4/5 Pleasant surprise, given the 1978 version
  by Bruce Brocka (Quad Cities)
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.


5/5 Strange, this is Good!
  by Bennet Pomerantz (Seabrook, Maryland)
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

4/5 It's about time
  by Stacy R. Ange (Nashville, TN)
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.

2/5 Totally misses the genre of Doctor Strange comic
  by Rekz kaRZ (San Francisco, CA)
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!

5/5 Master of the Mystic Arts
  by Thomas Bowling (Pennsylvania)
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!