by: Steve (@MisterJackal)Doctor Strange is out this week!!! Probably my most highly anticipated of the recent Marvel films and I got a chance to watch it a couple days before its wide release!I'm going to be honest, I was never too privy on Doctor Strange. I didn't really find an interest in the character outside of the fact that we had a similar name and shared the same initials, S.S. As time passed I would see his cameos in certain comics and started to gain respect for the character. When I read that he was a part of the Illuminati that shot Bruce Banner off the planet, I then knew he was a force to be reckoned with. Fast forward to a couple years later and I read that Benedict Cumberbatch was going to play this bad ass character, while skeptical, I knew it was going to be tremendous.For those who don't know, Doctor Stephen Strange started out as a super egotistical neurosurgeon that gets into a huge car accident that destroys his hands to the point that he can no longer do his life's work. He then searches the world for different ways to fix his hands and eventually finds The Ancient One. There he learns martial arts as well as the mystical arts making him the bad ass sorcerer we know of today.Now to the reason you are reading this article, Doctor Strange stars the aforementioned Benedict Cumberbatch as the good Doctor, Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo (kind of like Strange's "sidekick"), Madds Mikkelsen as Kaecilius (the somewhat baddie) and Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer (kinda sort of Strange's love interest). This movie essentially goes by the origins of Strange that I went over earlier and also introduces the fallen sorceror Kaecilius and how he stole pages from one of the sacred spell books that are found in the main sanctum in order to bring darkness into the world. I don't want to go into the story too much because I don't want to spoil it too much. As far as the acting, in my opinion they were all on point. No one was over the top or chewing the scenery. Cumberbatch owned Strange and I honestly don't see anyone else that could even compare. People were complaining about Swinton playing The Ancient One but she did an amazing job as well. I personally don't care what race the actor is as long as they bring their A game and sell the character its all that really matters to me. Ejiofor was great as Mordo in how he was following the path laid out for him by The Ancient One and does whatever it takes to withhold the honor of the sorceror. Mikkelsen was really good as Kaecilius, a villain that is hell bent on the fact that what he is doing is right. McAdams was a good fit as the quasi love interest that could still hold her own. What I loved about her was that she wasn't your typical damsel in distress. This movie has some of the best special effects I've seen in a movie in a really long time. I am not a huge fan of 3D (mostly because I'm cheap and don't want to wear another pair of glasses over my regular glasses) but that is the way that I saw this and was completely blown away. There are tons of moments throughout that just left me speechless. The moment when The Ancient One is introducing Strange to the astroplane absolutely blew my mind. As well as the opening action sequence which set me up for everything to come. There's a scene where Strange first meets Kaecilius and they have at it while the ground is moving and the walls are shifting and Strange doesn't know what to do because he is just starting to hone the his magic, on top of it being a bad ass fight it was hilarious on top of it. There are so many things I loved about this movie but I only had one gripe. They didn't really establish how long Strange was training in the sanctum. Was it a couple of days, weeks or months? Forgive me if it is mentioned and I missed it but its something that bothered me towards the end of this flick.All in all, I loved Doctor Strange! It was fun, full of humor, great action, a strong story and supurb acting. I strongly suggest everyone go out this weekend and check it out. Going 3D is definitely worth the extra couple bucks. Also sit through all the credits... But I'm sure you knew that already with all the Marvel movies.If you haven't seen the trailer for Doctor Strange, here you go!https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=QV6iAQ-t1Gc