Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.

Episode 1630 Talkback - Doctor Strange Movie Review

The moons of Munnopor have come into alignment, and it's time for the CGS review of the phantasmagorical feature film Doctor Strange! The Geeks enter into astral communion (also called 'Skype') to share their thoughts on plot, character, and above all, visual effects in Marvel's latest blockbuster. Fire up your All-Seeing iPod of Agamotto and feel the magic! (1:10:17)

Listen here.
«1

Comments

  • Mystic Eldritch Ejaculations either sounds like a forgotten 60's hippie band, or the Tuesday night entertainment at a gentlemen's club. Take your pick. :D
  • Mark_EngblomMark_Engblom Posts: 343
    edited November 2016
    Great episode! Like Murd, I would probably give it a "5" as well. This film was hitting on all cylinders for me (it didn't hurt that I'm a huge Doc Strange fan to begin with).

    The changes made to the origin and basic Dr. Strange mythos made complete sense to me, and in many cases were actually improvements. An example of which was the organization Strange was recruited into. Considering the scale of the threat facing Earth, it makes a bit more sense that the Ancient One would have a larger group of magical "warriors" at the ready to battle Dormammu's influence. As for Dormammu himself, I was completely fine with the more abstract vision of the character...at least at this point in the cinematic Doctor Strange story. As Shane said, maybe a more humanoid version of Dormammu will emerge later on...but keeping him a more disembodied mystical force this time around seemed to ring true.

    I also appreciated how there seemed to be forces at work that went beyond even the perceptions of the Ancient One, perfectly communicated in the scene where she seemed genuinely surprised that the Eye of Agamotto responded to Stephen Strange. The mystic artifacts seem to know something the Earthly adepts are blind to.

    As for everything else, they perfectly captured and translated so much of the classic Strange comics to the screen, from small touches (Stephen's Ditko-like finger-splaying during his first tentative attempt at spell-casting) to large set pieces (like the astral form battle in the operating room, brilliantly channeling those same eerie confrontations Ditko depicted half a century gone). AND THE DARK DIMENSION! Right outta the comics!!!!!

    Regarding the "thinness" of the plot, I believe that was absolutely necessary for an otherwise conceptually intense film. In other words, the general public was being asked to digest a gigantic amount of esoterica...overlaying a dense, complex plot over that would have simply been too much. We tend to forget just how versed in this stuff we are, and that film makers need to make this stuff reasonably accessible to "civilians". No problems with the simple plot.

    I thought it was brilliant that THOR was the first Marvel hero Doctor Strange interacted with, considering his "playground" was the closest thing to the supernatural in the Marvel cinematic universe. It makes sense that the super-science, borderline "mystic" (or mythic) sensibilities of Thor's world would interact so seamlessly with Strange's. Brilliant.

    Glad to hear the gang (mostly) agreed with my own take on the movie. Dani obviously wasn't as enthusiastic...but I can't think of many things discussed on the show that she IS enthusiastic about, frankly.

    We live in amazing times, folks! We've just witnessed DOCTOR STRANGE on the big screen! I can still hardly believe it!
  • Unless it happened earlier the Cloak of Levitation having a personality may have first appeared in Dr. Strange - The Oath. I just re-read it for a book club and noticed it. Wong talked about the Cloak hiding and the Cloak coming when called. At first when I saw it in the movie I thought it was weird but re-reading The Oath I see where it was grounded in comics. Also The Oath showed Stephen using hand-to-hand combat which I found to be a different take in the movie but I see the precedent. Once again this could have occurred before The Oath.

