HONEY, I'M HOME! // A REVIEW OF "WANDAVISION"
It's been a long wait, but Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is here! And unlike the past four phases, this one includes, and kicks off with, the television world (or streaming world, however you look at it these days). Marvel has had television series in the past (Agents of Shield, Runaways, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage to name a few) and although each series would hint at the larger cinematic universe, none of them were officially tied to it. Now with WANDAVISION, the first of several Disney+ series planned, the TV and film universes are one world. And since the line-up to Phase Four seems to heavily rely on altered reality and the multiverse, WandaVision is the perfect launching pad.
From the very moment the first episode starts, we can see that it's unlike any other Marvel project to date. For one, it's a sitcom. Specifically, a sitcom from the 1950's. Shades of I Love Lucy hangs all over the black and white pilot which features Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) living the perfect suburban life. They have just moved into the neighborhood and to their neighbors, they are just another couple. Little do they know, Wanda can make things float and fly and Vision is actually a Cyborg. They hide their true identities in a retro sitcom way, much like Bewitched or I Dream of Jeanie. Wanda is a stay at home housewife while Vision works at a local company that does...well, no one actually seems to know what they do there. But Vision is really good at it and since he started, productivity is through the roof! Life seems good.
Yet something is off. Namely, how the hell is this happening? Anyone who's watched the Marvel films knows that Wanda and Vision are superheroes, part of The Avengers and in the giant battle to end all battles with Thanos, Vision was killed. So... how is he here? And why do neither of them seem to remember anything? No questions are answered in the first two episodes, building the series as a slow burn mystery wrapped in a retro shell. Surrounding them are several architype of characters, each building on the weirdness of the world. There's the nosy neighbor Agnes, played to perfection by Kathryn Hahn. There's Vision's boss and wife (Fred Melamed, Debra Jo Rupp) who are part of a very unsettling dinner in the first episode. Several others show up in the second episode, which has a time jump to the 60's yet no one seems to notice.
Yes, Virginia, this is a VERY different Marvel property and it works splendidly. Besides beings a new unique way to tell a superhero story, it's also a legit funny and charming sitcom with two fantastic comedic performances from Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany. Their comic timing is so good you may wonder why they haven't been doing comedic roles for years. A slapstick plotline in the second episode is simply sublime yet under all the comedy is the mystery of what's going on, slowly leaking out through weirdness sprinkled through the plot and strange commercials within the show. In the comics, Wanda can manipulate time and reality, so it's not a far jump to guess that's what may be happening here. But why and who's controlling it all? Set over nine episodes (the first two are now streaming on Disney+), WANDAVISION is the perfect antidote of both the hardcore and novice Marvel fan wanting to see their favorite heroes spin in new directions. And what a direction it is.
GRADE: A
BASED ON CHARACTERS FROM THE MARVEL UNIVERSE CREATED BY Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Roy Thomas SERIES CREATED BY Jac Schaeffer WRITTEN BY Jac Schaeffer, Gretchen Enders DIRECTED BY Matt Shakman STARRING Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Kathryn Hahn, Tayonah Parris, Fred Melamed, Debra Jo Rupp, Emma Caulfield Ford, Asif Ali, David Lengel, Randall Park, Kat Dennings. NOW STREAMING ON DISNEY PLUS