Customer Reviews

Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

The biggest surprise is that this DVD didn't make you feel embarrassed for the creators, unlike the 1978 made for TV movie. This direct to DVD show is fairly watchable, and stays vaguely true to the Dr. Strange mythos - Wong, Mordo, Dormammu, the Ancient one are all here. Mordo is still a good guy gone bad. The animation is very similar to Marvel's other animated efforts.

While a bit more "Kung Fu Fighting" than one might expect, I'm sure the target audience is not 50 year old collectors of silver age comics. In this regard however, one misses the sometimes amazing visuals that artist Steve Ditko brought to the original 1960's comic book series. After all, Dr. Strange was one of Marvel's more cerebral characters.

Bottom line - a nice DVD to share with kids, or for Marvel fan boys.

The new Marvel animated made for video films have been hit and miss. In watching Dr Strange, they have found a great retelling of the Strange mythos with a modern day twist of the day.

The animation is crisper in color and hue. The storytelling on the Strange film is par to most feature films

For fans of the comic adaventures of Dr Strange will NOT be disappointed. Those new fans will enjoy this production as well.

It comes down to this, IS IT WORTH IT? I say this..it is an amazing production and would hope that those at Lion's Gate and Marvel retell more stories of Dr Strange. If it does not happen, well it is their Loss

Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD

Well after the lackluster The Invincible Iron Man and the dissapointing Ultimate Avengers 2 they finally got it right. Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme is everything I loved about the comics with a little kung fu too. The score was funny though, there are strains from the score of Lady in the Water and even part of a song from Charlotte's Web (the cartoon film of the 80's, I think). But it was nice all the same. Now, as far as Avengers Reborn...God it looks awful. I hope it's not as bad as it seems. It just seems a rotten idea, a total ploy to get the "kids demographic". I'm sick of all these movies trying to appeal to this or that audience. Have the artistic integrity to make the film you want to make, if the source material supports it then do it. But as soon as you start thinking about trying to get this type or that type or another type to like your film, pretty soon you have something so vague and watered down that no one ends up liking it.

Wow, what a mess up! An animated movie with a reasonable budget about Doctor Strange could be an opportunity to travel into untold worlds and have all kinds of amazing experiences with the Doctor.

But instead we get a badly done 'origins of the character' film that leaves very little to the viewer's imagination AND, WORST OF ALL, becomes a sword-fighting film.

When the first character pulled a sword of out thin air, I thought "hey, that's cool". But when everyone did it, including Doctor Strange, I thought, "OMG, they never read a single Doctor Strange comic!"

The animation was decent, and the monsters and enemies weren't horrible, but the filmmakers really blew it on STORY and CONCEPT. What were they thinking?!??!

This could have been a film starting with Dr Strange (already super-powerful) and with maybe a brief flashback entailing how he became the Sorceror Supreme -- but to devote the whole film to a bunch of magical cohorts who die easily (and no viewers care b/c they're not part of the comic anyway) and really miss most of what Doctor Strange was about -- what a waste.

Its like doing the only Superman movie and having 95% be about Krypton and the folks that live there... and then boom, everyone's dead except this one guy who can fly. The end.

I was suprised to discover from watching the production team interviews that they actually were fans of the original Doctor Strange comics.

But the telling line came from one interviewee who said (I'm paraphrasing), "We gave them each different abilities, and then from there it was similar to mutants and other superheroes." ie you blew it!

Another person also said (paraphrasing), "We only had a few panels of origin, so we had to make up all this other stuff." Take it from a Doctor Strange fan -- I wish you hadn't made up any of that ridiculous non-sensical origin material, and just stuck with the 100+ issues of much more interesting material -- that sticks to the Doctor Strange genre!

This is why the film was a waste -- Doctor Strange is a magician of utmost power and knowledge who can travel all realms of reality to stop evil doers on a grand scale.

He is not a sword fighter, martial artist, or Zen monk. He has a few very powerful items he uses frequently -- his cloak and necklace -- but he doesn't use a SWORD!!! Talk about 'missing the point'!

