Doctor Strange, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange, is a wondrously grand mind-trip involving amazing CGI effects and an invigorating plot. It effectively sets up the next Thor movie Thor: Ragnorok in the infamous Marvel after-credits scene.

The movie heavily relied on its incredible, reality-altering special effects. Doctor Strange’s magic allows him to bend reality in extraordinary ways, and the effects allowed the audience to ‘experience’ this power. It is well-established within the first 10 minutes that the movie won’t be your usual superhero film because of its main character’s unique magic abilities.

Even if you aren’t a hardcore fan of the comics, it is easy for the viewer to understand what is happening — unless, of course, the writers didn’t want you to understand quite yet. I’m referring to a scene in which the Eye of Agamotto, also known as the Cloak of Levitation, is revealed. In this scene, Doctor Strange is admiring and comes upon the cloak. It’s meant to be mysterious and ominous, but if you’ve read the comic books, then the aspect of mystery present in the film was ruined.

Several have made complaints about the whitewashing of The Ancient One, played by Tilda Swinton, a character depicted as an elderly Asian man sporting colorful robes and a hefty beard.

Marvel has defended itself, saying that it has “a very strong record of diversity in its casting of films and regularly departs from stereotypes and source material to bring its MCU to life.”

To avoid spoilers, I’ll only say that the final battle was probably the most epic of all superhero movies ever. The manner of the battle is a very large and intense aspect of the film, but it is definitely worth seeing due to its phenomenal special effects, intriguing plot, and the mind blowing abilities that Dr. Strange possess.

Even if you aren’t a fan of the Marvel cinematic universe, Doctor Strange is a definite must-see this year.