6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.6 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.6 |
Dr. Stephen Strange was one of the most gifted surgeons in medicine before his hands were left shattered and useless as a result of a car crash. Spending his fortune in pursuit of a way to fix his fractured body, the dejected doctor believed all was lost until the Ancient One offered him hope and healing in Tibet. Training mind, body and soul with the Ancient One and his pupils, Doctor Strange's scope, power and compassion grows as he steps closer to his mystical fate. But to fully embrace his destiny and protect the worlds of magic and reality, Strange must face betrayal, death and the emergence of Dormammu.
Starring: Bryce Johnson, Paul Nakauchi, Michael Yama, Kevin Michael Richardson, Susan SpanoAction | 100% |
Comic book | 94% |
Fantasy | 75% |
Adventure | 73% |
Animation | 60% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
English, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
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.
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 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 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 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.
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DC Universe Animated Original Movie #5
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DC Universe Animated Original Movie #3
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DC Universe Animated Original Movie #8
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Commemorative Edition | DC Universe Animated Original Movie #2
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Cinematic Universe Edition
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Commemorative Edition | DC Universe Animated Original Movie #4
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