First of all, I absolutely loved it. Honestly it may be my favorite Marvel film to date. That being said, it was very difficult to watch. The following is more about how it hit me personally than it is a film review. You've been warned.

Some of my older watchers will remember I was a dog groomer for 5 years before I tore my L4-L5 and L5-S1 while working. This resulted in multiple steroids, muscle relaxers, cortisone injections, physical therapy, chiropractics, and ultimately an injury that will never heal causing unending pain ever since. It also cost me my grooming career, one that I loved dearly. That was almost four years ago.

Watching Doctor Strange wake up and see his hands was too familiar. I completely understood the horror he was processing and that fear that your life has been stolen, but the hope that maybe it hasn't. And then watching him go through every possible option he had and just continually get let down, that was so familiar too. For over a year I thought I would heal. I thought the pain would end. I thought I'd have my life back. I'd be able to groom again, to not fear car rides, to be able to ride roller coasters like i love. Watching him exhaust all his options was almost like reliving my own struggles.

When he ended up in Kathmandu and eventually the Kamar-Taj I understood that hope. I had that hope with my cortisone injections. It was the last chance I really had to regain a semblance of normal. I was optimistic and desperate. And then he realized that it wasn't at all what he thought it was. I experienced that too, discovering that the injections actually made my pain worse and introduced sciatic symptoms I didn't have before.

He then was shown that they did offer something life changing, but was told it wasn't something he could obtain. He was thrown into the street where he begged and begged to be let back in. I was fortunate enough to try cannabis while on a vacation. For the first time I experienced being pain free. I just kept crying because I was so happy. I didn't ever think it could happen yet here it was. And then I came home, where I couldn't legally access it. To know there was something that could make me feel normal that I couldn't access was infuriating, but at least I knew there was a solution. It may take years, but at least it existed. Strange was eventually let back into the Kamar-Taj. I was fortunate enough to obtain legal medicinal access.

And finally at the end of the film, after everything... his hands still shook. It was a reminder that no matter what I do, my injury is still there, I can just hide the pain a little sometimes to focus on what's more important. He lost everything due to an injury and while his old life isn't back, he has an incredible new one that wouldn't be possible without the loss of his old. I can relate, seeing as I wouldn't have many of the wonderful friends I do now if I was still grooming. I wouldn't be able to spend almost all my time with my kitty at home. I'm happy with my life as it is, and there is no way I'd be in the situation I'm in had I not been forcibly removed from my career.

Holy shit wall of text. This was really just more for me I think, but I wanted to try to get into posting a bit more again so... looks like you're stuck with it.