DR. STRANGE. A Film Surprising in Many Ways, Made Long Before the MCU

Marvel comic adaptations in the 1970s were what Asylum studio productions are today—embarrassing caricatures that, at best, provided a bit of harmless entertainment. After watching the first three Spider-Man movies, you suddenly realize that Tobey Maguire is an exceptional actor with an impressive skill set, and Nicolas Cage’s Ghost Rider has competition in the form of an equally cringeworthy biker—Captain America. However, the live-action version of Dr. Strange is surprisingly good.

The fate of Stephen Strange is, well, strange. He’s been a presence in the Marvel universe since 1963, a solid pillar and one of its most recognizable characters. Yet, until recently, his life outside of comics was limited to a 2007 animated film and a low-budget production that was originally intended as a pilot for a TV series. There had been weak attempts to create a cinematic version of the famous sorcerer’s adventures before—with directors like Wes Craven and Guillermo del Toro showing interest—but those plans were never realized.

Without a doubt, the biggest challenge was bringing the surreal comic world to the screen.

In the 1970s, even making believable costumes for Spider-Man, Hulk, or Captain America was an insurmountable task, let alone creating a fantasy story on a budget comparable to “The Toxic Avenger”. The costume for Dr. Strange was handled easily. Since it’s an origin story, Stephen Strange wears a suit or a doctor’s coat for most of the film. It’s only at the end that he dons the caricature-like outfit, making Peter Hooten look a bit like Bootsy Collins. While there’s no visual stimulation in this production, it does offer something Marvel adaptations hadn’t before—a script aimed at an adult audience.

The story, written and directed by Philip DeGuere (whose filmography isn’t very extensive), is a variation on the sorcerer’s origin, quite faithfully capturing the essence of the original. A key difference is changing the doctor’s profession from surgery to psychiatry, thus omitting the comic book storyline about his hand paralysis and journey to Tibet, where he acquired his magical abilities. Additionally, Wong is dressed in a suit, and Thomas Lindmer (aka the Ancient One) becomes a refined British gentleman—but that shouldn’t bother anyone, considering that Tilda Swinton plays the same role in the latest film.

The biggest disappointment is the main villain. Initially, we see a fiery demon, immediately reminiscent of Dormammu, but he ultimately remains an unnamed, secondary, poorly animated background character, while Morgan le Fay steps up to fight Strange. However, she seems hesitant to battle such a handsome man because—as she claims—she’s “still a woman and has been feeling lonely for a long time”… Nowadays, no one would allow such lines in a script, and even if they did, the public would tear the film apart for its sexist tone. Still, you can’t entirely disagree with Stan Lee’s words, stating that this was the best production based on his characters made in the 1970s.

The film is surprisingly well-executed in many ways, especially considering it was meant as a pilot for an unmade series.

Right from the start, the strange music is intriguing. It sounds like a warming-up orchestra, eventually transforming into a combination of Casio keyboard fun in the style of John Carpenter and guitar improvisation. I’ve already criticized the visual aspects of the film, but if analyzed in context, they’re surprisingly decent. It’s far better than, for instance, the “Fantastic Four” film made 16 years later, and not much worse than the first “Superman” with Christopher Reeve, which hit theaters shortly after DeGuere’s film.

The casting choices were spot-on, and though a few frames with the doctor (especially in that awful costume) may provoke a smirk, keep in mind that in 1978, this look was typical for men considered incredibly handsome. By the way, the mustache made a recent comeback but thankfully didn’t make a big splash and seems to be disappearing back into obscurity. Peter Hooten (known mainly for the original “The Inglorious Bastards”) fits the role of Strange perfectly—a doctor-playboy and budding magic apprentice. John Mills (an Oscar and Golden Globe winner for his role in “Ryan’s Daughter”) also did a great job as the mentor. It turns out Gandalf wasn’t the first wizard to shout “You shall not pass” directly in his opponent’s face.

It’s a shame that TV never ordered a full season of “Dr. Strange”. At the same time, shows like “Battlestar Galactica” and “The Dukes of Hazzard” were starting out, and against that competition, the live-action debut of Marvel’s most famous sorcerer holds up quite well. It took nearly forty years for Strange to get another shot, and it seems this time, he’s here to stay.