    If anyone has seen these two things happening earlier than The Oath please share.
  • I enjoyed the movie (and this episode guys) but ...
    Chris ... why oh why would you "lean over and tell" anyone that didn't know the movie or characters that Baron Mordo was going to be one of Dr Strange's biggest enemies?
    What a thing to do. Spoil a movie DURING the actual movie?
    Dude!!! Not cool. Let them experience it on their own, man.
    :neutral:

    Anyway, nice thoughts on the movie, guys (and gal)
  • psteelers, while in general I would agree with your sentiment, and realize that accepting criticism is part and parcel of being on a podcast, that acceptance stops with my family. I will not accept anyone dictating to me how I should or shouldn't speak to my eleven year old son. How I speak to my children in any context is my business, not the business of people who know me, let alone a stranger who happens to listen to me on a podcast. "What a thing to do?" It's a movie, "dude," not life or death.

    I enjoyed the movie (and this episode guys) but ...
    Chris ... why oh why would you "lean over and tell" anyone that didn't know the movie or characters that Baron Mordo was going to be one of Dr Strange's biggest enemies?
    What a thing to do. Spoil a movie DURING the actual movie?
    Dude!!! Not cool. Let them experience it on their own, man.
    :neutral:

    Anyway, nice thoughts on the movie, guys (and gal)

  • Well, in fairness, Chris opened the conversation with him by saying, "Spoiler Alert!" :-)
  • Speaking of Chris, the best part of this podcast was whenever anyone would mention some Easter egg or callback to the comics, and he'd just let out a gasp of ecstasy, "Unnhhh ...." :-)

  • MattMatt Posts: 4,457
    I really enjoyed the movie. I've never said this, but I wish I'd seen it in 3D. I know virtually nothing about Strange beyond the basics of his origins. So far, Marvel Studios has only made me Lukewarm about those types of characters one time.

    I'm curious if the mid-credits scene is just a portion of a longer scene in Thor 3. I think the post-credit scene was rushed a little bit. Kinda like the Sinestro turn in Green Lantern movie.

    I liked Dormammu's look; especially since Cumberbatch provided the basis for the look & provided the voice. I think sometimes we get hung up on how things look in the source material. They shouldn't go completely rogue with the look, but I can give them a little leeway.

    So, we're 14 movies into the MCU story. Amazing they've still maintained a draw to the box office. Anyone read/hear the quasi-criticism about the crossovers? I've read a couple articles commending this movie for lacking interference by other MCU characters (excluding the mid-credit scene). One article felt Strange (Thor & Hulk) should be separate from the rest of the MCU & have their own shared universe. I wonder if these critics read comic books.

    I've also read how the shared universe idea has essentially run its course in movies & MCU (and DCEU) should just move on from it. Since other studios are trying the same, I would say it's a growing trend.

    I'd give this a 4.5 out of 5. Not in the ranks of the Cap trilogy or Avengers: AoU, but definitely in the mix.

    M
  • bralinatorbralinator Posts: 5,967
    It was beautiful in 3D. It wasn't my intention to see it in 3D, but when I met up with some of my friends at the theatre for a matinee showing that was the plan they made, so I went with it.

    Glad I did. It was well done and worth the extra shekels.
  • psteelers, while in general I would agree with your sentiment, and realize that accepting criticism is part and parcel of being on a podcast, that acceptance stops with my family. I will not accept anyone dictating to me how I should or shouldn't speak to my eleven year old son. How I speak to my children in any context is my business, not the business of people who know me, let alone a stranger who happens to listen to me on a podcast. "What a thing to do?" It's a movie, "dude," not life or death.


    I enjoyed the movie (and this episode guys) but ...
    Chris ... why oh why would you "lean over and tell" anyone that didn't know the movie or characters that Baron Mordo was going to be one of Dr Strange's biggest enemies?
    What a thing to do. Spoil a movie DURING the actual movie?
    Dude!!! Not cool. Let them experience it on their own, man.
    :neutral:

    Anyway, nice thoughts on the movie, guys (and gal)

