Song of the Day: Scarlett Johansson — Falling Down

The news has come that Marvel Studios has decided to postpone Black Widow, a film that would have seen the beautiful Scarlett Johansson return in the role of the heroine for a stand alone film set between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers : Infinity War that should have shed light on […]

Black Widow postponed the film with Scarlett Johansson

A mash-up of classic sitcoms and large-scale cinematic action, WandaVision—Marvel Studios’ first series for Disney+—is an ambitious, genre-bending adventure unlike any other. Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany reprise their roles from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), respectively starring as Wanda Maximoff and Vision—super-powered newlyweds trying to blend into suburbia.

How a Disney Legend Added ‘Magic’ to Marvel Studios’ ‘WandaVision’

Back in the day, and I say it weirdly like that on purpose even though I mean only a mere three years ago, I used to do weekly reviews of single episodes of certain shows. More accurately Doctor Who, because that was really the only show I did that for (check out the last review […]

WandaVision: Episode 1 & 2 Review

I think it’s safe to say that we have reached a point to where everything Marvel Studios touches turns to gold. You could say one reason is because the mastermind behind the MCU Kevin Feige and his team of creators have defined the superhero movie genre for an entire generation. For better or for worse, […]

REVIEW: “WandaVision” (2021)

Marvel Studios has a new recap series on Disney+ called Marvel Studios: Legends. The basic gist is that the series will provide six to seven minute refreshers on the MCU’s heroes and villains before their respective Disney+ series debuts on the streaming platform. Last week, episodes on Scarlet Witch and Vision were released to tie […]

‘Marvel Studios: Legends’ Improves Scarlet Witch’s ‘Endgame’ Moment

OK, the title of this post does come off a might hyperbolic, but the feeling is justified among many fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) who have been without any new MCU films in over a year and a half. Of course, this is not the fault of Marvel Studios or even Disney since […]

Memo To Marvel Studios: Release Your Films!

In the 13 years since Iron Man first hit theaters, Marvel Studios has established quite well its ability to nail a big-budget popcorn movie. The proof, outside of gargantuan box office numbers, is right there in those Avengers: Endgame audience reaction videos that circulated last spring; Marvel’s got the best action scenes in the superhero game, and it’s been regularly thrilling fans with that level of spectacle for more than a decade. And yet, with WandaVision — the studio’s very first TV series, premiering Friday, Jan. 15 on Disney+ — Marvel’s proven, perhaps surprisingly, that it can nail a different format entirely: the classic sitcom. In fact, the first three episodes that I’ve seen contain none of the usual Marvel trappings — no fight sequences, no CGI villains — and the result is an intriguing, fresh, genuinely delightful deviation from what we’ve come to expect. WandaVision, as the title suggests, stars Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany as their respective Marvel Cinematic Universe characters. (Among the show’s many mysteries is how Vision can even exist here, given his death in Avengers: Infinity War, but Bettany assures us that will be solved.) For reasons that are unclear but presumably ominous, they’re the protagonists of their very own sitcom; each episode pays homage to beloved comedies from a different decade, all while maintaining an undercurrent — for both viewers and the two main characters — of, “Say, what’s really going on here?” It’s rare to encounter a TV show that remains enjoyable in spite of how little information it gives the audience. The first three episodes offer only hints of what’s behind Wanda and Vision’s bizarro universe, yet it remains compelling in the meantime. WandaVision so perfectly encapsulates the retro sitcoms it’s honoring that even as you’re desperate to know what’s really going on, you can’t help but delight in its main characters’ earnest, old-timey antics. (That said, I have to wonder if the show would have been better suited for a binge release, rather than a weekly one — though it’s obvious why Marvel and Disney+ would want to wring weeks’ worth of discourse out of this show.) Anchoring the series’ unusual premise are excellent, completely committed performances from WandaVision’s cast. Bettany is a gem, bringing a charming goofiness to Vision that he hasn’t been able to showcase in the MCU films, while Kathryn Hahn (Transparent) and Teyonah Parris (Survivor’s Remorse) shine as Wanda and Vision’s new, and nosey, pals in Westview. But the show really belongs to Olsen. In channeling sitcom legends like Lucille Ball and Mary Tyler Moore, the actress delivers as fearless and dazzling a comedic performance as those icons before her, punctuated by Wanda’s wide-eyed worry that something isn’t quite right with her reality. Olsen previously wowed us in her most recent TV project, the now-cancelled (and underrated) Sorry for Your Loss, and it’s a treat to watch her showcase so many skills here. As with any Marvel project, WandaVision is primarily designed with MCU fans in mind, though casual viewers can more or less jump right in with no prior knowledge. (Everyone on this show is confused, too, so that helps.) But don’t let the show’s outside-the-box approach worry you: Yes, WandaVision is unlike anything Marvel has done before — but it turns out that’s a very good thing. THE TVLINE BOTTOM LINE: Featuring magnificent performances and spot-on sitcom homages, WandaVision is a big swing from Marvel Studios that’s as enjoyable as it is risky.

WandaVision Review: Marvel Studios’ First TV Series Is an Ambitious, Refreshing Break From the MCU Norm