"Thomas Lindmer" (John Mills) is a sorcerer who realizes his life is approaching its end. Because of this he needs to transfer his powers to somebody capable enough for his assigned tasks. That person just happens to be a young psychiatrist by the name of "Dr. Stephen Strange" (Peter Hooten) who has no idea of his potential psychic powers or the destiny that awaits him. To add to the situation is the fact that an evil sorceress named "Morgan LeFay" (Jessica Walter) has been released by a demon from her captivity in another dimension with the orders to kill Thomas Lindmer before he has a chance to convey his power to Dr. Strange. Now rather than reveal any more of this movie and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this was a decent attempt to portray the essence of the popular comic book onto the big screen. Unfortunately, some of the graphics weren't as well-developed as some of the others and as a result it gave the movie an uneven feel. The acting seemed adequate for the most part and the presence of Eddie Benton (as "Clea Lake") certainly didn't hurt the scenery in any way. All things considered I rate the film as average.
37 Reviews
It was strange alright...
paul_haakonsen28 April 2022
Yeah, this is one of those movies where the majority of people out there don't believe you when you say that long before Cumberbatch there was Peter Hooten. But there is truth to it, just take this 1978 TV movie that is based on the Marvel comic book of the same name; Dr. Strange.
The 1970s saw a handful of Marvel heroes make their transition from the colored pages of the comic books and onto the screens, in bigger or smaller success.
I have actually never seen this 1978 movie from writers Philip DeGuere Jr., Steve Ditko and Stan Lee before now in 2022, when I had the opportunity to sit down and watch the movie. So it was sort of an appetizer for the upcoming "Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" movie, I suppose.
Well, I can't claim that I was particularly impressed with director Philip DeGuere Jr.'s 1978 movie. It felt like you took the comic book and spliced it up with a 1970s acid trip. It was pretty spacy and out there, especially the astral travel scene.
The storyline in this 1978 movie was just not solid enough. The movie ran for 93 minutes and ultimately then very little actually happened throughout the course of the movie, which made it somewhat of a struggle to sit through the movie. Actually, "Dr. Strange" felt more like a hospital drama than it felt like a superhero movie set in the Marvel universe.
The acting in the movie was generally adequate, however I can't fathom why they opted to have Peter Hooten in the leading role as Dr. Stephen Strange. The actor was simply too wooden and rigid in his performance, and seemed rather unable to portray emotions. It was nice, though, to see Jessica Walter and Clyde Kusatsu in this movie.
I am sure that hardcore fans of the Marvel comic books will get a kick out of this 1978 movie. But for a regular viewer, and one that is not overly keen on superheroes to begin with, then director Philip DeGuere Jr. Just didn't deliver a particularly wholesome movie.
My rating of "Dr. Strange" lands on a very generous four out of ten stars.
The 1970s saw a handful of Marvel heroes make their transition from the colored pages of the comic books and onto the screens, in bigger or smaller success.
I have actually never seen this 1978 movie from writers Philip DeGuere Jr., Steve Ditko and Stan Lee before now in 2022, when I had the opportunity to sit down and watch the movie. So it was sort of an appetizer for the upcoming "Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" movie, I suppose.
Well, I can't claim that I was particularly impressed with director Philip DeGuere Jr.'s 1978 movie. It felt like you took the comic book and spliced it up with a 1970s acid trip. It was pretty spacy and out there, especially the astral travel scene.
The storyline in this 1978 movie was just not solid enough. The movie ran for 93 minutes and ultimately then very little actually happened throughout the course of the movie, which made it somewhat of a struggle to sit through the movie. Actually, "Dr. Strange" felt more like a hospital drama than it felt like a superhero movie set in the Marvel universe.
The acting in the movie was generally adequate, however I can't fathom why they opted to have Peter Hooten in the leading role as Dr. Stephen Strange. The actor was simply too wooden and rigid in his performance, and seemed rather unable to portray emotions. It was nice, though, to see Jessica Walter and Clyde Kusatsu in this movie.
I am sure that hardcore fans of the Marvel comic books will get a kick out of this 1978 movie. But for a regular viewer, and one that is not overly keen on superheroes to begin with, then director Philip DeGuere Jr. Just didn't deliver a particularly wholesome movie.
My rating of "Dr. Strange" lands on a very generous four out of ten stars.
Cheesy fun
briancham199421 March 2022
By itself, the film is a very dated and very cheesy 70s film about an evil sorceress who wants to defeat her magical rival. It's somewhat fun to watch. As an adaptation of Doctor Strange, it fails because it takes far too long to transform the titular character from a regular human to the sorcerer supreme. The setup has some decent suspense as a civilian is under the spell of the villain Morgan LeFay and Stephen Strange has to figure out what's going on, all while the current sorcerer is under threat. However, this drags on for too long and the payoff is anticlimactic as Doctor Strange learns his powers too quickly and the special effects are laughable.
