“Doctor Strange” is one of cinema’s very best comic book adaptations

 In a year that already saw “Deadpool” as a high-water mark for comic book adaptations, along comes “Doctor Strange.” It is not only one of the best that Marvel Studios has ever done, but it stands with the greatest superhero origin story films like “Superman: The Movie”, “Spider-man” and “Iron Man.” How? By being character-driven and acting as smart as its neurosurgeon main character. Doctor Strange (the ever sharp Benedict Cumberbatch) is a brilliant, yet egotistical man whose hero’s journey takes him from self-centered to at one with the universe. He learns the wonders of mysticism, magic and selfless power. And the storytellers here never lose sight of that arc. They imbue every scene with his braininess, including a final action scene that doesn’t play like a brawl, but rather a chess game for the fate of mankind.