They didn't have ANYONE intone a chant for a spell, didn't have ANYONE explain about magic, and while they did go thru a few world portals, no one really did much in other dimensions. WHY!?!?!?

Damnit! C'mon, Marvel -- don't blow it! With each of these animated flicks, your company has a chance to do something great with your characters, but instead you are going for cheesy poorly written screenplays!

Stay away from 'origin' films. Have the courage to start your movie with a full-blown superhero, and don't take their powers away. Don't make them have amnesia. Don't go back in time or off to another place. Keep them in their spot, leave them with their powers, and let them do what they do in the comics! Is it REALLY that hard?!?!?

Hint -- do your film like a comic. It worked for Sin City, and it can work for you. Don't do films like films. We don't need any more 'origin' movies ... at leat not before the 2nd or 3rd movie. Just give us a flashback scene and explain more later...!

** NO MORE 'origin of superhero' movies!! **

I'm a screenwriter and promise to help you if you ask. Just ask me!

I've always been into the more hands-on of the superhero crowd, so you might see why Dr. Strange isn't one of my comic book favorites. Nevertheless, there were times when I looked in on him and relished his wacky adventures and trippy forays into funky looking dimensions, as creatively rendered by artist Steve Ditko. Given that my interest in the Sorcerer Supreme is anemic, I must mention that stories about Strange were never better than when Stan Lee was writing them waaay back in the '60s. I've always thought one of the coolest things about the Dr. Strange mythos were the wonderfully exotic sounding invocations (as imagined by Stan) which Dr. Strange would righteously toss out: "By the all-seeing Eye of Agamotto!" or "By the hoary hosts of Hoggoth!" Or how about "By the shades of the shadowy Seraphim!"? But nary a one is uttered in this animated film, however, as we witness Dr. Strange's origin, a stage in which he probably wasn't that familiar with Agamotto, Hoggoth, or Seraphim.

To the plot now: Stephen Strange is a talented neurosurgeon. But he's egotistical, callous, and uncaring. He's even big enough of a jerk that he rejects a plea for help regarding a brain-diseased child who sees in her nightmares a dreaded countenance swathed in flames. One evening, while driving, Stephen careens off the road and hurtles down a cliff, which results in irreparable damage to his hands. Despairing, having lost his fortunes, and having exhausted all treatment options for his injuries, he bleakly reaches the end of his rope. But fate intervenes in the presence of Wong, a sorcerer who senses potential in Strange. Wong sends him to a remote Tibetan monastery, to possibly become a student of the Ancient One. However, Strange, being not much into Eastern mysticism, merely seeks to unearth a cure for his mangled hands.

No surprise then that it takes Strange a while to "accept the unacceptable," but once he does, he graduates from the grasshopper routine and begins to learn the arcane arts at a prodigious pace. In time, he comes to learn of the Sanctum Sanctorum which houses the Nexus, the center of all dimensions. It is the Nexus which the Ancient One and his disciples continue to safeguard from the Dread Dormammu. Dormammu, a malevolent, otherdimensional being formed of absolute magic, has repeatedly sent his eldritch creatures to storm the Sanctum. And, with each successive attempt, he gets ever closer. Dr. Strange figures out that Dormammu's plan is somehow linked to the widespread epidemic of comatose children which has overran many hospital wards. As he sets out to help the children, Dormammu launches an all out final assault on the Sanctum. Now will the true Sorcerer Supreme please stand up?

This being the origin story, parts of the film are naturally slow going. We learn of Strange's tragic backstory and how he came to be so cold-hearted and materialistic in his former civilian life. The flashbacks work to flesh out the character and to further engage the viewer. I'm not sure if the version in Marvel's mainstream continuity had a kid sister. But young April and her plight make Strange a more sympathetic person.

