It was clear from the very first trailer that Doctor Strange was going to be a superhero movie like no other, and not just because it stars universal bae Benedict Cumberbatch. It turns out Doctor Strange is not just going to be special because of its storytelling, the movie's visuals are going to be out of this world. In fact, Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige recently told Collider Doctor Strange must be seen in 3-D.
Lots of movies have tried to convince moviegoers that they just had to be seen in 3-D, but let's be real, more often than not 3-D is a headache inducing experience that leaves you wishing you had saved your money. That is not likely to be the case with Doctor Strange and his quest to become an actual sorcerer. The need for the movie to be seen in 3-D is built right into its DNA, and the real struggle is not justifying releasing Doctor Strange in 3-D, it is making the movie work in 2-D. That's kind of a big deal, guys.
"There are sequences of the film that 3-D is actually necessary to tell the dimensional story that is happening through visuals, and we’re now finding ourselves in VFX reviews going, 'OK, we know this is perfect for 3-D, this is built for 3-D, but the story’s gotta work in 2-D so how do we adjust it so it still works in 2-D?'" Feige told Collider. Excuse me, my excitement level just flew off the charts.
While there is still a good deal of mystery surrounding Doctor Strange's story, the trailers have put forward some dimension bending images that could finally make 3-D tickets worth paying for. There is an Inception feel to watching cities fold into themselves, and the training sessions have a gravity defying beauty all their own. Doctor Strange is rooted in magic, and while magic is cool in 2-D, it has the potential to be completely mind blowing in 3-D.
It seems Doctor Strange will be travelling between dimensions, and the effects that go along with his journeys are intricate. There is a kaleidoscope motif running throughout the latest trailer emphasizing the way dimensions are layered upon each other. Rendering the imagery in 2-D is certainly possible, but the footage has been clearly crafted with a more visually challenging storytelling device in mind.
Check out the trailer again and imagine seeing the city turning itself inside out in 3-D or watching Strange hop through portals. I promise you, the cool factor is way too real.
You can totally see what Feige means. Doctor Strange is going to be a wholly unique movie-going experience and well worth any 3-D glasses induced headaches if it means seeing Cumberbatch bend time and space to his will.
Images: Marvel; Giphy