User reviews

i liked this movie much more than i thought i would.it starts off slow,but somewhere along the line,it becomes interesting.i'm not sure how faithful it is to the comic book.either way,i thought it was pretty good.the voice talent fit the characters perfectly.the animation is excellent.the action scenes are very well done.i also thought the back-story was really good and nicely developed,as was the character of Dr.Strange.the people behind this film put a lot of effort into it.of the four animated movies made by Marvel(the other ones being The Invincible iron man,and Ultimate Avengers 1 and 2),i think this is the best one so far.it is also the one i had the lowest hopes for going in.it is much darker in tone than the previous animated marvel films,but that is definitely appropriate for the subject matter.for me,Doctor Strange is an 8/10.

I've seen every animated film Marvel and Lion's Gate has done. "Ultimate Avengers" and it's sequel were good, but not great. "Iron Man" was just plain bad. But with their fourth film, they actually get it right.

"Dr. Strange" is an origin movie and as such suffers from the plight of most origin films. Crams a bit too much into one film. What this does is the final fight is a bit rushed, though not anti-climatic.

The movie is very well written and has a solid cast. Their are changes from the comics, but when hasn't their been changes from comic to movie? In this film, the changes don't hurt. The way magic is used is more like martial arts then what we see in the comic. This gives the feel of wuxia film. Magicians use a lot of magic swords in their fighting. Which actually works better then it sounds.

The only downside to the film is the backstory with Strange and his sister. That is riddled with plots holes but is brief enough that it doesn't drag the rest of the film down.

I highly recommend this film.

Pretty good origin story on the good doctor. These animated features by Marvel are quite a surprise, as they take themselves seriously enough for you to get invested but they are also quite fun to watch, and although the animation is not top notch it is passable enough for its budget. Well done.

I've recently begun watching Marvel Comics' line of straight-to-DVD animation films partly because I was bored and had only just discovered them and needed some variation in my uneventful life and partly because I really love animation films. Animation is one of those mediums I treasure because it grants escape from the trappings of reality, gravity and the laws of physics, enabling it to show you sights that couldn't possibly exist in real life, like the Hulk latching onto the throat of a 60 foot man and choking the life out of him. That said, I was put off by the previous 'installments', if you can call these Marvel animations a series. The Ultimate Avengers movies of 2006 had a plot thinner than Christian Bale during the shooting of The Machinist, and was for all intents and purposes like a dead Christmas tree; covered in glittering action sequences but barren inside. Not that I expect much depth from a dozen vaguely related comic book franchises blended together into the big pile of paperbacks and money that is Ultimate avengers. I'm sure every one of these superheroes had their own story, with their own issues to work out, but there simply isn't time for all that if at least half of the movie has to consist of rampant action sequences. This is all fine, you know. These are movies for comic book fans who would like to see their favorite superhero jump out of the comic book panels and kick ass in animation, but some characterization would be nice. This movie is very much made for religious comic book readers and seems to assume awareness of the characters' back stories which in that case you are because you accompanied them through every page of their comic book series, and as such this movie doesn't really need to characterize them and therefore does so only vaguely. The only character I ended up empathizing with was Bruce Banner who, depressed and troubled by the Hulk, is desperate to find a way to control it. Maybe it was because I can unconsciously relate to an unattractive, bespectacled nerd who just likes to throw down and go Hulk Smash on all the bullies that took his lunch money in high school, or maybe because he was the only character whose flaws were more than informed and whose portrayal left me wanting to see more. Anyway I was supposed to be talking about another movie.

Doctor Strange was an interesting premise for me from the get-go because I knew absolutely nothing about Doctor Strange, and I was looking forward to have this movie inform me about who he was and what drove him to become who he is today. I was surprised by the depth of this movie, which immediately immersed me its darker, more realistic tone. The doctor is a complex character, once kindhearted, driven and confident, now disillusioned, angry and full of unresolved grief. When first we see the good doctor - voiced in smooth baritones by Bryce Johnson - in the hospital he is refusing a patient who in a masterful dig at US medical policy was neither rich nor sick enough to warrant his interest, satire. It made it immediately clear that this guy had issues. Here is a hero who is also a flawed human being who isn't built like a vending machine with legs and to its credit the movie never glosses over things. This is truly not a movie for kids anymore, and Doctor Strange never divorces itself from reality too far; no super serums or gamma rays granting super powers here, but a spiritual journey that forces the good doctor to reconcile with his past. Even the magic shown seems to have its roots in eastern philosophies and martial arts, both of which are plausibly and satisfyingly portrayed. The movie is well-paced, interrupting the plot with occasional flashes of action exactly when needed, and giving time to let the story reach its logical conclusion. When the movie was over, I was left in its wake, wanting more, and not just because it was so good. It was too short.