When not focusing on Strange, the film shifts to the exploits of the Ancient One's disciples, in particular to Wong and the surly, arrogant Mordo. Mordo takes it for granted that he is the Ancient One's successor to the title of Sorcerer Supreme. Wong is quite dissimilar to the manservant version from the comics. Here, he's more a colleague and even mentor to Strange. And he has hair. Wong is devoted to the Ancient One and mistrusts Mordo and his lofty ambitions. Meanwhile, they and the other disciples continuously take on Dormammu's ever encroaching minions in heartstopping magical scraps.

With the show of magic being generated to mostly craft weaponry out of thin air, there's no room for the classic Dr. Strange incantations, as I've said (but two more classic phrases I just about forgot are "By the Vishanti!" and "By the Crimson Bands of Cytorrak!"). It would've nice to see more esoteric mysticism going on. It's a bit odd seeing the good doctor engaging in a strenuous physical activity like sword fighting. At least, we get to see him make use of astral projection, a staple of the Dr. Strange comics. Dr. Strange does have over 40 years of published history to draw from. But, to reiterate, I'm not a Dr. Strange connoisseur, so I'm not sure exactly how much was altered in this film. One thing that's been changed for sure are his duds as this incarnation has him sporting a new costume that seems austere but is nevertheless very stylin'.

DR. STRANGE: THE SORCERER SUPREME is the fourth direct-to-dvd collaboration between Marvel and LionsGate and decidedly improves on the stinky animated The Invincible Iron Man dvd which it succeeds. We get very nice animation, explosive and well-choreographed fight sequences, and a decent story with enough soap to tug at the heart and enough tussles to keep content the adventurer within you. People die in this one, thus lending the film more depth and high stakes relevance than, say, your average Saturday cartoon episode.

DR. STRANGE: THE SORCERER SUPREME is presented in wide screen. Special features include: Marvel Video Game Cinematics; the 14-minute-long segment "The Origin of Doctor Strange," featuring interviews with comic book writers Stan Lee and Steve Englehart; A First Look at the promising upcoming "Avengers Reborn" (which is set in the future and features Ultron and the Teen Avengers); Doctor Strange concept art; and a trailer gallery. But no film commentary. Which sucks.

I say this one merits a rating of three and a half stars. I wouldn't at all be averse to a sequel. Marvel and LionsGate have something good going here with their direct to dvd animated releases. Keep 'em coming. I'm certainly down with the next project, Avengers Reborn. Now is it too much to ask that someone release a dvd of the 93-minute Dr. Strange / Movie television pilot, which came out way back in 1978?

I saw this at Comic Con. If you like the Dr. Strange comic then you will like this movie. The animation was great and the story line was fun. I hope this is the first of many.

