If only the care that was put into the staggering, MC Escher-esque visuals from the final act were put into the characters. If only the fantastic special effects and a strong central performance from Cumberbatch were put in service of a more cohesive script. Maybe then Doctor Strange could’ve been the trippy, psychedelic adventure it always promised to be, and not a middling entry in a 14-film-old franchise.

Scott Derrickson’s work is fascinating and bewildering. His treatment of the story and understanding of the space-time continuum is beyond what I have experienced, and it makes me shiver at the possibilities of what could be done with this understanding. Doctor Strange also has a lot of detail in its storytelling and iconography.

Ultimately, in a genre exhausted by noisy vigour, spurious brooding and overwrought CGI, Doctor Strange finds a rare balance between blockbuster de rigueur and playful ingenuity.

With the constant barrage of superhero films, one would think the eventual decline of caped crusaders is inevitable. That might (arguably) be the case, but the MCU shows no signs of releasing comic book fans from their spell, as ‘Dr. Strange’ elevates yet another relatively unknown Marvel character to top tier status, making it well worth a dizzying watch in 3D.

It’s unmissable, for sure. It has the style, the spectacle, a story with little to no twists, a penchant for gags and jokes we’ve now come to expect from the MCU and more. And its Cumberbatch-ness is definitely a big draw. And the fact that it knows its flaws and doesn’t dwell on it. That you’re going to love this one is an understatement.

The camerawork and CGI are quite immersive. Mind bending sorcery, multiverse battles, time space interjections and more come into play so easily that it almost seems like a daily occurrence. This film may not have the playfulness of a ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, but it certainly makes for an adequate fire-starter of sorts.

Go watch it! It’s everything you expect from MCU and yet it’s different. I just can’t wait to see Doctor Strange’s banter with Tony Stark in Avengers Infinity War, oh that would be EPIC. Also do wait till end credits. An Avenger might surprise you. Just Saying!

The two brief end-credits teasers give us a taste of things to come. And, overall, Doctor Strange will appeal only to Marvel fans, for others it would be a rather outlandish entertainment.

The action sequences with seamless teleporting are perfectly choreographed and the visuals along with the video effects are astutely laid with Wyatt Smith and Sabrina Plisco’s fine edits. Ben Davis’s cinematography is fuzzy in parts. The two brief end-credits teasers give us a taste of things to come. And, overall, “Doctor Strange” will appeal only to Marvel fans, for others it would be a rather outlandish entertainment.

I apologise if this sounds like a cheap plug, it’s really not: you’re probably going want to head in for a second round, perhaps picking IMAX more wisely.