Director
Scott Derrickson and Marvel Studios President
Kevin Feige previewed 15 minutes of
Doctor Strange in Burbank, California last night for the press and some lucky audience members. The footage description, which comes courtesy of
CBR, has now made its way online, and highlights several key scenes from the film, along with a few surprises.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!
In the first sequence, Strange is revealed to be uninterested in saving individual lives, as he declines to help Rachel McAdams’ Christine Palmer in the ER. Though they no longer seem to be a couple, he invites her to his next speaking engagement, an invitation she declines. “They were never about us,” she tells him. “They were about you.” That readily apparent self-centeredness brings upon Strange a life-changing accident.
After a fade to black, Strange enters the chambers of the Ancient One — and immediately dismisses her mystical view of the universe. Glimpsed in previous trailers and footage, the full sequence unveils more of the film’s decidedly trippy nature as Strange sees the Earth from orbit and beautiful Ditko-esque levels of existence. Snapping from place to place in odd directions may be a little disorienting in 3D, but it seems to be the desired effect. In one of these curious realities, Strange is confronted by hands growing from his fingers and hands growing from the fingers of those newly grown hands until he is enveloped by them.
Though they were plenty convincing when screened at Comic-Con, the completed sequence underlines why Strange immediately says “teach me” upon returning to the Ancient One. And train he does in the subsequent clips, learning to accumulate energies and project alterations to the physical world. He also meets Wong, who is unimpressed when Strange compares his one-word name to Adele and Aristotle. In a subsequent scene, Strange tells Wong people used to find him funny. Wong’s response: “That worked for you?”
Wong he also tells Strange that while the Avengers may protect the Earth from physical threats, the Ancient One and her disciples create a shield around the planet from different kinds of threats. At this point, Kaecilius finally makes his presence known as the preview replaces dialogue for frenetic moments of mystical energy fights, folding cities and Strange confronting a mysterious entity in some obscure dimension. But it all culminates with Strange and Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) attempting to flee from Kaecilius as he folds New York around them. Missing portal after portal, the pair eventually smack into the side of a bus, in which a familiar face (Stan Lee) is reading a book on metaphysics.
Following the screening, director Scott Derrickson informed the press that the preview was meant to represent all aspects of the film. Derrickson clarified that nothing "weird" was inserted for the sake of it.
“Nothing in [the film] is weird to be weird; it’s all part of the storytelling,” he said.
Derrickson also confirmed that the magic featured in the film will indeed be separate from the "advanced science" alluded to in the
Thor films.
“Magic is another thing,” he explained.
“And what makes magic feel magical is the mystery. It’s its own unique multi-dimensional realm.” Initially,
Thor and its sequel pigeonholed magic as "science we just don't understand yet," but Derrickson and Marvel didn't want to detract from what made Doctor Strange special.
“What’s the fun in that? I want to be reminded [by movies] that the world was a more magical place than I thought it was.”
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