Whether you’re a reader of Marvel Comics or not, the chances are pretty good that you are not familiar with a character called Dr. Strange. At this moment in time, Dr. Strange is seeing somewhat of a comeback. Writer Brian K Vaughan wrote a well praised comic book miniseries on the character called Dr. Strange: The Oath. Dr. Strange has also become an important character in the Marvel Comics universe with their latest event title, World War Hulk

Still, who reading this knows about the origin of the man who became the Sorcerer Supreme? I didn’t, really. The animated version of Dr. Strange’s origin and transformation into the Sorcerer Supreme has taken the comic book origin of the supernatural Doctor and jazzed it up for new audiences. The story does not start with Stephen Strange, though.

First, the Doctor Strange starts out as something of a horror movie. There are two guys working in the sewer who are chased and attacked by an unknown force. It is some sort of powerful creature, and it has attracted the attention of men and women dressed Eastern inspired, super-heroic garb. But these are not the X-men, or the Avengers. This is a group of Sorcerers trained in the mystic arts, each with unique talents to contribute. One, for instance, uses cloth that is strong enough to bind a large beast; another can create a red field around himself to enhance his strength and create torrents of flame.

They are a team that fights in secret and protect places like New York from demons and magical creatures who are interested in destruction. On this particular night, however, someone has seen them, even though they use magic to cloud their presence. A man, who turns out to be Doctor Stephen Strange, is the only witness to what really happened that night, but he remarkably goes on with his life like nothing happened.

Dr. Strange’s day job is as, you guessed it, a doctor of medicine. If you’ve ever seen the TV drama House Dr. Strange feels familiar. He’s not quite the angry guy Dr. House is, nor does he tend to make a lot of funny quips, but he is a guy who doesn’t care that he ticks his co-workers off. Even the woman who has an interest in him, Dr. Atwater, dislikes his attitude. Doctor Strange apparently is a bid deal at the hospital, and he only uses his talents on the most important or difficult cases.

When Dr. Atwater asks him to look at a child in a coma, he is not interested. He touches the girl, and the world of unexplainable supernatural occurrences confronts Dr. Strange. Again, he avoids it and does not discuss it with anyone. The third time he is confronted by supernatural beings, it changes his life forever. Dr. Strange has an accident and he cannot use his hands anymore, something that a doctor desperately needs to work professionally.

Strange goes on a hunt for the best doctors in the world to help him regain the use of his hands. When he is at his most down and out, Strange is confronted by Wong, one of the sorcerers he saw the other night. Wong tells him to journey to Tibet. The problem is, Dr. Strange has used all of his money to find a cure, and he has nothing left.

What follows is a great journey where Dr. Strange meets The Ancient one, Mordo, and the other sorcerers who use the mystic arts to fend off all evil supernatural forces. Dr. Strange only wants to regain the use of his hands, but he gains much more than that. In Doctor Strange there is loss, betrayal and finally a transformation.

Of the new Marvel Comics Direct to DVD features that have come out, I have yet to see the Invincible Iron Man movie. Of the three I have seen, I think that this is better than the first Ultimate Avengers movie. It has a little to do with seeing the origin of a character that I do not know much about; but it also is because I enjoyed Dr. Strange’s journey from being an important figure in one world, to a broken man, to an important figure in another world, totally transformed for the better.

I also liked most of the supporting characters, especially Wong. Wong, in the comics I have read him in, isn’t really interesting. In fact, he looks like nothing more than a servant. But in this version of Dr. Strange’s story, he is powerful and a great fighter. He is not as powerful as the Sorcerer Supreme, of course, but seeing him in action was great.

Nearly all of the voices are performed well. Bryce Johnson plays the title role, and I think he did good. In most people’s heads, the probably imagine Strange’s voice to sound something like a wealthy, stuck up, aristocratic guy, but Johnson as Strange is a lot more human and yet he does change the voice a bit to fit Strange’s maturity. Kevin Michael Richardson plays Mordo, and he is one of my favorite actors, whether he’s in a live action TV comedy or if he’s doing animated voice roles.

I think I liked the voice of Dormammu the least. He didn’t sound scary enough or “weird” enough. They needed to at least add more effect to his voice to match the fearsome appearance of the character. The animation was not as good as in Ultimate Avengers but I do not think it was bad. It just look at times that a bigger budget should have been spent and the obvious 3d CGI elements weren’t really needed.

You should watch Doctor Strange if you have any interest in Marvel’s animated works or if you like animation dealing with the supernatural and super heroes. I hope to see more titles from Marvel of this quality, but I hope they increase the budget next time. Marvel’s next DVD movie is Avengers Reborn. I’m not really excited for that one. You can see images from the upcoming Avengers Reborn, as well as the comic book origin of Dr. Strange and DR. Strange concept art in the special features section. There are also trailers for other Lionsgate films. I believe the feature most worth watching, though, is the Dr. Strange Origin. Not as in depth as I wanted it to be, but it is a good comparison against the movie after you’ve watched it.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older