Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Doctor Strange Blu-ray Movie Review

Don't let this disc be a stranger from your collection.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 13, 2008

Love, loss, pain. They are stones in the wall that block your path. See the wall for what it is, and tear it down.

If memory serves, Doctor Strange was the first Marvel animated superhero movie I've seen, and I left the experience thoroughly entertained and impressed by the Doctor Strange character as well as the universe he inhabits. A man whose life was controlled by ambition, greed, and self-importance, Stephen Strange is a superhero whose powers were hidden within his being, clouded both by his shortcomings as an individual and his refusal to see the world as it is. Perhaps the character is so approachable because, at least as his back story is depicted in this film, he is nothing more than a mere mortal whose inner powers --which we all may possess -- are brought about as a result of what may be the ultimate dejection, sadness, and loss of physical strength and ability, some or all of which most of us have experienced in life. Strange's is a story of greatness derived from the depths of despair, and the moral of the story is that no matter what your lot in life, what your power or prestige (or lack thereof), perhaps there is a glimmer of the unusual, of the supernatural, of the makings of a superhero inside all of us.

You will buy this movie, you will buy this movie.

Dr. Stephen Strange (voiced by Bryce Johnson) is a brilliant yet unapproachable and self-centered neurosurgeon interested only in medical journals and making money and a name for himself. Thus, he treats only the wealthy and privileged, never the anonymous individual. This jaded, unforgiving nature results from the death of his sister by his own hands on the operating table. When Strange learns of the odd case of a young girl who slipped into a coma after an unusually frightening dream, he himself begins to see frightening visions, and as a result crashes his automobile, severely injuring his hands and rendering his abilities as a surgeon useless. Despite his wealth and prestige, he cannot find a doctor with the ability to heal his wounds, and as he becomes more dejected and driven to suicidal thoughts, a mysterious individual approaches him and gives him a map showing the location of an ancient monastery in Tibet where the doctor's wounds may be healed. Strange is mentored by "The Ancient One" (voiced by Michael Yama), but Strange finds that the techniques and tasks asked of him are not the kind of healing his body needs. Instead, The Ancient One insists on healing the doctor's mind and soul, believing that once these aspects of the doctor's life are fine-tuned and in harmony, the healing of the body will take care of itself. Reluctantly, Strange continues the training, accepting the ways of the Ancient One and becoming more than a mere mortal doctor; he will fulfill his destiny and become the "Sorcerer Supreme" and assist The Ancient One and the other heroes under his command against a deadly enemy known as Dormammu.

Doctor Strange is a fine animated movie with more human drama, action, excitement, and twists and turns than many live action, high dollar films being made today. It is perhaps in the story's heart that, above all else, sets Doctor Strange apart from other superhero films, animated or not. We cannot help but to dislike Doctor Strange at first, but as he finds himself and his gifts, so to do we find a newfound respect for him as he takes one of the worst blows that could be dealt to a man of his profession and stature, wallows in his misery to the brink of his own destruction, but ultimately redefines himself and embraces his true gift in life. Strange transforms not only his body, but more importantly, his mind and soul into a superhero who can perform sorcery and also now serves as an inspiration and role model of perseverance and determination, turning a loss into a gain and reshaping his outlook on life and his place in the world. Unfortunately, Doctor Strange is an all-too-short origins movie that left me hungry for more than this most basic of introductions into his world. Be it an animated sequel or a more in-depth live action film, currently rumored to be in the hands of Guillermo Del Toro, I am eager to see and learn more about this character in the future.

Doctor Strange Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Lionsgate presents Doctor Strange on Blu-ray in 1080p high definition and framed in the film's original 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Much of the film has a dull look to it, and colors are sometimes uninteresting and drab as a result. They do seem true, and there are times when colors are eye-popping and vibrant, especially various gold, red, and purple hues seen throughout the movie. The image also lacks ultimate sharpness and clarity in many places, and softness abounds throughout. Jagged edges are visible on occasion, generally on solid, straight lines like door frames (check out the flashback scene to Strange's younger days when he teases his sister for wearing lipstick). Doctor Strange on Blu-ray is notorious for its color banding issues, and the film's numerous foggy scenes are the biggest culprit on the whole, although a shot of a wall/window at the 51:13 mark may be the most egregious single example in the movie. What is odd about Doctor Strange is that it is a rare (at least of the ones I have seen) animated feature on Blu-ray that doesn't look fantastic, be it Pixar-style computer animation or hand-drawn style animation. While the various issues don't make the image a bad one per se, this is definitely the least-impressive animated film I've screened on this format, but the strength of the film and the generally solid audio presentation make up for what is a mediocre video presentation.

Doctor Strange Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Doctor Strange materializes on Blu-ray with a fine DTS-HD MA 7.1 lossless surround sound audio track. The film's opening action sequence is one of wonder and excitement. It begins in a tight sewer, and there is a fine echoing sensation created throughout the entire soundstage. The film's exciting opening battle puts your sound system through its paces with deep, powerful lows and a nonstop surround sound presence. Dialogue is perfectly crisp and precise from the first word to the last. Ambience and effects don't always hold up with the astounding and natural rear channel presence heard at the beginning of the movie. A nice sounding thunderstorm is heard in chapter four, but there is little in the way of back channel presence to create a palpable, spacial realism and sense of envelopment that comes with the best audio tracks. However, a subsequent shot of an airplane traveling from front to back does use the back channels perfectly. The track seems inconsistent at best in its surround sound use. Some places that scream out for a well-balanced, all-encompassing sound field are far too front heavy, while at other times the rear channels pick up the slack and make for some high-quality sonic moments in the film. Still, when this one gets going, like the battle scene in chapter six and the final showdown at the end of the film, the track offers one of those "blow you out of your chair" experiences. With the extra two channels in the back utilized and the subwoofer working hard to rattle and reverberate your bones and senses, Lionsgate has another quality yet slightly inconsistent lossless audio experience that adds another layer of excitement to the Doctor Strange experience.

Doctor Strange Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Doctor Strange brings a bit of sorcery to Blu-ray with a handful of decent supplemental features. The Origin of Doctor Strange (1080i, 14:02) is an excellent piece that examines Doctor Strange's history in comics with the original writers and creators of the character, including Stan Lee. A First Look At Avengers Reborn (1080i, 5:45) examines the new characters about to be brought to the screen for the next installment of the Marvel/Lionsgate animated superhero collaboration. Doctor Strange Concept Art (1080i, 2:18) is a series of hand-drawn conceptual ideas that showcase several major scenes from the film in their earliest stages, accompanied by voice-overs and sound effects. Marvel Video Game Cinematics (1080p) allows fans to see some cut scenes from various video games, including X-Men Legends 2 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance. Finally, trailers for The Invincible Iron Man and Ultimate Avengers 2 conclude the supplemental package.

Doctor Strange Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Doctor Strange is a solid animated outing that serves as a fabulous introduction to a comic book character who has perhaps flown a bit under the radar beneath the avalanche of popular culture exposure of such legendary comic book superheroes come to life like Batman, Spider-Man, The X-Men, and others. Lionsgate brings this character to life on Blu-ray in a fairly standard package that offers up a decent supplemental section and fairly good audio, but the disc does lack in video quality. However, the movie itself is good enough to make up for any shortcomings to be found on the disc, and is one worth checking out on Blu-ray one way or another as an entertaining animated adventure or for anyone curious about this under-appreciated comic book character.