton

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 28 October 2016. 

It is the trippiest and most psychedelic Marvel film yet thanks to mind-bending special effects. Strong performances from Cumberbatch, Swinton and Ejiofor make the supernatural elements engaging and imaginative.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/doctor-strange-film-review-by-far-the-trippiest-most-psychedelic-marvel-film-yet-a3381106.html)

## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 3 November 2016. 

The movie offers pleasurably trippy, kaleidoscopic visuals and spatial-temporal shenanigans that feel true to the comic source, anchored by Cumberbatch’s fine performance as the vain, sardonic hero. It playfully embraces its geeky mysticism while delivering a rewarding story of personal growth amid the Marvel franchise machinery.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-doctor-strange-review-20161028-story.html)

## Slant Magazine — Jake Cole

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 2 November 2016. 

Nothing Marvel has produced compares to the visual splendor of Scott Derrickson's film, which breaks from the MCU's verisimilitude with innovative action and a moral core focused on emotional maturity and responsibility. It ranks among the studio's few truly invigorating products despite some endemic flaws like thin supporting roles.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/doctor-strange/)

## The Guardian

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 24 October 2016. 

The film is a tremendously engaging and likable superhero ride featuring an eye-poppingly freaky extravaganza with city-folding surreality comparable to Inception. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Doctor Strange with deadpan theatrical relish as a man of science who overcomes egotism to master the astral plane.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/oct/24/doctor-strange-review-benedict-cumberbatch-marvel-eyepoppingly-freaky-extravaganza)

## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 23 October 2016. 

The film is an engaging, smartly cast and sporadically eye-popping addition to the Marvel portfolio that establishes a solid niche with its visual spectacle. Director Scott Derrickson delivers the package with coherence and flair, aided by strong performances from the cast including Tilda Swinton.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/doctor-strange-review-940709/)

## The i Paper — Matthew Turner

Rating ★★★★. 25 October 2016. 

Cumberbatch is perfect casting with a flawless American accent and the supporting cast shines, especially Swinton and Wong. The mind-blowing special effects blending Inception-style visuals with Escher-like designs set it apart and make it supremely entertaining.

[Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/doctor-strange-review-benedict-cumberbatch-27115)

## The New Yorker — Richard Brody

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 4 November 2016. 

Derrickson delivers a giddy cosmic spectacle full of Escher-like architectural transformations and inventive time-reversal effects that provide wondrous exhilaration. The film’s derivative plot is secondary to its playfully audacious visual tricks and free-floating cinematic delights.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/the-giddy-cosmic-spectacle-of-doctor-strange)

## The Times — Camilla Long

Rating ★★★★. 30 October 2016. 

Cumberbatch has fun in the trippy film as a sexy, nipped-and-plucked superhero version of Alan Turing who is intelligent and convinced his work will save the world. The film pivots on its casting, with strong support including Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One.

[Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/camilla-long-on-film-doctor-strange-and-lo-and-behold-rxfc969qb)

## Total Film

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 24 October 2016. 

Cumberbatch fits the role perfectly in another MCU triumph that sprinkles fresh ingredients into the mix. The psychedelic visuals and engrossing journey make it a funny, thrilling and welcome addition to the universe.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/doctor-strange-review/)

## Sight and Sound — Kim Newman

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 28 October 2016. 

The critic praises the film's striking visual effects, particularly the Mirror Dimension sequences and inventive action set pieces, along with Benedict Cumberbatch's engaging performance. However, it notes familiar Marvel weaknesses including an underwhelming villain and an underused female lead.

[Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-doctor-strange)

## The Independent

Rating 3/5. 25 October 2016. 

The film does what it sets out to do well by opening the MCU to mysticism with striking kaleidoscopic visuals. It lacks emotional depth in the lead character compared to similar origin stories like Iron Man.

[Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/doctor-strange-review-marvel-benedict-cumberbatch-a7378081.html)

## Time Out — Tom Huddleston

Rating 3/5. 23 October 2016. 

The review highlights the film's wildly psychedelic and visually inventive sequences as its strongest asset. It criticizes the thin story, unlikeable lead character, and lack of emotional depth or tension.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/doctor-strange)

## Screen Daily

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 23 October 2016. 

The review finds the film entertaining in its grand visual flourishes and arresting set pieces but spottier in character work and thematic coherence. It concludes that Doctor Strange is a just-good-enough proposition that extends the brand without reaching new creative heights.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/doctor-strange-review/5110568.article)

## Deadline — Pete Hammond

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 November 2016. 

The critic praises the mind-blowing special effects and the strong cast, particularly Benedict Cumberbatch and Tilda Swinton, noting it stands out in the Marvel genre with dazzling visuals and versatile performances.

[Read the review](https://deadline.com/2016/11/doctor-strange-review-benedict-cumberbatch-marvel-movie-video-1201847982/)

## The Wrap

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 November 2016. 

The critic highlights the film's imaginative visuals and effective CGI that redeem the effects-heavy genre, along with strong performances from Cumberbatch and others, making it a fresh and engaging origin story.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/doctor-strange-review-benedict-cumberbatch-marvel-mcu/)

## Polygon — Allyson Gronowitz

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 23 October 2016. 

The critic calls it a daring, psychedelic experiment that pays cosmic dividends through staggering visuals and mind-tripping sequences that push the MCU into surrealist mysticism. The enchanting magic, 3D effects, and satisfying redemption arc are singled out for praise, alongside familiar but well-executed humor and pathos.

[Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/2016/10/23/13366622/doctor-strange-review/)

## Den of Geek — James Hunt

Rating 3/5. 24 October 2016. 

The critic praises the film's visual imagination and aesthetic departure from typical Marvel movies but criticizes the thin story and lack of depth in character development. The standout praise is for the dizzying, kaleidoscopic effects and physics-bending action scenes.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/doctor-strange-review-2/)

## Collider — Matt Goldberg

Rating C. 3 November 2016. 

The critic finds the film at turns impressive and disappointing, with striking new visuals and magic elements undermined by familiar Marvel tropes like one-dimensional villains and a formulaic hero arc. The visuals are singled out for praise as a visual boldness, while the shallow storytelling and lack of depth in the MCU are criticized.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/doctor-strange-review/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/doctor-strange.md