VisionQuest is set to premiere on Disney+ tomorrow at 6 pm PT/9 pm ET, and following those highly positive social media reactions, the full review embargo has lifted.
While not quite as glowing as the social media reactions, the majority of critics were clearly won over by Marvel Television's latest MCU-set series, and it sounds like VisionQuest serves as a worthy conclusion to two of the streamer's most acclaimed shows, WandaVision and Agatha All Along.
Though the score is sure to fluctuate as more reviews are added, VisionQuest is currently sitting at a not-too-shabby 87% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Paul Bettany and James Spader come in for high praise as the titular synthezoid and the possibly not-quite-so-evil as you might expect Ultron, and most of the reviews note that VisionQuest succeeds in pulling at the heartstrings when it sets out to do so.
From ScreenRant:
"In the wrong hands, this could easily lead to disaster, but Matalas creates something that is greater than the sum of its parts, and continually manages to build beautiful, emotional, and deeply moving character arcs for numerous figures in the narrative, along with incredible twists that land with profound precision, and the story never feels out of control."
On the less positive side, the show is said to feel a little bloated at times, and can drag when it comes to certain characters and their backstories.
From THR.
"Collectively, it amounts to an inordinate amount of the season’s eight hours being spent on people just … explaining things. Occasionally, VisionQuest does this in a clever way, as with an inventive late sequence that borrows from WandaVision‘s sitcom language. But too often, it just means characters sitting around recounting their origin stories, having their origin stories recounted to them, reflecting on what their origin stories mean to each other. Sometimes, for a change of pace, they detour into languorous flashbacks, or literally just watch clips of WandaVision."
Have a read through some of the reviews at the links below, and we'll update as more come in.
"When VisionQuest begins, Vision, rebooted and having escaped from those who sought to weaponize him, has been in hiding. Searching for new meaning, he consults the AI personas embedded in his programming, including F.R.I.D.A.Y., E.D.I.T.H., J.A.R.V.I.S., and the infamous Ultron. His discreet existence ends when a bounty placed on his head thrusts him on the run with Thomas Shepard, a mysterious boy who may be Vision’s son, reincarnate.
As Vision evades capture, he must confront his nature, resist Ultron’s influence, and unravel the enigma that is his young companion if he’s to survive.”
VisionQuest also stars Ruaridh Mollica as Tommy Maximoff/Speed and Thomas Shepherd, Todd Stashwick as Paladin, T’Nia Miller as Jocasta, Lauren Morais as Lisa Molinari, Orla Brady as F.R.I.D.A.Y., Diane Morgan as an associate of Paladin, Polly Frame, Henry Lewis as D.U.M.-E, Jonathan Sayer as U, Emily Hampshire as E.D.I.T.H., and James D’Arcy as J.A.R.V.I.S. Faran Tahir also reprises his Iron Man role as Raza, with Cristian Lavin and Mary McDonnell appearing in undisclosed roles.
The series is directed by Christopher J. Byrne, Gandja Monteiro, Vincenzo Natali, Terry Matalas, and written by Terry Matalas, Cindy Appel, Christopher Monfette, Nicole Falsetti, and Matthew Okumura.