The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

****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!

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.

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.)

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!