#5: I Finally Started VisionQuest. Here's My Review So Far

In a bit of unfortunate timing, news broke yesterday that the great actor and an even greater man, Sir Patrick Stewart, had passed away. I wasn’t a big Star Trek guy, but I am a die-hard X-Men fan, and I loved him in that franchise. I was also eagerly looking forward to seeing him reprise his role in Avengers: Doomsday this December. It’ll certainly be bittersweet watching him on screen again. My condolences go out to his family. He will truly be missed.

I wanted to pay my respects, as I didn’t feel right talking about something Marvel-related without first acknowledging the news.

I decided to begin watching VisionQuest today after putting it off for a while. I’ll give my most honest opinion of the show so far without spoiling any of the actual plot points.

I binged the first three episodes, each one running about 45–50 minutes. So, not terribly long, but not exactly a small commitment either.

For starters, if it wasn’t already obvious, you should watch WandaVision, or at least read a summary of it, before going into this one, as the new show directly continues its story. VisionQuest briefly skims over the events of WandaVision, but to really appreciate the magnitude of what happened, I would recommend watching it. Not to mention, it’s also a really good show.

Plot & Writing – 9/10

So far, I love it.

Without giving too much away, much of the plot revolves around Vision, an android, being torn over his own humanity and what it means to be human. It explores this question from both a physical and philosophical standpoint.

It’s not so complex that the dialogue becomes unnecessarily convoluted, leaving us to decipher the meaning behind every conversation, but it’s also not so simple that we start to question how much intelligence the writers think their audience has.

The pacing over these first three episodes is good as well. The plot moves forward steadily, the characters are developing nicely, the action is good, and each episode ends with a classic cliffhanger that leaves you wanting more.

If I hadn’t started watching at 10 p.m., I probably could have finished all the available episodes in one sitting.

Acting & Performances – 8.5/10

I’m quite satisfied with the acting performances as well.

I think Paul Bettany as Vision will go down as one of the best casting decisions in Marvel history, right up there with Captain America and maybe a tier below Tony Stark.

Bettany’s calm demeanor, intelligent delivery, and smooth British accent perfectly capture the essence of Vision, in my opinion.

And not to mention, another classic performance from James Spader, who was also seemingly born to voice Ultron. Which, by the way, I’m glad he’s been getting more recognition lately for his performance in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

As for the rest of the cast, I think they’ve performed well too.

My only critique, which is something I’ve noticed in plenty of other shows, is the subtext, or rather, the lack thereof, in some of the supporting characters’ dialogue.

On paper, the acting is great, but some conversations just don’t feel like authentic exchanges I would hear in the real world. It’s hard to explain exactly what feels off, but there’s a certain naturalness missing from a few of the interactions.

A small criticism in an otherwise brilliant show, so I think a respectable 8.5 is fair.

Entertainment & Emotional Impact – 7/10

As a disclaimer, I’m only giving it this score for now because I’m just three episodes in.

It’s undoubtedly entertaining, but being so early in the season, I can only assume there will be more climactic moments, action, and emotionally impactful scenes in the coming episodes.

The action also appears to be somewhat limited by the show’s budget. A lot of the fight scenes seem to be implied rather than shown directly, with some taking place behind foggy glass, for example.

The fight choreography has also been just okay so far. Nothing particularly memorable, but nothing terrible either.

Again, I’ll give it some grace until I’ve watched the rest of the season.

Given the themes of humanity, family, emotion, and identity that this show tackles, I have no doubt that emotional impact will play a bigger role in the later episodes.

So take this rating with a grain of salt. I fully expect it to change.

Overall Recommendation – 10/10

For me, this is shaping up to be one of the better television productions from Marvel Television.

And if you enjoyed the likes of WandaVision or Loki, or are simply a fan of science-fiction dramas paired with superhero action, I would absolutely recommend VisionQuest.

I’m only three episodes in, so I can’t speak for the entire season just yet. But based on what I’ve seen, I have no regrets about starting it, and I’m genuinely looking forward to watching the rest.