Review round-up: Marvel’s Doctor Strange is getting praised for mind bending visuals and humor

Marvel is back at it yet again with a new superhero film, but this time it's with yet another relatively unknown hero who plays a very significant role in the comics. Doctor Strange is finally almost here (if you're in the U.K.,  you can go see it right now) and it'll introduce the element of magic into the MCU.

The film will be one of the most mind-bending, Marvel movies yet due to the powers and themes from the story and characters of Doctor Stranger. It's also assumed that Strange will take over Iron Man's role (not literally become Iron Man, more of a team leader) in the MCU when Robert Downey Jr. eventually steps down.

Many people thought the movie looked great from the very first trailer, but many would agree that the movie could easily be terrible. The movie could try to hard to be a mind-bending movie like Inception and try to confuse you in an "artistic way" to the point that it feels a bit pretentious. Luckily for us, this is not the case!

Last week, some lucky members of the press got to go to a screening of the film and post their impressions to the wonderful world wide web! The film is being praised for its excellent cast as well as great visual effects, but suffers from the 'by the numbers' Marvel origin story. The LSD trip of a film currently sits at a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes with only 1 negative review out of 43 total. We've gathered quotes from several different websites who posted reviews, all of which you can view below. The first quote will be from the one negative review.

Forbes, 5.5/10

"The visuals are worth the price of admission, but this is as generic and by-the-numbers an origin story as the MCU has ever made. It's better than 'Green Lantern,' but it will remind you of 'Green Lantern"

EW, B+

"When you strip away the Secrets of the East mumbo jumbo and psychedelic special effects, Doctor Strange is a formulaic Marvel origin story, but it’s done with high-IQ wit, all but name-checking the myth of Sisyphus and the kaleidoscopic architectural origami of M.C. Escher. (We’re a long way from the blunt-force shenanigans of HYDRA here.) Doctor Strange is thrilling in the way a lot of other Marvel movies are. But what makes it unique is that it’s also heady in a way most Marvel movies don’t dare to be. It’s eye candy and brain candy."

The Wrap, no score

"Casts a few impressive spells of its own, not the least of which is the redemption of the visual-effects extravaganza. This funny, freaky adventure reminds us of how effective VFX can be when they've got some imagination behind them."

GamesRadar, 4/5

"Cumberbatch fits Doctor Strange like a pair of snap-tight surgical gloves, in yet another MCU triumph. Beautifully designed, brilliantly executed."

The Guardian, 4/5

"It’s a tremendously engaging and likeable superhero ride, in which the classiest of casts show they know exactly where to take it seriously – and where to inject the fun."

Empire, 4/5

"Introducing spells and sorcery to the MCU — not to mention doing it via a wizard resembling a prog rock drummer — is Marvel’s riskiest move to date, but the gamble pays off. What could have been the studio’s first serious mis-step is a confident stride into new territory that reinvigorates a tired formula while expanding the shared universe. This is both a reality-defying “CG fuckathon” and the most dazzling spectacle of the year.

A bizarre and beautiful detour on the Marvel journey, which culminates in a mind-bending, expectation-inverting final act. Not to be watched under the influence."

USA Today, 3/4

"A kaleidoscope of weirdness and innovative visual effects successfully introduce the newest Marvel superhero in director/co-writer Scott Derrickson's brilliantly bizarre Doctor Strange"

Doctor Strange releases in the United States on November 4th, 2016 and stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Rachel McAdams, and Mads Mikkelsen.