Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme (2007)

Movie Info

Next time I’ll use oven mitts

Doctor Stephen Strange is a surgeon with skills that others would dream of, and while he could use these skills for good, he only takes jobs that will give him publicity and money.  When he is crippled in an accident, Stephen learns that he will never operate again but sets out to find a cure for his shattered hands.  Strange travels to Tibet where he learns that there are things that can never be explained by science and mastering the mystic arts could be the key to saving the world and himself.

Directed by Patrick Archibald, Jay Oliva, Dick Sebast, and Frank Paur, Doctor Strange:  The Sorcerer Supreme (sometimes just called Doctor Strange) is a Marvel Comics animated movie.  The movie followed The Invincible Iron Man also released in 2007 as part of the Lions Gate releases.

I am not a big magic fan.  Magic seems to be a go-to answer as a writing crutch or deus ex machina event in stories that aren’t going anywhere…how did it happen?:  “Magic!!!”  As a result, Doctor Strange has never been my favorite character but this is a really strong adaptation of his origin.

Hey, Mordo…your bad attitude is worse than my bad attitude

The character is made ultra-“jerky”.  He has the tragic past of a sister he couldn’t help and this turned him into an opportunistic money-grabber.  He spends much of the start of the animated movie yelling at people and berating them for trying to do the right thing.  Most origins of the character have the character’s own faults cause his crash, but here, the crash ties to the bigger mystic story.  Once the story turns to the magic, and Strange becomes a better person, it does get better…but it takes a while to get there, and he is almost unredeemable by the time that happens.

DC always seems to put a lot into their animated features by recruiting big named voice talents.  While no one in Doctor Strange is bad, the voice actors aren’t surprising or very distinctive.  This does have the advantage (you aren’t thinking of the actor playing the characters as much as DC movie), but it also would have been nice to bring more attention to the project.

You shall not pass!

The art is rather solid.  If nothing else, Doctor Strange has always been a rather visual character.  I wish that the movie tied in a bit more to his ’60s “trippy” roots with some of the visuals, but it went basic.  I do like how Dormammu looks pretty close to the Lord of the Ring:  The Fellowship of the Ring Balrog.

Doctor Strange:  The Sorcerer Supreme isn’t too far off from the live action feature released in 2016 (but it is pretty far removed from the 1978 live action TV movie).  With the live action movie being a rather good take on the character, it makes this movie a bit redundant.  Doctor Strange:  The Sorcerer Supreme was followed by Next Avengers:  Heroes of Tomorrow in 2008.

Related Links:

Doctor Strange (2016)

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Doctor Strange:  The Oath