‘Doctor Strange’ Early Reviews & Reactions: Visual Effects & Action Scenes Praised; Marvel Film A Throwback To ‘Iron Man?’

The first press screenings for "Doctor Strange" were held on Wednesday night in Los Angeles and New York City. Early reviews for Marvel's latest film starring Benedict Cumberbatch have been positive, with a special focus on the movie's mind-bending visual effects and action scenes.

Michael Giacchino's musical score for "Doctor Strange" was praised by the audience as well, SlashFilm reported. Others commended Cumberbatch's portrayal of the titular character Stephen Strange.

Tilda Swinton's the Ancient One role in "Doctor Strange" wasn't forgotten, too. David Ehrlich of Indiewire said that Swinton's portrayal of the character and the film's "very trippy visuals make it a spectacle worth savoring," though he also pointed out that "Doctor Strange" is "guilty of *all* the usual Marvel movie problems."

Erik Davis of Movies.com said that the primary weakness of "Doctor Strange" is its humor. The movie's attempts to be comical weren't successful as other Marvel films that preceded it. Davis, however, praised Scott Derrickson's film for its "incredible imagery" and "heady story."

Eric Eisenberg of Cinema Blend thought that the "Doctor Strange" script is "not the strongest" but the "beautiful and crazy" action sequences make up for it. Eisenberg added that the film rightfully infused "new colors to the MCU." Peter Sciretta of SlashFilm said watching "Doctor Strange" in 3D is worth it.

Mike Ryan of Uproxx described "Doctor Strange" as the "most self-contained Marvel movie in a long time," adding that it somewhat appeared like a reboot of the first "Iron Man" film headlined by Robert Downey Jr. Ryan even pointed out the similarities between Strange and Tony Stark.

"In that it feels obvious that a**hole yet charming Stephen Strange is here to eventually take the place of a**hole yet charming Tony Stark," Ryan tweeted. "Strange and Stark are *almost* the same character. Makes sense now they'd hire big star Cumberbatch to phase in while Downey phases out," he continued in another tweet.

Steven Weintraub of Collider, meanwhile, said that "Doctor Strange" is "unlike any previous Marvel movie." He loves how Marvel excels at "pushing boundaries" and making it look natural and easy.

Cumberbatch will reprise his role as Strange in "Avengers: Infinity War." Marvel executive Kevin Feige said that the Illuminati could be introduced in the next "Avengers" film but that's still uncertain. The Illuminati (which Strange is a part of) is a secret society composed of some of the strongest Marvel characters such as Mr. Fantastic, Charles Xavier, Black Bolt, and Namor, according to ComingSoon.net.

"Doctor Strange" also stars Rachel McAdams, Mads Mikkelsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Benedict Wong. The film bows in U.S. theaters on Nov. 4.