At just over 70 minutes, this movie, like the Marvel animes that preceded it, is short. But Doctor Strange is the only one of those movies that actually feels short. The reason why this movie feels too short is because I feel that there are two stories here, woven together less than seamlessly, leaving insufficient time to make the most of either of them, although only people that have read the comics will be able to determine whether I'm right about that or not. There is the origin story of Doctor Strange in which he finds his true calling as the sorcerer supreme that people know from the books, and then there's the other story about an evil entity of pure magical energy that wants to take over the world. Which of these you find the more interesting probably depends on your prior understanding of the Doctor Strange mythos (for a Marvel-novice like me, the origin story definitely won that one), but there was the potential for true excellence here that went sadly untapped. 20 to 30 minutes of additional runtime would have probably been enough to bring out the true heart in both stories, but as it stands the movie left me slightly unfulfilled. I was left wanting to know more of Doctor Strange's rise to Sorcerer Supreme; it went by too fast, like important tidbits that would have greatly enriched the setting had been omitted for the sake of brevity, and that's a shame I think. Kind of like if Batman Begins was only 73 minutes long. 3 stars.

What 'Doctor Strange (2007)' does really well is develop its central character, exploring what makes our initially somewhat 'unlikable' protagonist the way he is in an incredibly believable and nuanced way. This allows the piece to rise above lesser origin-story fare by essentially being a character-study first and a superhero story second. It still provides all the magic-based spectacle you'd expect but makes sure it's always supplementary to the character growth that essentially acts as its main narrative. I feel as though this flick has, or at least conveys, a deeper understanding of its hero than the live-action film. It makes him much easier to empathise with, mainly by by examining what makes him so standoffish and distant to begin with. It also puts him through his paces and gives him proper psychological boundaries to overcome, ones that aren't tied directly into his physical injury, while making his training period actually seem long and difficult. This, along with the fact that here he is one of the 'chosen few' who could become a sorcerer - and, by extension, is uniquely qualified to become the 'sorcerer supreme', means that it there is a solid reason why he is able to become a 'magician' and that, while his accident and his negative actions are still his own, the poor decisions he makes don't come from an entirely arrogant and self-inflicted place, instead they come from a place of pain that we fully-understand. Our hero's actions directly tie into the plot at every moment, too. He isn't passive in any way, even being more involved than expected during the set-up, which leads to a narrative brilliantly driven by the protagonist, as should always be the case. It allows for us to be engaged all the way through and is refreshing to see when so many stories of the kind often rely on a main character who only acts as a 'lens' for the audience, a tool for the screenwriters to cram in exposition in a way that seems 'natural'. In the end, we have a piece that perfectly understands its core players and uses them in an exciting adventure that also acts as an allegory for using personal, or spiritual, growth to overcome your pain. It is constantly entertaining and wonderfully animated, being a joy to watch from beginning to end. 7/10

I have ever been a fan of Marvel Comics' "Doctor Strange". I've always enjoyed the Sorceror Supreme, and this straight to DVD release of the good Doctor's tale of his rise from self-important doctor to Sorceror Supreme had me enthralled from the get go.

Doctor Strange, voiced by the talented Bryce Johnson, was a good choice for the voice of Strange, keeping with the element of curiosity and intellect that the Doctor displayed in his early days of his learning underneath the Ancient One.

Now, I know that most will complain about the very, very condensed version of Doctor Strange's story, but I believe that Greg Johnson did a great job writing the script for a feature film that highlight's the Doctor's fledgling career as a sorceror, while not completely glossing over all of the parts that make the story important and believable... well, as believable as a comic book superhero can be.

Johnson's screenplay touches on the Doctor's career, putting us into the point where we see the Doctor as he was just before his accident that mangled his hands. A self-important, smug, condescending man who has little time to expend on treating patients who will not attain a spot for his name in medical journals.

The story continues there, touching over his history with his sister, but not completely leaving the parts that flesh out the Doctor, make him more human to us.

At this point, I'm afraid my review must end, for I will not give away the rest of the Doctor's story. You'll just have to see it for yourselves, and that is exactly what I recommend you do. I give the animated adaptation of Doctor Strange's fledgling career a 9/10.

Adaptations of comics books are often the object of debates on the truthfulness and adherence to the original panels. However I won't go into that discussion or repeat the synopsis of "Doctor Strange". Instead I'd like to talk about the animation of this film.

I believe what sets animation films apart from other visual arts is the poetic flight of fantasy they offer: the voluntary self-delusion that lines and dots can emote and convey sentiments. The illusion (self-delusion) is achieved mainly through fluid and trompe-l'oeil-like techniques that turn static drawings into kinetic characters.

