Stephen Strange’s use of the Time Stone to undo the destruction caused by Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen) is an insanely meta sequence, and his willingness to literally annoy Dormammu into submission with an endless time loop is a beautiful inversion of a typical superhero showdown.
It’s a story that we’re familiar with, but it’s an entirely different take on a well-worn narrative.
We have seen stories like Doctor Strange told in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before, but the film takes the formula in enough new directions to make it all feel fresh and exciting.
While the movie clearly tells a familiar enough hero’s journey arc, it ultimately bucks superhero movie traditions by making the resolution of the story a far more cerebral scene than a pure CGI-based action moment.