TV pilot that suffers from its limitations
tomgillespie200224 August 2012
The current wave of live-action cinematic superheroes is nothing new to our screens. Since 'Superman' first revolutionised the comic book industry in 1939, there have been film adaptations. In the 1940's there were many serials (Batman, Superman, and Captain Marvel for example). Then in the 1950's and 1960's The Adventures of Superman (1952 - 1958) and the campy Batman (1966 - 1968) the superheroes became household names on television. Then, in the 1970's, DC comics, through the ABC television network, produced the highly successful Wonder Woman (1975 - 1979) series, with the Amazonian beauty of Linda Carter. With the prospects of DC's most famous character's big screen incarnation, in Richard Donner's Superman: The Movie (1978), Marvel, with their groundbreaking silver-age characters, needed a platform for their characters. Whilst they had success with their animated Saturday morning shows, live-action and the TV series was the place to promote them.
From 1977 to 1982, Universal television broadcast The Amazing Spider-man (1977 - 1979), The Incredible Hulk (1978 - 1982), and two TV movies, Captain America (1979) and Captain America II: Death Too Soon (also 1979). The quality was of course varied, and the Hulk was its most credible triumph. Then in 1978, writer/producer, Philip DeGuere, produced a feature length television movie of one of Marvels most "psychedelic", cerebral characters, Doctor Strange. Created by comic legend Steve Ditko, it seems like quite a huge leap of faith to create a plausible adaptation within the restrictions of television production. This leads to some of the more fantastical elements of the comic books to be altered, or left out entirely - but this is of course an understandable exclusion.
Doctor Stephen Strange (Peter Hooten), a Psychiatrist working in a New York hospital who has been chosen by Thomas Lindmer (John Mills) to take his place as the new Sorcerer Supreme of Earth. However, an evil Sorceress, Morgan LeFay (Jessica Walter), has plans to kill the Earth- bound magicians. After throwing Thomas off a bridge, Clea Lake (Eddie Benton), has been telepathically controlled by the evil witch, Morgan, and it is down to Dr. Strange to save her from the astral plain, then conquer the cosmic universe to become the sorcerer.
It does have the limitations of 1970's television production, and falls flat very often with the dialogue - including excruciatingly annoying laughter from Strange and Clea, as they laugh at their unfunny exchanges. However, it is an admirable effort to bring a more obscure Marvel character to a live-action context. With Stan Lee as a consultant (as with all the other aforementioned shows), Lee states that this was his most enjoyable experience out of all of them. It was intended as a pilot for a series, but this was never produced - a television interview with Morgan LeFay towards the end, actually gives clues as to the way the show could have gone, and to be honest, it seems like an incredibly good concept. Morgan LeFay would have indoctrinated into her realm of magic the youth of America, through the zeitgeist idea of the self-help programme, something that was big business in the '70's. Alas, the idea was never seen through.
www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com
From 1977 to 1982, Universal television broadcast The Amazing Spider-man (1977 - 1979), The Incredible Hulk (1978 - 1982), and two TV movies, Captain America (1979) and Captain America II: Death Too Soon (also 1979). The quality was of course varied, and the Hulk was its most credible triumph. Then in 1978, writer/producer, Philip DeGuere, produced a feature length television movie of one of Marvels most "psychedelic", cerebral characters, Doctor Strange. Created by comic legend Steve Ditko, it seems like quite a huge leap of faith to create a plausible adaptation within the restrictions of television production. This leads to some of the more fantastical elements of the comic books to be altered, or left out entirely - but this is of course an understandable exclusion.
Doctor Stephen Strange (Peter Hooten), a Psychiatrist working in a New York hospital who has been chosen by Thomas Lindmer (John Mills) to take his place as the new Sorcerer Supreme of Earth. However, an evil Sorceress, Morgan LeFay (Jessica Walter), has plans to kill the Earth- bound magicians. After throwing Thomas off a bridge, Clea Lake (Eddie Benton), has been telepathically controlled by the evil witch, Morgan, and it is down to Dr. Strange to save her from the astral plain, then conquer the cosmic universe to become the sorcerer.
It does have the limitations of 1970's television production, and falls flat very often with the dialogue - including excruciatingly annoying laughter from Strange and Clea, as they laugh at their unfunny exchanges. However, it is an admirable effort to bring a more obscure Marvel character to a live-action context. With Stan Lee as a consultant (as with all the other aforementioned shows), Lee states that this was his most enjoyable experience out of all of them. It was intended as a pilot for a series, but this was never produced - a television interview with Morgan LeFay towards the end, actually gives clues as to the way the show could have gone, and to be honest, it seems like an incredibly good concept. Morgan LeFay would have indoctrinated into her realm of magic the youth of America, through the zeitgeist idea of the self-help programme, something that was big business in the '70's. Alas, the idea was never seen through.
www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com
surprisingly somewhat watchable bad TV movie
SnoopyStyle22 February 2015
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.
