Inpatient fans might already have an inkling of knowledge about what will happen in the first episode of WandaVision and learned what Darcy Lewis has been up to since Thor: The Dark World , but some critics and outlets have already seen the first three episodes of Marvel Studios' first streaming show.
On Thursday, Steven Weintraub, the editor-in-chief at Collider, let slip that interviews with the cast and crew from outlets would be released over the course of this weekend .
More importantly, the social media embargo for the first three episodes lift this Saturday, with the review embargo lifting on Thursday, January 14, at 9:00 am PST. The first impressions have begun pouring in for WandaVision and they all seem quite promising.
NEWS
Steven Weintraub expresses his love for the first three episodes of WandaVision and how it takes risks.
James Viscardi of ComicBook.com shares his own thoughts , saying that WandaVision shows “restraint” while still offering so much for fans.
Erik Davis, the managing editor of Fandango, says that WandaVision is “truly unlike anything Marvel Studios has done.” Davis also says that fans will “need to adjust their expectations" at the lack of big action scenes typically seen in Marvel Studios productions.
I’ve watched THREE episodes of #WandaVision and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Truly unlike anything Marvel Studios has done — it’s light, funny & fully committed to its retro sitcom inspirations, but it also carefully sprinkles in enough mystery & intrigue to keep you guessing pic.twitter.com/8dqegsg5By
Eric Goldman, the managing editor of Fandom, presses that this show is a big change of pace for Marvel Studios and other superhero stories. Goldman also mentions that the runtime for these three episodes was around 30 minutes each.
Charles Murphy, of Murphy's Multiverse, gives a very in-depth impression , going over the performance of the actors, and more. Here are some excerpts from his reaction to the first three episodes of WandaVision .
Dorian Parks, who owns and runs Geeks of Color, describes WandaVision as “weird as hell,” but in a good way and that Parks can't wait to see how Monica Rambeau showing up will affect the plot.
Jill Pantozzi, deputy editor of io9 at Gizmodo, says that the show is “magical and hysterical.”
Kristen Lopez, TV editor for IndieWire, describes the two stars as “adorable and hilarious.”
Rodrigo Perez, editor-in-chief of The Playlist, had a less than favorable impression of WandaVision , disliking the sitcom setting as a “kinda slog.”
WHAT THIS MEANS
The consensus among critics is that Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany shine in their performances, actually able to stretch their acting muscles with Olsen “essentially playing a different character each episode,” and Bettany allowed to showcase his talent as a comedic actor. It is good to know that the trailers weren't just for show and that Marvel Studios is committed to the sitcom setting, with one critic even warning fans that they shouldn't be expecting much action.
It certainly sounds like a big difference from anything Marvel Studios has done before or anything other studios have done with the superhero genre. It even seems like the earlier episodes will be restricted to 30 minutes, falling in line with Kevin Feige replicating the sitcom experience. At this point, it seems evident that the first six episodes for each sitcom era will be 30 minutes long, with the last three episodes being an hour-long, which would line up to six hours in total.
