The Age of Commercialism

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

I'm a big marvel fan, truth be told it doesn't even have to be Marvel I just like superhero themed movies and television shows.Trouble is within the Marvel Universe the one and only film I didn't enjoy was Dr Strange, I simply didn't "Get it". It bored me, it baffled me and I found myself frustrated that a character I couldn't stand was getting added to the movie franchise.I knew that plenty of cheesy marvel movies had been made across the 60's/70's/80's but I wasn't aware Steven Strange was among them. Part of me wishes I hadn't found out.Very tacky and thoroughly 70's this early attempt at Dr.Strange is really quite bad but no worse than the remake.Battling the evil sorceress Morgan LeFay while having his tweaked origin story told we see our hero do..........very little actually.It's not awful, it's just tacky. I found myself wishing Thanos would appear and rip his head off just for it to end, also because I think that would be a really cool thing to happen. Fingers crossed that happens in the Infinity Wars.The Good: Certainly fairly charming The Bad: It just all looks so very very terrible Dr Strange looks like a 70's porn star That costume!Things I learnt from this movie: If a super villain is attracted to you they'll leave you alone

The character of Dr. Strange is one of the most popular characters in "Marvel Comics." His superpowers consist of white magic and Sorcerery. There have been some terrific stories from his own comic book and the characters legacy is assured. "Universal" studios had a golden opportunity in 1978 to bring Dr. Strange to the small screen. During the late 1970s, Hollywood was attempting to adapt various "Marvel Comic" superheroes for television. Sadly, no regular series resulted from this feature length pilot episode. I can't imagine why John Mills of all people would even consider appearing in this! However, he certainly gives a very good performance and is the only reason to watch this television film. Peter Hooten - totally obscure - is OK. He passes a slight resemblance to Dr. Strange but is rather bland as a performer. The rest of the cast are not very good, except for the one who plays the evil female Sorcerer. The main problems with "Dr. Strange," is that the plot is too boring, there is a severe lack of incident, the low budget is all too obvious and the writers didn't bother to research their own character. In the origin story in the comics, Dr. Strange was a brilliant but arrogant and ego-driven man whose career as a New York surgeon is cut short after a car accident paralyses his hands. He is then taught a harsh lesson in humility following his training in Sorcerery in Asia. None of this is covered in this 1978 television film and I was rather disappointed. I call it lazy writing myself. When one is adapting a superhero character, whether it's for cinema or television, words like ordinary, mundane, predictable or monotonous simply can not apply. Knowing the public, they either like what they see or they don't. If it is down to the latter, then there is no way that a film with a particular superhero will lead to a sequel and no way that a regular series will follow on from a pilot episode. The pace of "Dr. Strange" is so damn slow, it felt as though I was watching something that lasted for 2 hours! It took a long time for the main character to meet his mentor in Sorcerery (John Mills). When it eventually happened, those scenes were tolerable. Finally at about 10 minutes before the end, the proceedings warmed up a bit as there was some action involving Sorcerery. Peter Hooten at long last had donned the trademark costume for which the character is most famous. The attempts at the special effects for the climax weren't good at all, not even in those days. A thoroughly wasted opportunity.

I had first seen this movie years ago on Sci Fi only part way thru and thought of it often but never took the time to try to hunt down a copy. When low and behold I ran into it at a video rental store where you can rent movies for less than $1.00 for three days.I cant believe how much fun this movie is, I truly love movies from the 70's and this movie has some major 70's fashion going on. I was surprised at how well the cast got into there roles from Peter Hooten playing Dr. Strange and Jessica Walter playing Morgan they both made the movie a lot of fun and the scene's that there in together are great. This is 70's camp at it's very best, the story is not as strong as it could be and the dialogue is a bit goofy at times but the actors bring the movie to life. Oh and I have to mention the lovely Anne Marie Martin she looks great in this movie what a beautiful lady.There is another review on this movie that states the Greatest Superhero TV series never made and I have to agree. I wonder if the producers were hoping to go to series, because of the way the movie ends. It certainly had some great potential. I hope that some company takes the time to release the 70's marvel movies other than The Incredible Hulk (I do like the hulk to it's just better know than the Dr. Strange and Captain America and Spderman series of the 70's). The kid inside me from the 70's still loves these movies and I hope that some day they can be released on DVD.DR. STRANGE LIVE ON IN YOUR MYSTIC WORLD...

So, it's not "Gone With The Wind" or even "The Omen". However, I like it and it is well worth watching.The basic idea here, that a small number of empowered men(certainly women, too) act to preserve the world that we know from falling into demonic chaos, is an old one. It makes a stylish premise for this movie, which was based on the best-selling "Dr. Strange" comics.The "astral" sequences are handled with style and grace. The actors play their respective parts very well.I'd recommend this neat little movie both as entertainment and as a springboard for discussions. Do people like "Lindmer", "Wong", "Morgan LeFay" and "Dr. Steven Strange" actually exist?I find a disconcerting similarity between Morgan LeFay's self-help cult(mentioned at the very end) and the all-too-real "Jonestown" in Guiana. (The mass suicide there, with all its disturbing implications, came a few weeks after this flick was released.)Maybe there is "war in heaven", with some spiritual powers trying to bring humanity into enlightenment, while others try to "bust" us back into the Dark Ages. Then again, maybe I was just stoned when I saw this movie for the first time.But I really did have a good time watching it either way!