Doctor Strange

You know, up until now I never thought that the Marvel Animated universe would be able to find its feet. I mean, yea, Ultimate Avengers 1 and 2 were interesting but were very straightforward without a whole lot of subtext or anything. And honestly Invincible Iron Man was a big letdown. So, with trepidation setting in my bones, I rented the recent Marvel Anime offering of Doctor Strange.

Unlike the other movies, I had little to no idea as to what Dr. Strange was about. I knew he was one of the oldest characters in the Marvel universe and that his big thing is magic. Maybe that is why I liked it more? I don't know. I knew the plot well enough after having played ultimate alliance to be able to guess what the outcome of the film will be as will most people who have seen a movie like this before. I think the biggest difference is the voice acting. The story itself is fun to sit through if you haven't ever read the comics, but it is like all the others very straightforward and an origin story. The real difference is the magic and how that ties into spirituality. Essentially the film tries to teach you that sometime you have to change who you are to fix your problems and that usually only good people are the ones who deserve power and not those who want it. In that sense, it has more of a bite and backbone to it than the previous films.

As for animation, it is beautifully done and there doesn't seem to be any real choppy segments or anything. I loved every bit of it, although there is still the occassionally painfully obvious CG animation segments which really are not being utilized properly since they don't mesh in with the animated backgrounds. I get the feeling that this could be done on purpose or maybe for lack of financial reasons and they don't care, but they should because it is always a disheartening and annoying experience.

Last is voice acting which I have to admit is quite good. Never once did I want to shoot myself or cut off my ears after having heard a ridiculous remark that reeks of Hollywood-talking-to-kids style. In fact, the dialogue was quite enjoyful despite the generic mysticism approach of answering questions in a vague style a la Karate Kid and other fine films.

Conclusion:
The film takes a very generic approach to telling the story of Doctor Strange. However, all the voice actors get behind it and do their job well. The animators and director show a love of exploring the new world of magic and what that might mean (vanishing swords rock!) and the best part is that this story more than the others does a better job of developing characters and creating an understanding and connection with them. I didn't know the tons of warriors who died or their names...but I felt like I did. And that is an accomplishment. My hats off to Jay Oliva and I hope that Marvel Animated continues to improve. They have a ways to go still before convincing me that Avengers Reborn is a good idea.

3.8 out of 5

Wannabe