Complacency is the death of creativity. Though many are aware of this fact, few strive to relate it to entertainment. Whether something to mindlessly watch or a masterwork of the human mind, the corporation just wants to head home for the night with more money than they spent. So, behind the trends as usual, let’s discuss some “assembly-line whimsy” that The Mouse - Disney- has cooked up. The Mandalorian, despite its many flaws, had a number of memorable setpieces, and cheesy action props that were a joy to fans as well as casual viewers. So when Wandavision was first announced, it was only fair to assume the same: yer another beautiful image, but nothing truly new. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier didn’t even attempt that. It was a Marvel blockbuster through and through, albeit for the small screen. Many viewers watched Wandavision solely because it was Marvel, and the company took full advantage of prior expectations. Those expecting a cheesy callback with some B-list superheroes were quickly treated to a darker undertone in the very first episode. It was incredibly executed, filled to the brim with charm, and I didn’t really like it. The pilot was quirky and decently entertaining, but I was much more intrigued by the opening of Marvel’s next installment. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier opens exactly how you’d expect it to: Action! Character development! Repercussions of the infamous Endgame! While this is all well and good - arguably even more engaging than Wandavision’s setup - it is also premeditated. Of course Marvel fans are going to love this! And that’s ok. But once the viewer dives into the respective shows, it becomes abundantly clear which is more worth your time regardless of its ties to Marvel. In much the same way that The Mandalorian would be toast without its connection to Star Wars, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier wouldn’t exist without the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s - MCU’s - abundant success. Wandavision also relies on the MCU, but for a different purpose. In 2017 the visual novel game Doki Doki Literature Club rocked the horror genre, and the gaming community as a whole, in large part due to its clever marketing and manipulation of audience expectations. Wandvavision employs a similar strategy by leaning into the sitcom/spoof side of the show for around a third of the total runtime before diving fully into the dark truth behind it all. Can one say objectively which of The Mouse’s new forays is better? Never. But what a viewer can easily prove for themselves is that a show doesn’t have to be normal to be good, and that utilizing normalcy in pursuit of creativity can have enchanting results.
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AuthorMcRae Walker, an 20-year-old writer and lover of many dorky topics. Archives
September 2022
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