    Wow, way too serious much? I was not trying to be a jerk about it nor was I trying to "dictate" how you deal with your family. Honestly I didn't know it was your son, so please take my word that I wasn't trying to cause an issue with that here. But also know that I would have said the same if it was a just a friend of yours or a total stranger. The fact that it was your son doesn't change the fact that I feel it was a shady thing to do. And I was merely trying to give you a hard time about that. I wasn't saying you should not have done it because he was your son, I wasn't trying to speak on your family at all, just the action. If Murd had done it to someone I would have called him out as well. This wasn't a family issue at all to me nor a personal attack

    It was about letting other people discover the fun of things you also found fun. Remember reading comics and learning about all of the characters? Why spoil that awesome discovery for others? What is wrong with answering questions they may have AFTER they experience the movie instead of spoiling the answers before they can ask or decide if they need to?

    But this is becoming way larger than what it should have been. This was about a movie. It was a bad attempt my me at "messing with you" more than anything and I did a bad job of it. It got out of hand, I will take the blame.

    Sorry you felt I crossed a line, truly. And I'm going to stop here. I didn't know it was your son and I am not (wasn't) trying to start anything so serious and I am certainly not trying to troll you or anyone else so I will just apologize and leave it that. Best wishes. I'm sorry, Again

    Peace.
  • It was beautiful in 3D. It wasn't my intention to see it in 3D, but when I met up with some of my friends at the theatre for a matinee showing that was the plan they made, so I went with it.

    Glad I did. It was well done and worth the extra shekels.

    I'm normally not a big fan of 3D movies, but occasionally there are movies that demand to be seen in 3D...such as Star Wars Episode 7....and now, of course, Doctor Strange. Adding that greater sense of depth to already dazzling sequences made this movie the truly mind-blowing experience it was. It'll actually be kind of a step down to re-watch Doctor Strange in 2D!
  • bralinatorbralinator Posts: 5,967

    It was beautiful in 3D. It wasn't my intention to see it in 3D, but when I met up with some of my friends at the theatre for a matinee showing that was the plan they made, so I went with it.

    Glad I did. It was well done and worth the extra shekels.

    I'm normally not a big fan of 3D movies, but occasionally there are movies that demand to be seen in 3D...such as Star Wars Episode 7....and now, of course, Doctor Strange. Adding that greater sense of depth to already dazzling sequences made this movie the truly mind-blowing experience it was. It'll actually be kind of a step down to re-watch Doctor Strange in 2D!
    I fully agree. My brother and my nephew and I saw Star Wars 7 in 2D, but when it later came to the IMAX we were all delighted to have been able to watch in glorious 3D (and in IMAX) and I am forever grateful for that.
  • shroud68shroud68 Posts: 457

    psteelers, while in general I would agree with your sentiment, and realize that accepting criticism is part and parcel of being on a podcast, that acceptance stops with my family. I will not accept anyone dictating to me how I should or shouldn't speak to my eleven year old son. How I speak to my children in any context is my business, not the business of people who know me, let alone a stranger who happens to listen to me on a podcast. "What a thing to do?" It's a movie, "dude," not life or death.


    Hear, hear !!! I spend most of my life explaining movies to my kids, they love to hear it and I love sharing it. People should stay out of other people's living rooms.
  • Mr_CosmicMr_Cosmic Posts: 3,200
    Also, who cares what the host of a podcast says or doesn't say to anyone during a movie? Even if I felt Chris was wrong(I don't) I woudn't feel it was my place to tell him.
  • Okay folks! That's probably enough on "Mordo-gate". Let's talk about the movie!
  • ptsteelersptsteelers Posts: 32
    edited November 2016
    shroud68 said:

    psteelers, while in general I would agree with your sentiment, and realize that accepting criticism is part and parcel of being on a podcast, that acceptance stops with my family. I will not accept anyone dictating to me how I should or shouldn't speak to my eleven year old son. How I speak to my children in any context is my business, not the business of people who know me, let alone a stranger who happens to listen to me on a podcast. "What a thing to do?" It's a movie, "dude," not life or death.


