Dr. Strange (1978)

Initially conceived as a "backdoor pilot" to a potential TV series, this adaptation of the Marvel Comics character does suffer from the limitations of a television level budget. Some people can look at this almost 40 year old telefilm and just see it as hopelessly cheesy. But it provides fairly good entertainment for any lover of fantasy. Written, directed, and executive produced by Philip DeGuere Jr., a TV veteran, it has its heart in the right place, and certainly conjures up some appropriately weird atmosphere.Playing his role with wit and charm, Sir John Mills ("Great Expectations" '46, "The Quatermass Conclusion") is an all-powerful Good sorcerer named Lindmer, who realizes that the passing of his baton is at hand. His successor will be a psychiatrist named Stephen Strange (Peter Hooten, "Orca", "The Inglorious Bastards"), whom he will have to convince to accept his destiny. Their nemesis is a beautiful witch named Morgan LeFay (Jessica Walter, "Play Misty for Me", 'Arrested Development'), sent from an alternate dimension to Earth to do battle with Lindmer once again.The lovely Anne-Marie Martin ("Prom Night" '80, 'Sledge Hammer') co-stars as Clea Lake, the young student with whom Strange becomes understandably enchanted. Top character actor Clyde Kusatsu ("Midway", "The Interpreter") is rock solid as Wong, Lindmers' loyal associate. Hooten is good as a skeptic and man of science who will have his consciousness raised. Walter delivers an appropriately campy (but not TOO over the top) performance as the villainess. Michael Ansara, Ted Cassidy, and David Hooks all provide voices, uncredited. But the real treat in watching 'Dr. Strange' '78 is savoring the performance of the legendary Mills.The music by Paul Chihara is fun, alternating between soaring orchestral music and creepy electronica. The sets are done well, and some of these visuals create a wonderfully trippy, psychedelic quality. This may further help to date the movie, but it does lend it some 70s charm.A nice diversion that might be just a little too spooky for the youngest of viewers, especially the character of The Nameless One.Seven out of 10.

Morgan LeFay (Jessica Walter) failed her demonic master five hundred years ago. She is sent back into our world to battle the aged Sorcerer Supreme Thomas Lindmer (John Mills) before he can pass on his knowledge. She has three days. Psychiatrist Dr. Stephen Strange (Peter Hooten) is to be the next sorcerer but he doesn't know it yet. Wong is Lindmer's loyal assistant. LeFay takes over Clea Lake to attack Lindmer. He survives the fall from the bridge. Haunted by LeFay's possession, Clea Lake becomes Strange's patient.There are some reasonable TV acting which includes the great Jessica Walter. It would be hilarious if she gets a part in the new movie. This has all the cheesiness that can be expected from a lower rate 70s TV effort. The production and the style has that lower value of that era. The special effects is of that era and is not good enough to do the subject with justice. It is somewhat watchable which is my best compliment for this TV movie.

This review is penned in Anno Domini 2013 when, for the first time in decades, competent writers and producers are finally turning the Marvel vault into a steady stream of serious entertainment, albeit of uneven quality. Among fanboys, it is known that one of the greatest disappointments in the Marvel library is Dr. Strange, which has never been turned into a decent film, not even once. Part of the fault is the quality (or lack of same) in the production teams who, in the past, have taken on the project - AND THIS FILM, DONE TO A BELOW AVERAGE TV MOVIE STANDARD, IS A CASE IN POINT. It is AWFUL. And part of the problem -- the part no one wants to discuss -- is that the Dr. Strange character is not the brightest bulb in the Marvel catalogue. The original character was created to be deliberately dull and morose, and it did not help that the working mechanics of the mystical world in the series are, for example, several notches below Harry Potter. That's not promising. I mean, you really should know a little about what you writing about, and this is not evident in the Dr. Strange series. The promise is there, but no more than that. (Literary history buffs will note that, in the 1970s a fictional series came out to compete in this niche, entitled Dr. Orient, and it was much more creative, and showed the promise of the core idea.)

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!