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.
Maybe Whedon or Raimi will ultimately fix this mess...
A_Different_Drummer3 November 2013
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.)
Not as awful as you might think
ericstevenson8 August 2016
This movie is, as far as I know, the first movie ever created based on a Marvel comic book. The first theatrically released one was "Howard The Duck" which didn't come out until 1986 and to this movie's credit, it is probably an improvement. I don't know as much about Dr. Strange as I do Spider-Man or Captain America, as he's simply not quite as well known. This movie mostly faults from waiting until 74 minutes into the movie to actually show the title character in his costume, which I could recognize. Now a lot of it actually was pretty faithful to the comics. You got to see some familiar characters.
Now the thing is, originally I was going to give this movie a lot lower rating, but I did realize something. This was in fact intended to be the pilot for a TV show that was never made. As cheesy as the film was, I actually could excuse its pacing for the fact that it wasn't really meant to be a full movie. The way it went slowly actually did make sense for what it was supposed to be. I never watched any live-action Marvel shows ever. The bad definitely outweighed the good, so it's best to just skip this and watch the awesome Marvel movies released in theaters. **
Now the thing is, originally I was going to give this movie a lot lower rating, but I did realize something. This was in fact intended to be the pilot for a TV show that was never made. As cheesy as the film was, I actually could excuse its pacing for the fact that it wasn't really meant to be a full movie. The way it went slowly actually did make sense for what it was supposed to be. I never watched any live-action Marvel shows ever. The bad definitely outweighed the good, so it's best to just skip this and watch the awesome Marvel movies released in theaters. **
"Do you believe in evil, Doctor?"
utgard1417 January 2016
TV movie (intended as a pilot for a possible series) about the Marvel magical superhero, Dr. Strange. Morgan LeFay (Jessica Walter) is sent to Earth by a demon to prevent an aging sorcerer (John Mills) from passing his power onto someone else. To this end she possesses a young woman named Clea (Anne-Marie Martin) and tries to get her to kill the sorcerer. Clea is traumatized by this, which leads her to being taken to the hospital where she is treated by psychiatrist Dr. Stephen Strange (Peter Hooten), who just so happens to be the sorcerer's intended successor.
While it's easy to dismiss this because it's a TV movie and those are largely cliché-ridden and forgettable today, I should point out that this wasn't always the case. In the 1970s TV movies were actually really good on the average, with a lot more creativity and variety than we see today where it's the same recycled soaps, thrillers, and romantic comedies over and over. This does have a limited budget, so those expecting things like Strange creator Steve Ditko's surreal imagery will be disappointed. But if you leave unrealistic expectations at the door and judge it on its own merits, I think you'll find it's a quality movie. Peter Hooten is a little wooden for a leading man but doesn't embarrass himself. Anne-Marie Martin (billed as Eddie Benton) is pretty good and very easy on the eyes. John Mills classes things up significantly. Jessica Walter is delicious fun as Morgan Le Fay. Perhaps the movie's greatest strength is Paul Chihara's score. Again, TV movies today just don't have this level of quality. Next to the Incredible Hulk TV series, this was the best of Marvel's efforts in the '70s and '80s to bring one of their heroes to life on the small or big screen, excluding cartoons. Those who can't enjoy TV movies or those who are fans of the comic book who can't see past their inflated expectations will not like it and should probably skip it altogether. I think most others who watch it will see it's very good for what it is.
While it's easy to dismiss this because it's a TV movie and those are largely cliché-ridden and forgettable today, I should point out that this wasn't always the case. In the 1970s TV movies were actually really good on the average, with a lot more creativity and variety than we see today where it's the same recycled soaps, thrillers, and romantic comedies over and over. This does have a limited budget, so those expecting things like Strange creator Steve Ditko's surreal imagery will be disappointed. But if you leave unrealistic expectations at the door and judge it on its own merits, I think you'll find it's a quality movie. Peter Hooten is a little wooden for a leading man but doesn't embarrass himself. Anne-Marie Martin (billed as Eddie Benton) is pretty good and very easy on the eyes. John Mills classes things up significantly. Jessica Walter is delicious fun as Morgan Le Fay. Perhaps the movie's greatest strength is Paul Chihara's score. Again, TV movies today just don't have this level of quality. Next to the Incredible Hulk TV series, this was the best of Marvel's efforts in the '70s and '80s to bring one of their heroes to life on the small or big screen, excluding cartoons. Those who can't enjoy TV movies or those who are fans of the comic book who can't see past their inflated expectations will not like it and should probably skip it altogether. I think most others who watch it will see it's very good for what it is.
