Doctor Strange is the first Marvel movie I did not see in theaters; partly because I knew I’d be reviewing the Blu-ray a few months later, but mostly because I had no interest in this particular “superhero”. The Inception-like trailers and my overall lack of knowledge of the source material all fueled my indifference of the movie, so nobody was more surprised than me when the credits started to roll to declare this one of my favorite Marvel movies in the entire series to date. It is certainly the most stylish and sophisticated film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The film opens with a jolt, and we are teased with a bit of mystical mirror world combat as The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) does battle with the evil Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen), giving us a taste of the fractal effects we’ll be seeing later in the film. Then we settle in to meet our cast, and like most superhero origin stories we get to first meet the man behind the cape. In this case that is Dr. Stephen Strange, expertly played by Benedict Cumberbatch; the first of many top-class and first-choice actors assembled by Director, Scott Derrickson. Strange is a somewhat egotistical and gifted neurosurgeon and we see this in the opening act where we also get a hint of a broken/failed romance with Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams). Strange’s ego soon spills over into some reckless driving in what is easily one of the most spectacular car crashes ever captured on film; a wreck so serious it simultaneously destroys the doctor’s hands, career, future, and his very identity.
The rest of the first act follows Strange’s slow and frustrating recovery but realizing modern medicine can never fully restore him to his former self he seeks out more mystical solutions in Katmandu. It is here he meets Mordo and The Ancient One and begins his training to call upon dimensional energy, not only to cure his broken body but also to summon weapons, create dimensional portals, and access the mirror world. It is also during his training he learns of the Dark Dimension and the betrayal of Kaecilius, who is slowly chipping away at Earth’s defenses so the Dark Dimension can take over the planet, thus giving them eternal life.
Act 2 has the obligatory training montage that quickly spills into an extended non-stop third act of chase scenes, exciting combat, and some of the most mind-bending special effects ever created for a film. Even after watching the behind-the-scenes features, I still don’t know how they did half this stuff. While Inception might have sparked the thematic look of the mirror world, what ILM and the rest of the creative team did here is nothing short of magical. The third act finale with an epic fight going forward set against an entire city scape going backwards in time is conceptually stunning and flawlessly executed.
While we patiently wait for Disney to announce 4K support we have to settle for a superior 1080p release for Doctor Strange; although I have to admit that watching this in my upconverting Sony X800 UHD player, this film looked dangerously close to 4K. Just to compare I also a watched this on my PlayStation 4 and it didn’t come close to the quality of the UHD player, so there is enough information on the disc to generate a near-4K image if you have an upconverting player that can decode it. The level of detail for the scenic vistas of Nepal, London and NYC are second only by the intimate details of the clothing and facial features in the close-ups. CG special effects are seemly integrated with slick photography tricks and practical sets and props to create something truly original. Perhaps the most fantastic and certainly the most colorful parts of the film are Strange’s trips into the other Dimensions; inspired and recreated in stunning detail from the very pages of the comics.
The DTS-HD MA 7.1 mix is as good as it gets with ample use of all the channels including some vibrant use of LFE that had my sub trembling throughout most of Act 3. The audio mix is perfect with dialogue perfectly prioritized to the front and center while incredible effects assault you from the sides and rear channels and Michael Giacchino’s wonderful score enhances your immersion in the film, both in action and dramatic events.
Doctor Strange is loaded with extras starting off with a feature commentary from Director, Scott Derickson, who meanders at first then starts to sync with the film about the time we get to Katmandu. He offers plenty of educational and entertaining insight into the project, reinforcing Marvel’s great choice in picking him for the project. The core of the bonus package is a multi-part featurette broken down into A Strange Transformation that covers the story, cast, shooting locations and sets. Strange Company takes a closer look at the characters, including which ones were left out of the film and the dream team cast assembled to play the ones who weren’t. The Fabric of Reality spends several minutes discussing the film’s overall look including costumes, sets, and location shooting. Across Time and Space goes into detail on the unique blend of fighting styles and fight choreography, and how it all blended with wire work and digital effects to bring comic panels to the reality of film. The Score-Cerer Supreme spends about ten minutes with Michael Giacchino’s who created the immersive themes and emotional music for the film.
Marvel Studios Phase 3 Exclusive Look is a fantastic overview of the entire MCU, both past, present, and what we can expect over the next several films moving forward. Team Thor: Part 2 has to be one of the best features on the disc and will quickly make you realize that while cool on theory, Thor might not be the best choice for a roommate. There are eight minutes of Deleted & Extended Scenes and a four-minute Gag Reel to wrap up the bonus content. You also get a DVD copy and a digital copy that looks amazing on my iPad’s retina screen.
Doctor Strange is so far removed from the rest of the Marvel movies it almost seems like a standalone film, and with the exception of Stark Tower in a wide shot of the NYC skyline and Strange’s meeting with Thor in the credit-tease it could be. Oh yeah…there is that whole Infinity Stone thing too. It will be interesting to see how well Doctor Strange can integrate into an ensemble cast in future movies, but until then, you can enjoy what is easily one of the best origin films and one of my top three Marvel movies of all time in this stunning new Blu-ray release from Disney.