    Hear, hear !!! I spend most of my life explaining movies to my kids, they love to hear it and I love sharing it. People should stay out of other people's living rooms.
    Yes, "EXPLAINING". Absolutely and that is the difference. Explaining more about Mordo afterwards would have been great, yeah? That is not what happened ... or it wasn't what was said at least. But yes, raise your kids the way you want, of course, and I'm not trying to stop you from doing so or even speak about trying to. And you should help them along the way by discussing matters they may not understand. However, how is my opinion that spoiling something before someone can experience it, relate to interfering with the way you or anyone raises their kids?

    And Mr. Cosmic, I didn't feel it was "my place" to tell him anything. Again, it was meant to be more of a "wink, wink" poke than some vocal outcry. I only tried to explain myself to him as he seemed to have taken it way more to heart than I expected.

    Chris said (not verbatim of course) that when Mordo first appeared he leaned over and told [his son] that that guy was going to end up being one of Dr. Strange's biggest enemies. I said that wasn't cool. That is it. How is that interfering or stepping beyond some parenting boundary? Heck, I didn't even know it was his son. But regardless, Chris felt I overstepped and so I apologized. And I meant it.
  • I invoke the CRIMSON BANDS OF CYTTORAK to stop this inane discussion!

    image
  • The relic which binds kaecilius, is apparently the Bands of Cyttorak, though they are certainly not crimson
  • Mark_EngblomMark_Engblom Posts: 343
    edited November 2016
    Something else that occurred to me after watching Doctor Strange was how much of a "palate cleanser" it was for the ongoing Marvel cinematic project. Yes, the magical/supernatural element was something new, but more importantly it gave us a breather from the rather grounded espionage/realpolitik focus of Captain America 2, Avengers 2, Ant-Man, and Cap 3. Great movies, of course....but too much of a good thing can start to get repetitive. Leave it to Marvel Studios to know when to pull back and reorient that focus to new territory.
  • Mr_CosmicMr_Cosmic Posts: 3,200

    Something else that occurred to me after watching Doctor Strange was how much of a "palate cleanser" it was for the ongoing Marvel cinematic project. Yes, the magical/supernatural element was something new, but more importantly it gave us a breather from the rather grounded espionage/realpolitik focus of Captain America 2, Avengers 2, Ant-Man, and Cap 3. Great movies, of course....but too much of a good thing can start to get repetitive. Leave it to Marvel Studios to know when to pull back and reorient that focus to new territory.

    Yes, also one of the reasons GotG was so great.
  • bralinatorbralinator Posts: 5,967
    Mr_Cosmic said:

    Something else that occurred to me after watching Doctor Strange was how much of a "palate cleanser" it was for the ongoing Marvel cinematic project. Yes, the magical/supernatural element was something new, but more importantly it gave us a breather from the rather grounded espionage/realpolitik focus of Captain America 2, Avengers 2, Ant-Man, and Cap 3. Great movies, of course....but too much of a good thing can start to get repetitive. Leave it to Marvel Studios to know when to pull back and reorient that focus to new territory.

    Yes, also one of the reasons GotG was so great.
    Good point, @Mr_Cosmic
  • True....but Doctor Strange didn't involve the main character challenging the bad guy to a dance off (which completely took me out of GotG and poisoned the well for me).
  • MattMatt Posts: 4,457
    Merlin gifted me a protection spell during my "Pennsylvania Red Sox Fan in King Arthur's Court" storyline.

    My kids aren't old enough to be interested in stuff not on Disney Junior. I do spoil character storylines for my wife though. She's really into the MCU, but not enough to care. When I told her Bucky goes on to become the Winter Soldier when we saw First Avenger, it didn't matter to her when we watched the sequel.

    She gets more upset with me when we watch a movie neither saw & I predict twists or endings. When we watched Gone Girl, she was upset I guessed all the twists & concerned when I told her "it's what I would've done".

