Marvel’s VisionQuest is now on Disney+ and, so far, the reviews are mixed, but fair, across the board. This will be an eight-part series that will complete the trilogy started with WandaVision, and most of the reviews are good. Despite this, there have been some outlets to question the storytelling while others’ ratings have varied from lukewarm to enthusiastic. This is a brief example of the critical response as of this writing.
What VisionQuest is
Following the 2021 WandaVision and Agatha All Along of 2024, VisionQuest will be the third installment in a trilogy. Paul Bettany brings back Vision, and James Spader is back as Ultron, the character he took on in 2015. Vision searches for answers to who and what he is, and remembers.
Premiere details
The first two episodes debuted on Disney+ on October 14, the evening of October 13 in the US. There’s an episode scheduled for October 21. The cast, which also features Ruaridh Mollica, Emily Hampshire and Spader, came together at a special premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 12.
The Rotten Tomatoes score
The popularity of the series was running at 85% on 26 reviews and then dropped to 87% on 23 reviews. This page is 84% based on 50 reviews at the time of this writing. A small percentage of the first 30 critics gave a rotten rating, four of them, but it didn’t stop the debate.
The Metacritic picture
Metacritic gives the series a 63, according to Gold Derby. Rotten Tomatoes shows the percentage of positive reviews, and Metacritic shows averages of weighted scores. The 63 indicates a more conservative acceptance rate than the percentage.
Praise for the leads
The most consensus is on the performances. Tom Power of TechRadar gave it a 4/5 rating, calling the chemistry between Bettany and Spader “a jewel. Film Direct’s Alison Rowe also gave four out of five. Those who aren’t fond of the show nonetheless acknowledged that its effectiveness lies in keeping to its main story characters.
The mixed verdicts
Angie Han, from the Hollywood Reporter, gave it a mixed review, saying the show’s too full of ideas with too few ideas. Film critic Jonathan Sim of ComingSoon gave it the much-coveted 7/10 rating, stating that its goals are sometimes above its means but that Vision and Ultron are by no means dead.
The negative reviews
Variety’s Alison Herman commented on the show’s themes of loss, but it does not leave an impression. Rolling Stone’s David Fear gave the series a rotten rating, claiming there is a lack of clear vision in the series. Looper’s Alistair Ryder has given it four out of 10 and it might be the least passionate of the MCU series.
Complaints about complexity
Some critics were thrown off by the complex mythology of the show, Gold Derby said. The second half was a bit scattered, as described by Rowe. It seems a universal disagreement over the story’s ambition is what these comments have in common, even among critics who praised the series.
What comes next
The audience score for the Popcornmeter was 86% when the report was drafted. As more critics and reviews arrive and more episodes air, both scores will continue to fluctuate. The rest of the series will be up to the viewer to decide.