What were they thinking?!!
Cal-0121 March 2007
Made for TV., this adaptation from the Marvel Comic Book, is not true to form, any form. Anyone who has read and enjoyed the comic books will be in for a let-down, so far down that they'll need a rope to pull themselves out from the pit they haplessly wandered into. The cast is wrongly picked and can't even do a decent job with the poor material (did anyone on the writing staff even look at the comic book?). I believe this was a pilot for a series, if anyone could believe that. The good thing was, that someone saw that it was a flop and it vanished, thankfully without a much notice. On a strange note (no pun intended) one critique actually enjoyed the show which drew my attention and subsequently led me to be assaulted by this injustice of a film. If it had great special effects, that would not be enough for it to claw its way out of the mire that it is. {See, Spider Man, Superman or any other comic adaptation}
The Geatest Superhero TV Series never made?
Dock-Ock10 July 2003
Dr.Strange carries forward the legacy initiated by Kenneth Johnson on The Incredible Hulk Television Series and Pilot Movies. It takes a serious approach to the superhero genre, and reconstructs it for television. So with Dr.Strange, Writer/Director Philip De Guerre dispenses with alot of the important elements that made Stan Lee's/Steve Ditko's original Strange Tales Dr.Strange comic book stories so unique and exciting for a whole generation of readers, and comes up with a fresh approach for the times {1970's} and the climate {Network Television}. What is so amazing is that it works on almost every level.
Gone from the TV version of Dr Stephen Strange, is the arrogant, haunted persona so familiar with readers of Marvel comics. In its place is a man with a destiny to encompass the mystic arts. Perhaps a forerunner to the Highlander Movies, TV series and cartoons? What we have is a sincere, likeable sweet lead character akin more to Bill Bixby's performance of Dr David Banner. Strange is superbly played and realised by Peter Hooten. Hootens performance is refreshing with what was the norm on TV at the time. Hooten is ably backed up by the sinister Jessica Walter as Morgan Le Fay, and the evergreen John Mills as Thomas Lindmer {replacing the character of the Great One from the Marvel series}. Lindmer is a character reminiscent to Sean Connery's Ramirez in the aforementioned Highlander movies. Hooten and Mills share some genuine screen chemistry together and this movie serves as a fascinating glimpse as to what could have been had a series been commisioned.
The transfer from comics to TV is quite well realised despite the obvious limits of a TV budget. The production design, especially of those of the nightmare realms and Lindmers Castle are very efficient as is the near perfect realisation of Dr. Stranges costume from the comics pages {i actually prefer the TV Movie version}. On the down side the plot is a little cumbersome and slow burning. There doesn't seem to be too much movement, and the plot isn't too involving. It would perhaps have been a better idea to have incorporated more elements from the comics into a pliot movie of Strange's exploits.I think a good example of how fantasy can work on TV is Bill Bixby's The Magician TV series and pilot movie. Also, the special effects at times do look cheesy.Despite this, Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street seems to have incorporated alot of this movies elements into its screenplay, IE, people being haunted, killed or possesed from within a dream state, and a saviour entering that realm.
Having watched the movie again recently, it was nice to see the innocence in the movie. I can see how the occult theme may have been offensive at the time. But with the spot on performances, tight direction and nicely toned humour,{watch out for a neat cameo by Magician Larry Anderson at the end of the film} watching the film again only serves to re-emphersise my opinion that Dr.Strange was the greatest superhero TV Series NEVER made.
Gone from the TV version of Dr Stephen Strange, is the arrogant, haunted persona so familiar with readers of Marvel comics. In its place is a man with a destiny to encompass the mystic arts. Perhaps a forerunner to the Highlander Movies, TV series and cartoons? What we have is a sincere, likeable sweet lead character akin more to Bill Bixby's performance of Dr David Banner. Strange is superbly played and realised by Peter Hooten. Hootens performance is refreshing with what was the norm on TV at the time. Hooten is ably backed up by the sinister Jessica Walter as Morgan Le Fay, and the evergreen John Mills as Thomas Lindmer {replacing the character of the Great One from the Marvel series}. Lindmer is a character reminiscent to Sean Connery's Ramirez in the aforementioned Highlander movies. Hooten and Mills share some genuine screen chemistry together and this movie serves as a fascinating glimpse as to what could have been had a series been commisioned.