When measured on that self-delusion gauge, I'm afraid "Doctor Strange" is a very inert movie. The animation is jerky, the bodies are disjointed. The characters are all angular(even Wong's face is all corners and angles). Is this to compensate for the bluntness of the script?

Why "Doctor Strange" so often appears on personal recommendation lists is a puzzle to me. Perhaps those people are engrossed with the "stop-motion" rendition of their favourite comics. The fact remains that Marvel Studios seem to have lost their ability to make animated movies. I for one am sad about this and eagerly await the day Marvel produces a "Spirited Away".

PS: If you're looking for a more fluidly animated comic, have a look at "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1"

I was lucky enough to see this movie at a friends house, I was amazed that an animation like this could kick so much butt, by "butt" I mean the rest of the high budget live action Marvel movies. I really enjoyed this film, the movie drives you from the beginning to end and gives you such excitement.

Dr. Strange is a likable character from bad to good you know he's special. I wish there was a series after this movie, I would definitely watch the series like an 8 year old. I was really surprised and I think you would be too, if you've read the comic books maybe you would pick and match, it would probably ruin the feel of the movie but if you haven't then you should just enjoy the experience.

10/10

I loved the original series and collected them for years. I was not familiar with the other short, animated direct-to-DVD Marvel movies, and watching this version this was quite a shock--a painful shock.

While capturing the history/origin of Dr.Strange, the entire mood, scope, and overall universe of the storyline has been subverted to a magic/action fighting combination that totally distorts the meaning and purpose of the original series. Dr. Strange never fought in the conventional ways and certainly didn't use swords or martial arts. And he wasn't part of a team or league of like-minded compatriots. He spent his time meditating and learning. Granted, that is a slow-paced hero, but this unconventionality was the gift of Dr. Strange.

Blasphemy! Fans beware.

The setup: A crippled and embittered doctor travels to a hidden community in Tibet where he learns of his true destiny as the Sorcerer Supreme of his world.

The verdict: I finished this film, thinking, "There are people out there suffering and I can do something to help them!" It is essentially a mystery with political overtones. It's fun watching it. Its complexity begins within its characters. A little too slow-paced for a film. The urge to just walk away almost got me a couple of times. But, in the end, this is okay. All the characters struggle against a system that has perpetuated falsehoods. Against this backdrop, our heroes must fight.

This is the latest Marvel straight to Home DVDs. Its the story of one of the most under rated Marvel heroes - Dr. Strange.

This animated movie has amazing and awe-inspiring style but what it has in great style, it lacks in very choppy animation and low quality CG effects.

The screenplay starts off very well but begins to rush during the most important part, which is Dr. Strange's emergence as Sorcerer Supreme. Fortunately, what it lacks in screenplay, it benefits from great action. The action is surprisingly creative thanks to the magic-themed story and movie.

All in all, it's worth watching once, but it fails to be anything special.

I've seen all the marvel/Lionsgate animated feature length movies and all except this one has been disappointing. Doctor Strange was a character i've obviously not come across as i've just watched mainstream superheros but after this i was surfing the internet to find out more about this comic character. Its a fairly dark theme good for adults and does provide a coherent story as apposed to the other marvel Lionsgate movies which i thought were abstract film reels glued together. Watch this and to the people who made this WELL DONE can we have more of the same please.

Highly recommended

Right off the bat, the animation in this film is gorgeous, the character designs, the fight sequences, and overall look of the film is all its own. With that out of the way, the story of the film is a bit of a mess. The pacing of the story is fine, and has a nice build to the climax. However, it is a bit of a mess in the sense of when it decides to have an action sequence, and when to have a character moment. When the action sequences do happen, it is kind of hard to tell what is going on, as nothing is really explained until half way through. Which is a problem for the casual viewer, who is not familiar with Dr. Strange. Everything else with the movie is fine, and the representation of the character is excellent. When it focuses on Strange, the film is actually quite good, but unfortunately the whole movie could not be like that. It is worth a watch, especially for those who are fans of the original comics.

Unfortunately this movie was a disappointment for this Dr. Strange fan. Long on unhelpful (and not per the original) back story and too short on actual story, the film failed to capture all of the wonder and "strange"ness of the original comic book series. I know because I collected them all. Realization of Strange's character is okay as far as it goes, which is not far, but the romance and the family backplot are unnecessary and consume far too much of the film. Dormammu is poorly realized and Mordo is one-dimensional (or two-dimensional in the case of this not-so-sophisticated animated comic book film). Dr. Gina Atwater is an unnecessary addition as well which to the best of my recollection, without referring to my series collection, was never an element of any importance whatsoever. Throughout the comic book series, Dr. Strange gave a much stronger impression of willful mastery of magic, yet here he is rather the reluctant hero, which was never present in the original. The Eye of Agamoto is misrepresented and other devices usurp its place in the Strange mythos. All in all, this Strange fan was sadly disappointed in a film which seems sloppily tossed-off without careful consideration for the original source as well as a rather Saturday morning effort on the part of the filmmakers towards the technical side of the film. In fact, this SHOULD have been a Saturday morning offering for the kiddies, and not a theatrical offering.