*Spoiler Alert!
Great news! The new Dr. Strange movie came out and I bought it and watched it the first day. I was filled with anticipation of my favorite comic book hero coming to the movies. The DVD cover art is very attractive and has a spell surrounding the Sorcerer Supreme's hands -- spheres with runes and symbols around them showing the fascinating nature of his magic. I loved the movie and there were many good and not so good aspects to review in it.
The movie began and for the first five or six minutes it was all about magicians I had never seen before. They all seemed to have magic amulets that weaken the unique quality of the Eye of Agamotto, Dr. Strange's most powerful talisman. I realized one of these magicians was Baron Mordo, which was cool and then I realized one of them was Wong. Dr. Strange's house servant of old now has magic powers which rival even those of Mordo! Wong never had any magic powers that I can recall in the comics. The most he had was some meager martial arts skill. So that was a bit of a surprise.
After that the story goes into the origin of Dr. Strange and is extremely well done. I was very happily surprised by how well done. Of course, I am critical of events that are mundane which are unbelievable. One of my few beefs during the origin part is when Dr. Strange is climbing sheer mountain cliffs wearing a parka and gloves and using no climbing tools whatsoever. This is supposed to be the time when his hands don't even work well and he's pulling himself up mountains. But, I can forgive for a while. The other is that climbing into the mountains of Tibet to find a guru is totally hackneyed now. It would have been a good place to mix it up a bit. (How about another dimension?)
At a certain point Mordo is told to train Dr. Strange. They battle with conjured magic swords. For one thing, the swords are fancy looking but have little magic about them except that they appear out of thin air which is a cool effect, but Dr. Strange has rarely if ever used magic swords. Swords should have only been used once, if at all in the movie. He is known for his very powerful magic, not his conjuring of conventional weapons, same with Mordo. Throughout the movie Dr. Strange's spells are swords or are uninteresting looking. The lesser magicians that fight for the Ancient One have spells that are much more visually interesting. I believe Dr. Strange should have had the most visually fascinating spells. Where are the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, the Fangs of Farralah, or so many other super-cool spells? The artists missed out on a real opportunity to dazzle the audience with Dr. Strange's spells. Remember Steve Ditko???
Dormammu is different looking. Perhaps it was a good idea to make him look a bit more sophisticated, but his look is really missing something. I would suggest more details in his appearance or perhaps an attempt at a 3rd dimension to his visage. Also, his voice is exactly like the voice of the Locnar in Heavy Metal. That was disappointing and distracting.
The Eye of Agamotto being handed over to Strange just because the Ancient One apparently dies is a bit of a letdown too. In the comics, he was awarded the Eye by the Ancient One after defeating Dormammu. It makes more sense and gives the Eye more value that way. Strange uses the Eye at the end of the movie, but not in any way that made sense to me. This goes to another point. Without some kind of narrative the battles make less sense. So, to tackle that problem I would have Dr. Strange use his trademark spells and also say (at least some of the time) things like "If I hadn't called upon the Shield of Seraphim in time, Dormammu's bolt of bedevilment would have destroyed me." Strange speak, if you will. If you have a really talented voice actor and script writer it could be pulled off without sounding stupid. Creating what would eventually become visually distinct and recognizable detailed spells would be cool too.
After the origin parts the plot seems to move too fast, Dr. Strange getting the Eye and the Ancient One dying in the first movie. The need to move things along shouldn't outweigh the ability to have a good story that can be continued. If there had been more of a focus on the fascinating nature of the world of magic and dimensional travel, etc. we could have waited for the Eye of Agamotto to be mentioned later. I would have had the battle with Dormammu in the Dark Dimension, as it was in the comics. Battles take place in the downtown areas of a big city (New York?) and there are many witnesses to the monsters later in the movie. Most of the time in Dr. Strange comics, ordinary citizens are spared the knowledge of magic and monsters. Dr. Strange keeps these guys out of our dimension. This leads to a kind of "secret" world that only the reader and a few special characters know about. Dr. Strange's new coat hides his incredibly cool outfit. Even the cloak of levitation lacks the detailed patterns in the yellow trim and the horned collar is missing!
I loved the adult (violent) nature of the plot. If there is anything I can't stand, it is monsters that are not evil enough to hurt and kill people. No problem there. The many deaths in the movie gave me a good chill. The tension created when the monsters attacked worked well for me. The monsters were cool, even if there were a few too many `bulls.'
Some of the special effects were very good. The spells of the lesser magicians were very visually appealing, even if they didn't have as much power. The concealing tornado spells were well done too. For the most part the sound effects were well done.
To review, the origin parts of the movie were pretty much excellent. The violence is reasonable and mature which is hard to pull off in a cartoon movie I believe. The movie is filled with character development that works well and is mostly true to the comic book history of Dr. Strange. Hopefully in the future the writers will not rush the story along or be afraid to repeat and stay true to the original storyline of the Dr. Strange comics. Mentioning Clea at the end was simply unnecessary. His spells really need more distinction and verbal description, but that would be easy to manage in a future movie and I do pray there will be many more. I loved seeing Dr. Strange in a movie. That alone is cause for celebration. Marvel has really missed the boat by not creating more Dr. Strange movies. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a new era of Dr. Strange. Don't miss this movie!

