Every MCU Movie - Ranked From Worst To Best

8. Doctor Strange

After years of wanting to get it off the ground, Kevin Feige has kicked off the cosmic arm of the MCU with style (and that's very much the key word here): launching Doctor Strange into the mainstream picture in a mind-bending frame that might well be Marvel's most impressive visual film so far.

Strengths

The visuals and effects are superlative, to the point that simple description doesn't fit them. They're legitimately the most stunning in the franchise so far, taking in the iconic, mind-boggling work of Steve Ditko and taking full advantage of the technology afforded by vast budgets. You won't have seen anything like this before, that's for sure.

Benedict Cumberbatch is brilliant as Strange, stepping in as the heir apparent to Tony Stark as the leader of the MCU with a similarly sarcastic bent balanced with equally compelling charisma. This is what perfect casting looks like.

Elsewhere, the story works perfectly as a stand-alone, tying only briefly to the mainline of films in a way that is earned and undistracting, and seeding some very exciting possibilities for future Marvel films, including Strange sequels, Thor Ragnarok and the rest of the wider MCU.

Weaknesses

The villains are a little limited (as usual), and some of the supporting characters - Rachel McAdams' Christine Palmer in particular - are sacrificed to make doubly sure we know this is the Cumberbatch show. As excuses go, that is a pretty damn good one though.