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Doctor Mordrid

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Doctor Mordrid
Promotional release poster
Directed byAlbert Band
Charles Band
Written byC. Courtney Joyner
Produced byCharles Band
StarringJeffrey Combs
Jay Acovone
Brian Thompson
Yvette Nipar
CinematographyAdolfo Bartoli
Edited byLauren A. Schaffer
Music byRichard Band
Distributed byFull Moon Entertainment
Paramount Home Video
Release date
  • September 24, 1992 (1992-09-24)
Running time
74 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Doctor Mordrid is a 1992 American superhero film directed by Albert and Charles Band, and starring Jeffrey Combs. The film was originally intended to be an adaptation of Marvel Comics' Doctor Strange, but the studio's rights expired during pre-production. Full Moon elected to still produce the movie, with the character renamed, and enough other changes made to avoid a lawsuit.[1]

Plot

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Anton Mordrid (Combs)[2] is a wizard sent to Earth by a being called the Monitor, to stop the evil wizard Kabal from opening the gate to Hell.[3] Kabal needs the Philosopher's Stone and several alchemical elements to complete the spell and open the gate, unleashing his minions from the Fourth Dimension upon the Earth. Mordrid watches for signs of Kabal's presence for 150 years; as the time of their epic battle approaches, Mordrid assumes the role of a criminal psychologist, and becomes the mysterious landlord to Samantha Hunt, a research consultant to the police.

Dr. Mordrid detects a series of thefts of the elements that Kabal is seeking, and Mordrid begins to search for his nemesis. Samantha is persistent in her attempts to penetrate Mordrid's secretive life. The battle for Earth spills over into the Magic Dimension where the gate is closely guarded by other good wizards. They are no match for Kabal, who defeats all but one of them. This survivor confirms Kabal's plans for Mordrid, and Mordrid returns to Earth to prepare his defenses. When Mordrid is arrested for murder, Samantha attempts to help prove his innocence. Mordrid reveals his true nature and his mission to her, and she agrees to help him escape.

In the final showdown, Kabal and Mordrid do battle within the Cosmopolitan Museum with Kabal animating the Tyrannosaurus skeleton on display to threaten several police officers while he opens the portals to his demonic realm. Mordrid animates a nearby American Mastodon skeleton to battle the dinosaur while he deals with Kabal. Using his wits and his magical power, Mordrid narrowly manages to vanquish Kabal by having the mastodon impale him on its tusk while he's distracted, preventing the destruction of reality as we know it. His mission accomplished, Mordrid is called by The Monitor to cross over once again into the Magic Dimension and leave the Earth behind. Later that year on Christmas, he returns to Earth and spends time with Samantha, inviting her to come with him should he be called away again.

Cast

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  • Jeffrey Combs as Dr. Anton Mordrid
  • Yvette Nipar as Samantha Hunt
  • Jay Acovone as Tony Gaudio
  • Keith Coulouris as Adrian
  • Ritch Brinkley as Gunner
  • Brian Thompson as Kabal
  • Pearl Shear as Sara Golden
  • Murray Rubin as Mr. Berstein
  • Jeff Austin as Detective Levitz
  • John Apicella as Morrie
  • Julie Michaels as Irene
  • Mark Phelan as Officer 1
  • Kenn Scott as Officer 2
  • Scott Roberts as Fireman
  • Steven Marca as Newscaster
  • Jonathan Kruger as Armored Car Driver

Production

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The film was produced by Charles Band and co-directed by Band and his father, Albert Band. It was written by C. Courtney Joyner and released by Full Moon Features.[4] The Bands, which previously made successful B-films such as Robot Jox and Re-Animator, had used their influence to get a license to produce a Doctor Strange film from Marvel Entertainment.[5] Pre-production took long enough that by the start of production, the Bands had lost the license. Rather than scrap what they had done, they rebranded the film as Doctor Mordrid and made changes to the plot to avoid the copyright problems with Doctor Strange.[4]

Some sources claim the movie was never intended to be based on Doctor Strange.[6][better source needed] The main character was reportedly going to be called "Doctor Mortalis" when Empire International Pictures had the project,[7][better source needed] and concept art was created by Jack Kirby.[8]

Legacy

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The film was featured on Season 13 of the cult TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000 on June 10, 2022.[9]

References

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  1. ^ The Little Horror Movie Studio That Refuses to Die - The Ringer
  2. ^ TV Guide
  3. ^ Doom Patrol: 10 Low-Budget Superhero Movies To Watch While Waiting For The New Season|ScreenRant
  4. ^ a b Schlock & Awe: DOCTOR MORDRID, the Knock-Off DOCTOR STRANGE - Nerdist
  5. ^ Williams, Mike (March 31, 2022). "The Legendary Horror Actor Who Played A Doctor Strange Rip-Off". SlashFilm. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  6. ^ "L'étrange histoire du PLAGIAT de DOCTOR STRANGE". YouTube.
  7. ^ "Exploring Doctor Mordrid -The Best "Non-Doctor Strange" Doctor Strange". YouTube.
  8. ^ Collected Jack Kirby Collector, p. 113, at Google Books
  9. ^ Mystery Science Theater 3000 Reveals Season 13 Movies|Collider
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