The transfer from comics to TV is quite well realised despite the obvious limits of a TV budget. The production design, especially of those of the nightmare realms and Lindmers Castle are very efficient as is the near perfect realisation of Dr. Stranges costume from the comics pages {i actually prefer the TV Movie version}. On the down side the plot is a little cumbersome and slow burning. There doesn't seem to be too much movement, and the plot isn't too involving. It would perhaps have been a better idea to have incorporated more elements from the comics into a pliot movie of Strange's exploits.I think a good example of how fantasy can work on TV is Bill Bixby's The Magician TV series and pilot movie. Also, the special effects at times do look cheesy.Despite this, Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street seems to have incorporated alot of this movies elements into its screenplay, IE, people being haunted, killed or possesed from within a dream state, and a saviour entering that realm.
Having watched the movie again recently, it was nice to see the innocence in the movie. I can see how the occult theme may have been offensive at the time. But with the spot on performances, tight direction and nicely toned humour,{watch out for a neat cameo by Magician Larry Anderson at the end of the film} watching the film again only serves to re-emphersise my opinion that Dr.Strange was the greatest superhero TV Series NEVER made.
TV Strange
BandSAboutMovies6 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Stan Lee said of his experience with the 70s live action Marvel films, particularly Dr. Strange, "I probably had the most input into that one. I've become good friends with the writer/producer Phil DeGuere. I was pleased with Dr. Strange and The Incredible Hulk. I think that Dr. Strange would have done much better than it did in the ratings, except that it aired opposite Roots. Those are the only experiences I've had with live action television. Dr. Strange and The Incredible Hulk were fine. Captain America was a bit of a disappointment, and Spider-Man was a total nightmare."
Director and writer DeGuere was crushed when this series wasn't picked up and all we got was the TV movie, but he ended up creating Simon and Simon, so he did alright.
Morgan Le Fay (Jessica Walter, who was in Play Misty for Me and Arrested Development and this is not anywhere near those) possesses Clea (Eddie Benton, Prom Night, The Boogens) and has her shove Earth's Sorcerer Supreme Thomas Lindmer (John Mills) off a bridge. He survives and Clea ends up being cared for by Dr. Stephen Strange (Peter Hooten, 2020 Texas Gladiators, Just a Damned Soldier and most importantly, Night Killer), who has magical powers inherited from his father, which leads Lindmer and his friend Wong (Clyde Kusatsu) to meet Strange and teach him the path that he really should be on. I mean, why help people deal with mental illness when you can battle the demon Balzaroth (Ted Cassidy, who wasn't just Lurch, he was also the voice of Galactus on the first Fantastic Four cartoon and the narrator of the original opening to The Incredible Hulk).
Le Fay and Clea are both interested in Strange, which leads the Nameless One to threaten Le Fay with old age if she doesn't destroy the young magic user. She sends the shadow form of Asmodeus - a Ghost Rider villain - to capture Lindmer and lure Strange into her trap. She attempts to seduce him and fails. Then, Strange accepts the responsibility of being the new Sorcerer Supreme.
After all that - and despite being abandoned by the Nameless One and becoming wrinkled and aged, Le Fay is on TV as a self-help star, teasing the series that was never made.
This is a pretty slow moving movie, but as a kid, I loved it, because I just wanted more comic book stuff on TV. It would have been nice to see where the TV show would have gone.
Here's a strange trivia question: Who is the first Marvel supervillain to be adapted to live action?
Yes, the villainess of this movie, Morgan LeFay. The Arthurian villainess was one of Spider-Woman's main enemies and somehow, she beat every other villain to the screen.
Sure, she acts a bit more like Umar, the daughter of Dormammu, but there you go.
Director and writer DeGuere was crushed when this series wasn't picked up and all we got was the TV movie, but he ended up creating Simon and Simon, so he did alright.
Morgan Le Fay (Jessica Walter, who was in Play Misty for Me and Arrested Development and this is not anywhere near those) possesses Clea (Eddie Benton, Prom Night, The Boogens) and has her shove Earth's Sorcerer Supreme Thomas Lindmer (John Mills) off a bridge. He survives and Clea ends up being cared for by Dr. Stephen Strange (Peter Hooten, 2020 Texas Gladiators, Just a Damned Soldier and most importantly, Night Killer), who has magical powers inherited from his father, which leads Lindmer and his friend Wong (Clyde Kusatsu) to meet Strange and teach him the path that he really should be on. I mean, why help people deal with mental illness when you can battle the demon Balzaroth (Ted Cassidy, who wasn't just Lurch, he was also the voice of Galactus on the first Fantastic Four cartoon and the narrator of the original opening to The Incredible Hulk).
Le Fay and Clea are both interested in Strange, which leads the Nameless One to threaten Le Fay with old age if she doesn't destroy the young magic user. She sends the shadow form of Asmodeus - a Ghost Rider villain - to capture Lindmer and lure Strange into her trap. She attempts to seduce him and fails. Then, Strange accepts the responsibility of being the new Sorcerer Supreme.