    M
  • bralinatorbralinator Posts: 5,967

    True....but Doctor Strange didn't involve the main character challenging the bad guy to a dance off (which completely took me out of GotG and poisoned the well for me).

    For me, that actually seemed very much in character for Pratt's portrayal. The music/soundtrack was in fact a character all its own.
  • bralinatorbralinator Posts: 5,967
    Matt said:

    Merlin gifted me a protection spell during my "Pennsylvania Red Sox Fan in King Arthur's Court" storyline.

    My kids aren't old enough to be interested in stuff not on Disney Junior. I do spoil character storylines for my wife though. She's really into the MCU, but not enough to care. When I told her Bucky goes on to become the Winter Soldier when we saw First Avenger, it didn't matter to her when we watched the sequel.

    She gets more upset with me when we watch a movie neither saw & I predict twists or endings. When we watched Gone Girl, she was upset I guessed all the twists & concerned when I told her "it's what I would've done".

    M

    When my wife and I are watching Netflix, we regularly watch procedurals like NCIS or Person of Interest. As we begin watching a new (to us) episode, I like to briefly chime in with quips like "she did it" or "he's gonna die" even when I have no idea. But on the occasional event that my 'prediction' was correct, I say "called it" and she pokes me in the ribs.

    It's just fun. It's a family thing.

    On the other hand, if I actually know the ending or a secret about someone the movie or show hasn't revealed yet, I endeavor not to mention anything until it happened. Then I explain what I know so they better understand what just happened or what was just revealed.
  • MattMatt Posts: 4,457

    Matt said:

    Merlin gifted me a protection spell during my "Pennsylvania Red Sox Fan in King Arthur's Court" storyline.

    My kids aren't old enough to be interested in stuff not on Disney Junior. I do spoil character storylines for my wife though. She's really into the MCU, but not enough to care. When I told her Bucky goes on to become the Winter Soldier when we saw First Avenger, it didn't matter to her when we watched the sequel.

    She gets more upset with me when we watch a movie neither saw & I predict twists or endings. When we watched Gone Girl, she was upset I guessed all the twists & concerned when I told her "it's what I would've done".

    M

    When my wife and I are watching Netflix, we regularly watch procedurals like NCIS or Person of Interest. As we begin watching a new (to us) episode, I like to briefly chime in with quips like "she did it" or "he's gonna die" even when I have no idea. But on the occasional event that my 'prediction' was correct, I say "called it" and she pokes me in the ribs.

    It's just fun. It's a family thing.

    On the other hand, if I actually know the ending or a secret about someone the movie or show hasn't revealed yet, I endeavor not to mention anything until it happened. Then I explain what I know so they better understand what just happened or what was just revealed.
    I'll admit, I only make the predictions to movies I don't know what happens. I don't spoil movies for my wife because I've seen/know what happens. Those movies she'll normally ask me "what happens next?"

    M
  • Mark_EngblomMark_Engblom Posts: 343
    edited November 2016

    For me, that actually seemed very much in character for Pratt's portrayal. The music/soundtrack was in fact a character all its own.

    Oh, it was absolutely in character for Pratt (and the rest of the movie), but that exact moment was when my growing irritation toward the campy tone of GotG morphed into full-blown and active dislike toward the entire movie. I know, I know...I'm in the vast minority not considering GotG an Adorable Quirky Kewl Modern Masterpiece, but I'll say it loud and proud: I think GotG was by far Marvel Studios' weakest effort to date.

    You can strip me of my Hipster Badge now.
  • Forget hipster badge, If GOTG is to be believed, you may have a stick in your butt :)
  • bralinatorbralinator Posts: 5,967
    For those wondering if we are going to see the return of 'Brother Voodoo,' or as he is now known as 'Doctor Voodoo' - looks like the free game 'Contest of Champions' is heavily promoting the character with the latest Doctor Strange movie tie-in promotion. The character, along with Mordo, had not previously appeared on the game. See below:

    image
Sign In or Register to comment.