In all honesty, about two-thirds of the reason I went to see this film in the first place was to see how they pulled off all those effects.
I am glad I went. The VFX visualization and execution was stunning. The story was fun and interesting, as well, but would be much less so if not for the fantastic looking so real.
One of the best parts of all of the visual effects, for me, was the ability to keep gravity relative to each person. Once the fabric of reality had begun to be folded and contorted, different people would be in different positions relative to the earth's core. But, each small piece kept it's own relative direction in mind. This way, the Sorcerer Supreme could jump onto the wall of a building while her targets were still running. Until the fold caught up with them, of course. Doctor Strange was falling toward a man still standing at a 90 degree angle to him. It was amazing.
Another storytelling technique that was used was the connection of images, whether this was through repetition, association, or other means. The opening scene is a windchime. Wind and time are often compared and likened to one another. There is wind (and a cloak that mimics and exaggerates wind) throughout the movie. Doctor Strange also has a watch collection, works in a hospital where his first major scene involves a time-sensitive operation, calling out the years songs were released, and correcting an incorrect time of death, thus extending the time the patient had left. The books in the library are old, showing the passing of time and man's mastery of it at the same time. Repetition of scenes was used with the watch, shaving, and general showing off of steady, then shaky, hands. (On that note, I thought it was odd that handheld cameras were used so much in the scenes showing how steady his hands were before the accident. Don't operate and drive, folks.)
Two more things really caught my attention. The first was the fact that mercy saved him. He had to believe in a miracle, that a lame man was walking again through the faith he put in a great teacher, to even look for the miracle man. Once he was presented with proof of the miracle, he had to believe in the teacher. But he would have gotten nowhere had Pangborn not showed him mercy by forgetting his past wrongdoings and blessing him with the information of how to also receive such faith. The second thing was that the stolen spell to reach Dormammu was performed in a church. Why? Because it was quiet during the week? Because the space between "realities" was smaller there? Because it was pretty and fun to animate? Or because of the contrast it offered?