After all that - and despite being abandoned by the Nameless One and becoming wrinkled and aged, Le Fay is on TV as a self-help star, teasing the series that was never made.
This is a pretty slow moving movie, but as a kid, I loved it, because I just wanted more comic book stuff on TV. It would have been nice to see where the TV show would have gone.
Here's a strange trivia question: Who is the first Marvel supervillain to be adapted to live action?
Yes, the villainess of this movie, Morgan LeFay. The Arthurian villainess was one of Spider-Woman's main enemies and somehow, she beat every other villain to the screen.
Sure, she acts a bit more like Umar, the daughter of Dormammu, but there you go.
Excellent movie about a sorcerers apprentice
POODY20 April 1999
A tv pilot that should have been a series. The christian coalition boycotted this excellent portrayal of demonology. The sponsors decided it was too controversial to air as a serial, A real shame, the suspense and eerie soundtrack made for excellent viewing...
Nice Marvel TV-movie with the flair of the 70's
Logan San12 January 2004
Warning: Spoilers
It's a nice piece of Marvel-mystery, though not really true to the characters, but which Marvel movie is or ever will be? (In all Movies in the new century - including Blade - they have changed major things!)
The costumes were nice, but especially in the cases of Dr. Strange and Clea I would have loved to see the original comic-costumes...
*** SPOILER ***
It seems to be, that they have made two characters out of Dr. Strange: An old and wise version called Thomas Lindmer (played perfectly by John Mills) who hires the younger Dr. Strange (played by Peter Hooten), who's a little Playboy like, I must admit.
One word about "The Nameless One". I only knew of the Nameless OneS in the Dark Dimension, though I don't think, they are meant. Yes, Dormammu comes up to mind, but there is something more ancient and elder evil in this being!!! :) Could it be one of the elder gods: Chthon (formerly known as the Other)?!? ...because Morgan LeFey once conjured him up, but he was waaaaay to powerful for her, so she send him back to the domain, where he had come from... It seems, in this movie, Morgan hadn't so much luck! *g*
And for me it appears that Chthon made another appearance in a Marvel Movie: Blade I !!!...La Magra, the Blood-God which is summoned through rites of the vampire bible is in my opinion another movie adaption of Chthon, who not only made the Darkhold (a book with arcane black magic rites [like the vampire bible in the movie], as his touchstone to the earth plane) but is therefore ultimately responsible for all vampires at earth, because the first vampire was created by not completing an exorcism rite to an atlantean sorcerer (see Varnae, another character-adaption to movie, I think! See Overlord Eli Damaskinos of the second Blade movie) inscribed in the Darkhold! Though many have made an attempt to summon Chthon through the Darkhold, few have succeeded in it (and jet fewer survived it *eg*).
*** END SPOILER ***
So I give this movie a 7 out of 10, because for the time it was made quite well! It's on par with the Punisher movie I think and really better then the the never released Fantastic Four movie (it's available on eDonkey). But if you really like to see bad Marvel movies, go and watch Howard the Duck or even worse: Kull the Conqueror !!!
Logan San
The costumes were nice, but especially in the cases of Dr. Strange and Clea I would have loved to see the original comic-costumes...
*** SPOILER ***
It seems to be, that they have made two characters out of Dr. Strange: An old and wise version called Thomas Lindmer (played perfectly by John Mills) who hires the younger Dr. Strange (played by Peter Hooten), who's a little Playboy like, I must admit.
One word about "The Nameless One". I only knew of the Nameless OneS in the Dark Dimension, though I don't think, they are meant. Yes, Dormammu comes up to mind, but there is something more ancient and elder evil in this being!!! :) Could it be one of the elder gods: Chthon (formerly known as the Other)?!? ...because Morgan LeFey once conjured him up, but he was waaaaay to powerful for her, so she send him back to the domain, where he had come from... It seems, in this movie, Morgan hadn't so much luck! *g*
And for me it appears that Chthon made another appearance in a Marvel Movie: Blade I !!!...La Magra, the Blood-God which is summoned through rites of the vampire bible is in my opinion another movie adaption of Chthon, who not only made the Darkhold (a book with arcane black magic rites [like the vampire bible in the movie], as his touchstone to the earth plane) but is therefore ultimately responsible for all vampires at earth, because the first vampire was created by not completing an exorcism rite to an atlantean sorcerer (see Varnae, another character-adaption to movie, I think! See Overlord Eli Damaskinos of the second Blade movie) inscribed in the Darkhold! Though many have made an attempt to summon Chthon through the Darkhold, few have succeeded in it (and jet fewer survived it *eg*).
*** END SPOILER ***
So I give this movie a 7 out of 10, because for the time it was made quite well! It's on par with the Punisher movie I think and really better then the the never released Fantastic Four movie (it's available on eDonkey). But if you really like to see bad Marvel movies, go and watch Howard the Duck or even worse: Kull the Conqueror !!!
