WandaVision (2021) Review

Title: WandaVision
Year: 2020
Director: Jac Schaeffer
Country: US
Language: English

In Infinity War, Thanos (Josh Brolin) destroyed Vision (Paul Bettany) in order to gain the Soul Stone and wield the full power of his infinity gauntlet.  Vision's love, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) was forced to watch this horrific act. Despite our heroes allowing everyone to be unsnapped back to existence, Vision remains dead at the end of Endgame. So, if he remains dead then how can he possibly exist in Wanda Vision? Why is the show framed like a Sitcom from the 30's? Why does the trailer show the two in 6 different decades? Such questions will be answered. 

Wanda Maximoff and Vision are two super-powered beings living the ideal suburban life, but things slowly go off the wall & our two heroes suspect not all is what it seems. 

"What is grief if not love preserving?" WandaVision comes in the midst of great loss and suffering around the world. Covid-19 has ripped us from our loved ones before we are ready, and many will have a difficult time coping with their grief in healthy ways. WandaVision's exploration of grief as a process, rather than a one-time event, reminds me of C.S Lewis' A Grief Observed. Both Lewis & this series illustrate grief coming in waves, Lewis notably stating grief is like "a bomber circling round and dropping its bombs."

Marvel Studios has a reputation for producing popcorn pictures that merely exist as escapist entertainment, but WandaVision appears to be the most down-to-earth emotionally vulnerable work they have made yet. The show criticizes our unhealthy desire to dive into entertainment as therapy, because our "escape" can easily become our "prison". Often advertised as a "parody" of television, WandaVision is more a surreal meta-analysis of society akin to Pleasantville. 

WandaVision is a tremendous achievement that succeeds in pushing Marvel Studios towards high art. I'm certain this will be analyzed by academics for years to come. It's a shame that very few MCU projects reach this level of maturity; the show is leaps and bounds more tolerable than Endgame. I hope we see similar shows in upcoming years.