Vidit Bhargava
I’m not a big fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Marvel movies that are good are good because they have something to say, and do so in a format that is far more approachable than any other drama. I loved Black Panther, I thoroughly enjoyed the original Iron Man but I don’t really enjoy the mass market entertainers that the Avenger’s films are. The constant need to create an ever expanding cinematic universe only seems like a big money grab. “You liked this one movie? You must watch all others to make sense of this next one.” It’s a terrible way to make people watch your stories, it’s a great way to make money. But I digress, for now I wanted to write about Marvel’s latest offering, WandaVision. A nine-episode show presented as a Disney+ Original. Instead of something you’d have to go to a theatre to watch.
WandaVision’s uniqueness and perhaps its biggest strength, is its storytelling, it’s the way it masterfully integrates with the episodic format to tell the story it wants to, is an amazing testament to how creatively the medium can be utilised. This is what kept me coming back to the show. It’s smartly written, ties in what seem like random, disjoint events and leads the show to a climax where, even though predictable, sets up the good narrative that crescendos towards a probing end. It’s good to see Marvel asking questions like the one it tries to ask with WandaVision and they almost pull it off.
Almost. Marvel’s urge of compulsively tying everything into the MCU acts as a double edged sword here. On one occasion the tethering to a previous movie’s events gives them room to be even more creative and lead the show to a place where they do. But on another occasion it completely takes the show off the rails with the consistent foreshadowing of future content. It’s a shame that the show ends in the way it does. A subplot involving Vision trying to figure out a popular paradox barely does much to restore the depth that the show is stripped of when it gets over ambitious with its “universe expansion project”. It’s a pity to see such an exceptional show fall so steeply in its last two episodes.
This sharp linkage to previous works makes me wonder, just how important this Marvel Cinematic Universe strategy is for Marvel. Is it more important than the story it’s trying to present? Sometimes it’s best to focus on telling a story, not creating a world where other stories can spurt out. And that’s my biggest gripe with these shows and movies, it’s hard not to look at it as a corporate money grab, even when the art tries to shine so much brighter. At the end of the day, they really just want you to come back and watch what happens in the next one they just showed you a glimpse off, is it not? Alas, it seems like such strategies are here to stay until the public tells them otherwise.
In terms of acting, the usual suspects are effortless, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda, and Paul Bettany as Vision are dependable. I particularly enjoyed watching Kat Dennings (Darcy Lewis), Randall Park (Jimmy Woo), and Teyonah Parris (Monica Rambeau); the trio give some of the shows best moments. It’s a pity we don’t see them often in other Marvel movies. (Sign me up for a Darcy Lewis spin-off!)
WandaVision had a lot of promise, far too much for its own good. And when it all comes crashing in the final episodes, the steep decline is so much more disappointing. Sadly, I’ll remember WandaVision for what could’ve been Marvel’s most innovative content in years only to be squandered by an overly ambitious MCU expansion strategy. Move beyond the MCU and Marvel’s content may be fun again.
Rating: ★★★☆☆
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