7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Wanda Maximoff and Vision—two superpowered beings living their ideal suburban lives—begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems.
Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Kathryn Hahn, Teyonah Parris, Randall ParkComic book | 100% |
Sci-Fi | 71% |
Action | 51% |
Surreal | 1% |
Dark humor | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1, 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1, 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
WandaVision is a series where even diehard fans of the Marvel Cinematic (and/or Television) Universe may be asking "how did they ever come up with that?", while some more curmudgeonly fans may also be asking, "why didn't they think of that?" vis a vis some gaps in logic which, if not glaring, are at least somewhat effulgent. There is no way to discuss this often remarkable show without "revealing" its underlying premise, which isn't uncovered enough to understand more or less fully until around the third episode, so if there is anyone not already conversant with the kind of gobsmacking conceit that informs this show and who wants to be surprised, proper caution should be exercised in continuing with this review. For everyone else, WandaVision is a kind of gonzo trip through many decades of the American situation comedy, albeit with Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) as, say, Lucy and Desi or Samantha and Darren or Marion and Howard or Elyse and Steven or Lois and Hal or Clair and Phil (to offer salient examples from over the years of broadcast television comedies). That in and of itself gives WandaVision such an outré ambience from the get go that the series is able to generate significant interest simply because it's so weird, but this being the Marvel Cinematic (and/or Television) Universe and all, there's "the rest of the story", so to speak, which starts getting doled out after some introductory "sitcom" episodes and which provides context which, while ostensibly informational, may have a plot hole or two.
WandaVision is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Disney / Buena Vista with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in a variety of aspect ratios, including 2.39:1, 1:78:1 and 1:33:1, indicating in part both the time periods of the sitcoms as well as certain "meta" aspects once the actual context of the story becomes a bit more clear starting around the third episode or so. The series utilized both Arri and Blackmagic cameras and had a 4K DI. This is a really winning presentation on all counts, though those with 4K UHD setups will probably want to opt for that release, since all of the positives of the 1080 version enjoy at least marginal upticks in that version. Detail levels are excellent throughout the series, though I found clarity in the opening black and white episodes to be a little less than optimal occasionally, perhaps exacerbated by what to my eyes looked like a bit too obvious digital grain in the first episode in particular. Once things expand both into color as well as wider aspect ratios, the series really takes off and goes for the gusto both in terms of fantastic production design on practical props and costumes, all of which offer excellent fine detail, as well as some really well done CGI, which actually looks commendably sharp and detailed most of the time. There are some fun effects with regard to the "force field" surrounding the New Jersey town, and in that regard for anyone who has ever wondered what a "moire pattern" is, they show up in abundance as various characters approach the "barrier". The palette becomes increasingly robust as the series continues, and from the 90s on in the sitcom elements in particular and then in the 2.39:1 "meta" sequences it pops pretty consistently.
WandaVision: The Complete Series features a nicely immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, though this is another case where those with 4K and Atmos setups probably should opt for the 4K UHD release of the series, since it offers a well done Dolby Atmos track. There is a bit of missing immersion in the later episodes in particular in the 5.1 track when compared to the Atmos track, but that said, and not to make too much of a joke about it, if you don't know what you're missing, you really won't miss anything, since the 5.1 track offers the same often thrilling engagement of the side and rear channels that the Atmos track does. Surround activity tends to become more and more prominent as the series wends its way through the various decades, and as I noted in the 4K review, the early sitcom episodes tend to be anchored front and center, while the latter episodes, and especially the series finale, ultimately open things up spectacularly, delivering an onslaught of fun effects. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.
Disc One
There are some fundamental questions left unanswered with this admittedly audacious concept, but if you're willing to just go with the flow like any harried sitcom parent, WandaVision is a riot of production design excellence, and it features a number of really winning performances. Some of the subtext involving grief and aching for an unobtainable "happily ever after" may get more than a bit buried in the conceit of the series, but there is a kind of melancholy tune suffusing Wanda's story that gives this nook and/or cranny of the Marvel Multimedia Universe a certain edge. Technical merits are first rate and the supplements very appealing. Recommended.
Collector's Edition
2021
Collectors's Edition
2021
Collector's Edition
2023
2021
2022
2024
Cinematic Universe Edition
2018
2021
2014-2015
2017
2015-2021
Warner Archive Collection
1990-1991
Limited Edition / Reprint
2018
2023
2019
Warner Archive Collection
2019-2020
2008
2023
Marvel Knights
2012
2023
The Richard Donner Cut
1980-2006
2003