Logan San
Amazingly Bad Comic Movie! Avoid at all Costs, True Believers...
bek-1227 February 2000
Wow, that was a horrible 1.5 hours of my time. I didn't expect Saving Private Ryan, but neither did I expect this to be one of the worst movies of all time. I think the worst thing about this is that if they had changed the name of the characters, I wouldn't have recognized this movie as Dr. Strange. No character resembles the comics characters, and the actors are horrible. This is the one of the worst movies I've ever seen (right down there with Crazy Six and Spaced Invaders). The Punisher was much better, if that tells you anything. I give this one a 2 out of 10 stars. AVOID!
On Balance, A Great Flick
shaman-723 October 2000
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!
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!
Dr. Strange: On par with the remake, not that it's a good thing
Platypuschow19 August 2017
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
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
Doctor on Call
kapelusznik1822 May 2016
****SPOILERS**** Never making it beyond being a pilot for an upcoming TV series on the CBS TV network "Doctor Strange"-If you didn't know about him from "Marvel Comics -first comes across as a "Ben Casey" Doctor Kildare" 1960's TV medical series until the doctor on call Doctor Stephen Strange, Peter Hooten, realizes that he's here on earth not only to save lives but the entire planet from the red eyed and creepy looking "Nameless One",David Hooks. It's that "Nameless One" who sent out one of his or its flunkies Morgan Le Fay, Jessica Walters, from the depths of Hell to do in the old "Wizard of Good & Plenty" whom the handsome and youthful Doctor Strange , after he checks out for good, is to replace.
Of course Doctor Strange has no ideas of what's going on in the movie until one of his patients Clea Lake, Eddie Benton, whom Morgan used to try to kill the Old Wizard, by pushing him over a highway overpass, spills the beans of what Morgan and her master the "Nameless One" are really up to. Which he at first foolishly dismisses as just pure hokum & hallucinations. It's when Doctor Strange meets the Old Wizaed and his faithful manservant Wong, Clyde Kusatsu, that he finally finds out what its all about and goes along with the program or script. That of him eventually taking over the Old Wizard's work by replacing him. As the one who'll keep the "Nameless One" from conquering the world and making it a living hell for everyone, man woman child as well as animal and plant life, living in it!
***SPOILERS*** Strange as it sounds the film ends on a down note with the defeated Morgan Le Fay coming back from the dead or was it Hell hawking herself as some kind of self help Guru on TV with Doctor Strange and the by now totally cured Clea not at all recognizing her. Were soon given the impression that there's more to come with a TV series "The Amazing and Strange adventures of Doctor Strange" soon to hit the small tube. That of course didn't happen and now some 38 years later-in 2016-we can all gratefully assume that it never will!
Of course Doctor Strange has no ideas of what's going on in the movie until one of his patients Clea Lake, Eddie Benton, whom Morgan used to try to kill the Old Wizard, by pushing him over a highway overpass, spills the beans of what Morgan and her master the "Nameless One" are really up to. Which he at first foolishly dismisses as just pure hokum & hallucinations. It's when Doctor Strange meets the Old Wizaed and his faithful manservant Wong, Clyde Kusatsu, that he finally finds out what its all about and goes along with the program or script. That of him eventually taking over the Old Wizard's work by replacing him. As the one who'll keep the "Nameless One" from conquering the world and making it a living hell for everyone, man woman child as well as animal and plant life, living in it!
***SPOILERS*** Strange as it sounds the film ends on a down note with the defeated Morgan Le Fay coming back from the dead or was it Hell hawking herself as some kind of self help Guru on TV with Doctor Strange and the by now totally cured Clea not at all recognizing her. Were soon given the impression that there's more to come with a TV series "The Amazing and Strange adventures of Doctor Strange" soon to hit the small tube. That of course didn't happen and now some 38 years later-in 2016-we can all gratefully assume that it never will!
Of its era
mandysa3326 July 2016
The only thing I would add to the other reviews is the constant musical bombardment of this movie does tend to grate after a while...because it needs to set the emotional content that the film on its own lacks...(Sir) John Mills was wasted on this and he probably knew this so never pulled any weight for his allotted time on screen...the women leads were quite effective in their parts but the leading man looked a little discombobulated or meh about the whole enterprise... Should have been made by Hammer Horror...they would have sorted this endearing 70s mess...but at least I have now a base to measure the modern version by... lol
Pretty good for its time.
