‘Doctor Strange’ is due to hit theaters later this week, it’s time to buckle in for the film’s final pre-release marketing push. Moreso than usual, much of that final push from Marvel seems to be devoted to convincing audiences to experience the film in IMAX. Given the additional cost of an IMAX ticket, this is no small ask for many fans, but given what we’ve seen so far, it is certainly shaping up to be worth the extra coin. This is thanks largely to the film’s unique visual style, which emulates the psychedelic art style for which the comics on which it is based are famous.
To that end, Marvel has released a featurette that includes several of the film’s cast along with director Scott Derrickson explaining the ways in which the film benefits from IMAX. The actors largely focus on the scope of the special effects, with Benedict Wong describing it as “a visual feast for the eye” and alluding to the sheer level of detail in many of the effects sequences as he wonders whether or not “you can take that whole visual journey in one sitting”. Most interesting, however, were Derrickson’s remarks. As the director, he is perhaps uniquely qualified to discuss the ways in which IMAX is incorporated into the film. As well as mentioning that there is over an hour of IMAX footage in the movie, Derrickson talks about using the transition between standard and IMAX footage (specifically the differing aspect ratios of the two formats) as a sort of cue to add to the impact of certain shots, adding that he is “very philosophical” regarding the use of IMAX.
You can take a look at the featurette yourself below:
Directed by Scott Derrickson, ‘Doctor Strange’ represents the latest entry in the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe. Set for release on November 4, 2016, the film stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Mads Mikkelsen, Benedict Wong, Rachel McAdams, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.