Dove Review

“Doctor Strange” is a special effects-laden extravaganza that features a commanding performance by Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, the Marvel comics’ surgeon who is endowed with mystical powers. In the movie, as well as the comic, he is arrogant, making it difficult for his former girlfriend, Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams). When he is seriously injured in a car accident, she wants to help him, but he is rude to her and impossible to get along with, so she leaves him. His injured hands continually shake, meaning he can no longer be the surgeon he was. He doesn’t want to go on this way. When he runs into a man who was also seriously wounded, but is now healed, the man tells him he found his answer in a certain foreign land. So, Doctor Strange is off to Katmandu to find the location, but instead finds a woman called “The Ancient” (Tilda Swinton) and she makes it clear that his problem is not a physical one, but a spiritual one. He scoffs at this, but when she pulls his spirit out of his body, he begins to listen to her!

He is soon journey-bound but on a spiritual journey, to learn more about serving others instead of himself. He devours mystical books and begins to learn to send his spirit on various journeys. There is a lot of action packed into the movie including several fights, and nuggets of wisdom, as well as comedic moments. For instance, Doctor Strange learns how to use a time “loop” to repeat situations and he uses this to his advantage when facing a large monster-like creature that kills him. The creature refuses to set Hong Kong free from a catastrophe so when Strange shows up time and time again, he wearies the demon-like monster until it finally sets things right.

Ordinarily, Dove has no problem with fantasy stories as long as they don’t venture into the Dark Arts and Occultism. Unfortunately, this film takes the subject a step too far. There are frequent mentions of “spells” in the film. Doctor Strange follows the advice of The Supreme Sorcerer and engages in astral projection, which is clearly an occult practice. He uses it as a device to travel to other places and times. We are withholding our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal due to the dominate reference to, and use of the occult. The content listing provides more details under “Other.”

Dove Rating Details

0

Faith

None

0

Integrity

Several fight sequences including the use of mystical fire (like bolts of fire) that characters strike each other with; the use of sticks in a martial arts style of fighting; several fights including punching; the mention of a decapitation; a car accident results in a man being operated on, with blood seen on his face and hands and steel pins inserted into his hands to help with nerve damage; a city is attacked by powerful mystic villains, and fires and buildings crashing are seen; a bloody wound is seen; a weapon looking like an ax is used on a man; a character is stabbed; a wound is seen being stitched up.

2

Sex

A woman kisses a man on the side of his cheek; a couple shares a kiss; a comment by a man to his former girlfriend about another man, which is, "You two aren't sleeping together, are you?"

2

Language

OMG-2; There might be more utterances of "OMG" as it is difficult to hear the cries in one scene; S-2; A-3; H-1.

2

Violence

Several fight sequences including the use of mystical fire (like bolts of fire) that characters strike each other with; the use of sticks in a martial arts style of fighting; several fights including punching; the mention of a decapitation; a car accident results in a man being operated on, with blood seen on his face and hands and steel pins inserted into his hands to help with nerve damage; a city is attacked by powerful mystic villains, and fires and buildings crashing are seen; a bloody wound is seen; a weapon looking like an ax is used on a man; a character is stabbed; a wound is seen being stitched up.

2

Drugs

A woman brings a bottle of wine to a man's house but she leaves before they drink any; a character asks a woman if someone spiked the tea she gave him with LSD; a character is seen drinking a beer and then Strange uses his powers to fill it up again; a shot is given to a man to help him.

1

Nudity

Shirtless men in several scenes.

3

Other

Several jump scenes; comments about magic and casting spells; a character is told to study astral projection, which is an occult practice, but in the movie it is used as a device for time travel and to travel to distant places; the mention of mystic arts and drawing power from the dark dominion is said to be wrong although one woman does this; the mention of "my astral body"; the mention of evolution; a man is seen without a hand as it was severed from him; a man has the electric paddles used on him to bring him back from death; a character says that sometimes we must break the rules to forge the greater good; death is a theme in the movie.