My first experience of a Doctor Strange Comic was in the early 80s. After voraciously reading through I became a life long fan. It was a bit disappointing that, except for some cameos in Saturday morning cartoons the Doc never had a good live action or feature length Cartoon written for him.

That has now changed.

Note: I give it 4 stars ONLY because I reserve 5 for movies that are SO good that the producers literally walked on water to make it.

There have been complaints that the movie is NOT the Doctor from the Comic books. I have to strongly disagree. The Style is different from some of the runs of Doctor Strange in the comic series (updated and modern) but what you want and expect is still there. Comics change with each new writer and artist and I think it's worth looking at the Movie as if a new Comic team were taking over an existing title. The story is tweaked somewhat and some artistic license is taken in places where the background was a bit open for interpretation, but I really didn't have any problem with that. In some areas there were definite improvement (Wong is a MUCH more interesting character than in the comics).

The Plot moves at a good pace and I didn't find myself wandering or bored.

Some things that I reflected on...

- The Animation is good to very good, borderline great but not astoundingly great. The reason for this looks like money. Think MUCH Better than Sat morning or weekday afternoon Cartoon, but not the masterpieces we've seen from of the legendary Anime films like Akira. The style seems somewhat like what I remember from Batman the Animated series.

- The Audio which has a 6.1 DTS track is as good as any feature length film, the separation is better than many films I've seen/heard.

All and all I would place it as one of the best or the best Animated Marvel has done to date, which is pretty cool since the Doc deserves it.

Now all we need is for Marvel to bring back the character in a regular series. Ideally using the new style in the movie (my hope and recommendation).

As a kid, I loved Doctor Strange. It was my all time favorite comic book. During the late 60s and early 70s I would head down to the Loch Ridge Pharmacy with my fifty cents, get a Doctor Strange comic and Milk Duds, and still have two dimes left for my piggy bank. Under the magical spell of a quick sugar rush, Stephen Strange would take me on a journey where ancient mysticism, powerful spells and the All Seeing Eye of Agamotto would be the only weapons to save the world from extra-dimensional mystic entities like the malevolent Mephisto or the dreaded Dormammu. Forget Spiderman and his doting Aunt May. Don't bother me with Bruce Wayne and Bat Caves. Doctor Strange was the best, Jerry. THE BEST!

The 80s came and so did puberty. The Dodgers, Playmates of the Month and Chevies became more wonderous than a comic book wizard. Such is life. Doctor Strange faded in my memory but, as I later discovered, never really died.

Almost thirty years later I'm walking through Target with my little boy. For some unknown, almost mystical reason I stop at an end-cap full of DVDs. The title, "Doctor Strange," and the familiar image of my childhood hero transports me back to 1969. I quickly nab the DVD from the shelf and joyfully regale my son with memories of the good Doctor. His eyes light up as I explain the hero. "You got to buy it, Daddy!" he exclaims.

That afternoon, with some take-out pizza, my little boy and I sat back on the couch and had a great time watching this DVD. The good folks at Marvel didn't let me down. The story and animated images were almost perfect. Me and, more importantly, my son loved it. We watched it twice. There is nothing better than tossing a line from your cherished childhood memories to your own child. Beware, diciples of dark magic! Doctor Strange is back!

after seeing a few Marvel movies and cartoons that have really been off-beat, i was refreshingly surprised at this one. it was a descent show of what the comics in movie form have the potential of becoming, although with a little higher budget it would be much better. the character movements seemed a little stiff and at times it felt as if they were using the old way to make a cartoon.

that was a small blemish. the storyline was all-right, and once again if there were better editing this movie would be great. I loved the visuals for the adjacent dimensions and the idea behind it, but the script seemed rushed and some of the action scenes did as well. I did like the fact that they didn't hold back, meaning they actually killed off many of the characters. I haven't read the comic nor have i seen the TV show, so i don't know how it compares to those, but as for a cartoon on its own, it's worth a watch, but maybe not buying.