Doctor Strange

Right now you can watch Doctor Strange in Australia on Disney Plus, and in the US on Disney Plus — and it goes further with its ideas than most genre entertainment bothers to. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. Its 7/10 TMDB score, built from 23,561 ratings, reflects a title that consistently delivers. Benedict Cumberbatch's performance is the anchor the more ambitious scenes need. Put it on tonight on Disney Plus and see for yourself.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Doctor Strange earns its spot. Doctor Strange treats its concept seriously enough to follow it all the way through. After his career is destroyed, a brilliant but arrogant surgeon gets a new lease on life when a sorcerer takes him under her wing and trains him to defend the world against evil. Benedict Cumberbatch and Chiwetel Ejiofor lead a cast that keeps the bigger ideas grounded in something human. It was released in 2016. Doctor Strange resists the temptation to explain everything, trusting the audience to sit with ambiguity. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Sci-fi fans who want ideas alongside the spectacle will find Doctor Strange genuinely rewarding. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Benedict Cumberbatch anchors it with a performance that makes the more abstract moments feel personal. If you have been burned by ambitious sci-fi before, this is the exception.