‘Doctor Strange’: Benedict Cumberbatch Says Movie VFX ‘Phenomenal,’ And Cast Review Of The 3D IMAX Experience
Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange is set to debut this Friday, and the film prides itself on its special effects. The cast and crew have reviewed the benefits of watching the visual effects in 3D IMAX, according to CNN. The trailers offer just a tidbit of the bizarre visual carnage of bending/twisting skyscrapers and the wielding of magic, but the cast of Doctor Strange gave their take on the cinematic format.
Stan Lee surprises families and kids at a special screening of #DoctorStrange! See photos here: https://t.co/6OPJumKDIP pic.twitter.com/1IxLXvSvIE
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) October 23, 2016
The main lead, Benedict Cumberbatch, thinks that 3D IMAX is “the only way to see this film” considering how “beautifully textured and dimensional” the movie is. Benedict Wong says it would behoove some audiences to see it twice to comprehend what they’ve seen the first time.
Cumberbatch gave his take on the visuals.
“What they’ve done with the visual effects in this world is phenomenal.”
According to Wong, there’s a scene where the Ancient One opens Doctor Strange’s third eye, which is probably initially very difficult to take in. This would probably mean a second dose of the Sorcerer Supreme’s journey after the third eye is triggered.
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Director Scott Derrickson says there’s over an hour of IMAX sequences to take in. There is some footage in Doctor Strange that takes place in a wider environment, and the switch over from one to the other is felt via this 3D IMAX experience.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige says that “seeing it in 3D is necessary” to gain an understanding of the dimensional storytelling. He even cited Guardians of the Galaxy as such a project, adding that the 3D experience is seen as a storytelling tool and simply not just a reason to hike up the price of a ticket, according to Slash Film.
“There are other movies like Guardians [of the Galaxy] and Doctor Strange, that will be utterly enhanced in 3D. There are sequences of the film that 3D is actually necessary to tell the dimensional story that is happening, through visuals.”
Not too many studios take advantage of utilizing 3D for a hand in the storytelling process, but considering that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is delving into the multiverse, alternate dimensions, and the supernatural, these terms are pretty analogous for the need of expressing visually to the audience how important it is for them to know the process of manipulating alternate worlds with the use of visuals on screen.
What better way to express this with 3D IMAX special effects, right?
The Doctor Strange movie director referenced the old Steve Ditko visuals in the comics as an inspiration for his cinematic version. He even thought that five years ago, there was no way he could have cinematically captured the full artistry of Ditko’s creation, according to Stuff.
“It was certainly my intention all along to be inspired primarily by that Steve Ditko artwork from the early Strange comics – artwork that is progressive, psychedelically fresh and still cutting-edge. Then, once we figured out where we were going to go ‘full Ditko’ in the movie, my attitude was to make sure that all the other scenes were fresh, innovative and new, but with a 1960s-mindset.”
Retroactively speaking, Ditko’s uniqueness was discovered by Batman artist Jerry Robinson. Ditko had attended the School of Visual Arts in New York. In a recent story by Birth.Movies.Death, a history of Ditko’s discovery was via Batman artist Jerry Robinson. It was then this imagery was first discovered, and the stand-out component was how emotion could be conveyed through his art, especially in the facial expressions.
Well, we wouldn’t want to pick a fight with #DoctorStrange. Watch #BenedictCumberbatch in this new clip: https://t.co/Jp5AEzRX0x pic.twitter.com/aX6tSSUVCc
— IMAX (@IMAX) October 23, 2016
Who better than to convey these emotions than Cumberbatch and a huge slew of big-name actors in the MCU? For the star to portray a character who could take on a transformation between an arrogant neurosurgeon to a hero, Derrickson thought the Doctor Strange lead would need to possess all the characteristics necessary to check all the boxes.
“To play Strange, you have to have high intelligence, be articulate and think critically, but also have a depth of feeling and emotional understanding of humanity. Benedict [Cumberbatch] just seemed like the only actor that I would buy being able to achieve all of those things.”
Doctor Strange is set to debut in theaters this Friday, November 4.
[Featured Image by Richard Shotwell/AP Images]