This the fourth part in the animated film series! After Ultimate Avengers, Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther and Iron Man this is one great addition. From these four movies I enjoyed this one the best! Why? Because I didn't know much about Dr. Strange. It is really fun to learn more about this super hero. (I remember seeing him in a Spiderman comic and that he was specialized in the supernatural and magic! That was it.) This movie does a hell of a job in showing who he is and what he is capable of. Of course the length of the movie didn't allow further characterization or lore surrounding the character. But we learn enough in an incredibly fast pace. Personally I didn't want this movie to end. I loved every minute of it. Because of the magic and mysticism that surrounds this marvel hero the visual effects are very impressive and beautiful. But what stuck me the most was the attention to the psyche of the main character Strange. You'll be witness of a big change in personality. This character development is not something we see often in cartoons about super heroes. Even these superheroes have human problems to deal with. They are not perfect and are just as flawed as we are. That is one of the main reasons why I love Marvel. Doctor. In this case it is even more interesting since Strange really has no desire to be a hero. He basically gets thrown into an adventure of a lifetime because he wants to continue being the best in what he does. That already makes him quite the character. Strange is still the best in this series of animated marvel movies and it makes me wonder why they haven't been able to approach the later ones with the same sophistication and finesse.

Definitely one to check out if you haven't done so by now.

Knowing very little of Dr. Strange some things might have gone over my head, but I actually quite enjoyed this movie.

The titular character is quite sympathetic with his past being sad and haunting to his current self which makes him shut himself off from most people, but that is changed when he expiriences something to turn his life upside down. He begins a journey of self-discovery and you root for him all the way.

The animation was really good even if there were times when the direct-to-dvd budget showed like in some of the CGI looking cheap and the noticably bad lip-sync on the otherwise great villain Dormammu. The backgrounds looked very detailed and the character designs were realistic and had a good amount of shading on them.

I enjoyed Dr. Strange's atmosphere made by well crafted music and detailed animation, and despite some small bumps on the way like the short runtime and some shortcomings in the animation, I might re-visit it in the future.

I don't know who Marvel is making their movies for. This is a step up from the ULTIMATE AVENGERS series, mostly because it at least seems somewhat interested in the character of Dr. Strange.

Bad voice acting, a plot so generic & thin I'd bet it was written on the John, and an inordinate amount of time and action devoted to secondary characters. I mean, the movie isn't even up to the standards of monthly superhero comics, that bastion of great literature. If they couldn't come up with something cool on their own, why not just adapt one of the many popular stories from the last 40 years? At least Strange squares off against Mordo and Dormammu (kinda) in this one, instead of generic aliens like in AVENGERS (twice). Still, you never get the impression that the people behind this really like the source material or understand what gives Dr. Strange his appeal. It's a movie devoid of creativity, smarts and fun.

I don't mean to give the impression that I'm only critiquing this because it was unlike the comics. I'm mostly critiquing it because it's shallow and dumb. But even if shallow and dumb was a goal, rather than the result of incompetence, tapping into some of the coolness of the character or the Marvel U shouldn't get in the way of that, right? Even those who are satisfied by a movie this banal would likely be satisfied by a mature, intelligent treatment of Strange that also appealed to adult fans, or by a fun kicky movie that spoke to kids (of all ages). A movie like this really satisfies nobody but the very easily satisfied.

What a waste of resources and opportunity.

This is by far the best animated movie Marvel has produced so far. It takes a lot from Batman Begins as we watch Stephen Strange go on a similar journey. We have a man who is a cold-hearted surgeon (and as we find out later, has good reason to be) yet he is tasked with helping people on a daily basis. This makes for some great drama when we see how people react to Stephen Strange knowing this to be his personality. It is only when Dr. Strange becomes broken does he learn how to truly heal and it is that kind of spiritual journey that makes this story so interesting. As with most origin stories there is a slow build as the character learns about himself and what he must become in order to overcome his current situation. There is also influence from 'The Matrix' here as Dr. Strange is introduced to a world which is invisible to most but is all around us. This is where the action comes in as we see The Ancient One's warriors take on creatures from another world that are at the command of one of Dr. Strange's classic nemesis, Dormammu! It all leads up to a climactic battle that will not disappoint. Marvel is definitely learning how to improve with each new animated film and I hope this trend continues.