Ceronomus2 May 2021
(1977) Spider-Man
(1977) The Incredible Hulk
(1977) The Incredible Hulk: Death in the Family
(1878) Doctor Strange
(1979) Captain America
(1979) Captain America II: Death Too Soon
This was the "MCU" of the 1970s. As a kid,, I ate these up. Of them, Spider-Man and the Hulk went on to be series, the other entries did not. Spider-Man ran on Wednesday nights, and wasn't particularly good - the Hulk? Well everyone knows about how well THAT series did. In the case of Doctor Strange, it is particularly disappointing that it never jumped to a series, as it really was the next best entry after the Incredible Hulk.
Certainly, this tv movie has its issues, Dr. Strange being inexplicably transformed from a surgeon into a psychiatry resident among them. The effects are, of course, dated and we don't get a classic Dr. Strange villain - but that is the case with all of the other Marvel tv films of the era. What we do get though, is a well costumed, decent portrayal of the titular hero and a throwaway portrayal of his love interest Clea.
If you are a fan of the character of Doctor Strange, this little oddity is worth a watch. If your exposure to the character is limited to the FAR superior film with Benedict Cumberbatch, you will be disappointed. There is no fair way to compare the two. One is a failed pilot and the other a modern cinematic blockbuster. But, if you go into this with realistic expectations, you will find yourself enjoy it.
This was the "MCU" of the 1970s. As a kid,, I ate these up. Of them, Spider-Man and the Hulk went on to be series, the other entries did not. Spider-Man ran on Wednesday nights, and wasn't particularly good - the Hulk? Well everyone knows about how well THAT series did. In the case of Doctor Strange, it is particularly disappointing that it never jumped to a series, as it really was the next best entry after the Incredible Hulk.
Certainly, this tv movie has its issues, Dr. Strange being inexplicably transformed from a surgeon into a psychiatry resident among them. The effects are, of course, dated and we don't get a classic Dr. Strange villain - but that is the case with all of the other Marvel tv films of the era. What we do get though, is a well costumed, decent portrayal of the titular hero and a throwaway portrayal of his love interest Clea.
If you are a fan of the character of Doctor Strange, this little oddity is worth a watch. If your exposure to the character is limited to the FAR superior film with Benedict Cumberbatch, you will be disappointed. There is no fair way to compare the two. One is a failed pilot and the other a modern cinematic blockbuster. But, if you go into this with realistic expectations, you will find yourself enjoy it.
Dr. Crap
ThunderKing613 February 2021
"The universe is love. That you shall have."
Hey_Sweden30 January 2017
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.
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.
Lazy, tepid, tedious and a wasted opportunity.
alexanderdavies-993821 July 2017
The character of Dr. Strange is one of the most popular in "Marvel Comics." His superpowers consist of white magic and Sorcerery. There have been some terrific stories from his own comic book and the character's 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 gives a 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 Jessica Walters who plays the evil female Sorcerer. The main problems with "Dr. Strange," is that the plot is boring, there is a 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 any 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, even in those days. A thoroughly wasted opportunity.
Great!
AnnaPagrati31 August 2021
Talated magicians.
chubarova3 August 2019
What can you say about this film? There is no point in 2019 to evaluate the schedule, which was in 1978. Therefore I will tell only about a plot. The plot turned out to be extremely interesting, though simple. Morgana was great, so was the doctor. cons have movie, too, there is. Vaguely shown Ancient and Wong, as well as the entire Sanctum Sanctorum. I put the film 6 out of 10.
What, The Series Never Happened? Unshocking!
bigverybadtom23 November 2023
Our class got shown this video in high school, as a lesson in magical entertainment and symbolism (black cats, etc.) The TV movie was meant to be a pilot for a regular TV series based on the Dr. Strange character from Marvel Comics, but the series never happened. Not a surprise really.
The story is about a Grand Sorcerer nearing the end of his lifespan, and psychiatrist Dr. Stephen Strange happens to be the one suited to be his successor, due to some artifacts Dr. Strange has inherited, but Dr. Strange is unaware of all this. Meanwhile, a sorceress is told by an evil entity she has three days to scuttle this succession or be turned into an old hag. The sorceress takes over a woman who becomes a patient of Dr. Strange.
The quality of special effects and performances are very average for a 1970's TV movie, and the story proves quite predictable, except for Dr. Strange's prank at the end. Only watch if you have nothing else to do.
The story is about a Grand Sorcerer nearing the end of his lifespan, and psychiatrist Dr. Stephen Strange happens to be the one suited to be his successor, due to some artifacts Dr. Strange has inherited, but Dr. Strange is unaware of all this. Meanwhile, a sorceress is told by an evil entity she has three days to scuttle this succession or be turned into an old hag. The sorceress takes over a woman who becomes a patient of Dr. Strange.
The quality of special effects and performances are very average for a 1970's TV movie, and the story proves quite predictable, except for Dr. Strange's prank at the end. Only watch if you have nothing else to do.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
