Marvel Studios revealed dazzling new footage for “Doctor Strange” in full IMAX 3D in a special presentation on select screens Monday night.
In Los Angeles, producer Kevin Feige and director Scott Derrickson were in attendance at the AMC Burbank 16 to introduce the footage to diehard fanboys eager for the 14th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Benedict Cumberbatch appeared in a pre-recorded clip, and said at the beginning of the preview that there’s more than an hours worth of footage that was made specifically for IMAX presentations.
In short, the footage in full IMAX 3D resolution was stunning to behold. It is the perfect format for the film’s Multiverse and is quite the trippy psychedelic thrill ride when Steven Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is first introduced to the multiverse by the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton). The film is in an origin story on how Strange, an arrogant neurosurgeon, becomes The Sorcerer Supreme.
“The comics were special to me because of really two things,” Derrickson said. “The origin story of Stephen Strange and the gauntlet of suffering he goes through, and the way he grows as an individual through that story was always, I thought, the best origin story in the Marvel Comics. And then just the psychedelic trippy visuals of Steve Ditko in those early comics.”
Now here comes the spoiler warning as TheWrap describes the footage, so read on at your own risk.
The footage opens in a Hospital where we first meet surgeon Stephen Strange and Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams). Strange’s arrogance is in full display as he refuses to take on special medical cases because they aren’t “sexy” enough. This being a Marvel film, there are easter eggs and references to prior films, including “The Avengers” and “Captain America: Civil War.
We then see Strange in his flashy sports car driving recklessly on his way to a speaking engagement. Strange gets distracted looking at a patient’s X-Rays, crashes his vehicle, careens off a cliff, and the slow-motion shots from inside the car shows the audience how Strange injures his hands.
The Marvel Studios logo then plays, and we are shown Strange’s first meeting with The Ancient One, who guides Strange in his exploration of his powers to bend reality.
“Have a good trip Mr. Strange,” says the Ancient One as she sends Strange on his first trippy tour through the multiverse, and here is where the IMAX 3D really shines. The audience is given an incredible visual tour of the multiverse which features other dimensions and other realities. It really is something to behold in IMAX 3D. Comparisons to “Inception” and “The Matrix” trilogy are inevitable, specifically because of the reality-bending special effects.
When Strange finally returns back to the physical world, he begs The Ancient One to teach him, and she agrees. We are then shown several clips that we’ve already seen in trailers. There is also a hilarious Stan Lee cameo, which we won’t spoil, but it is sure to generate laughs.
The sneak peek ends with more clips shown in rapid succession, including an extended look at Strange’s climactic battle with Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen).
In conclusion, after being shown only 15 minutes of incredible preview footage, IMAX 3D is the definitive format to see the film.
“Doctor Strange” hit theaters on November 4, 2016.