TV REVIEW
'The Falcon and The Winter Soldier' Is An Intense Yet Uneven Continuation To MCU's Phase 4
By Sal LoCicero | May 5, 2021
Disney+ Original Series’ ‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’ has come to end (at least this season has). This show takes place months after the events of ‘Avengers Endgame’, when Steve Rogers aka Captain America decides to hand his shield over to Sam Wilson aka Falcon. When Sam decides to let the shield go and let it be used as memorabilia in a museum, Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier does not agree with Sam’s decision. This causes the two to butt heads with each other.
For those who were big fans of ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ and ‘Captain America: Civil War’, you will enjoy this show. Unlike most MCU movies, this is grounded in reality. It is even more realistic and gritty than the two Captain America films. Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes get placed in this reality that each and everyone of us face in our own ways everyday.
This show also has a lot of commentary on many different subjects, with one of them focusing on race in America. We get a lot of commentary on Sam Wilson, his background, people like him who have suffered a torturous life, and the weight that is put on him when he becomes the symbol of America. Many viewers have been triggered by this decision from the creator Malcolm Spellman, however Spellman inserts those conversations in an accurate way. He doesn’t vomit all of it out in one episode, he takes time doing so with each episode while also focusing on many other situations that are major throughout this season.
The chemistry between Bucky and Sam are reminiscent of action packed buddy comedies; especially ‘Hobbs and Shaw’ which came out only two years ago. They fight with one another, push each other’s buttons, and are forced to become a team. This aspect is the best part of the entire season. Their interactions with one another are hilarious. Wyatt Russell as John Walker does such a fantastic job at playing this part (so much that he received death threats from fans). Daniel Brühl as Baron Zemo is a surprisingly likable character, even though he destroyed the Avengers in ‘Civil War. This is where the show’s flaws come into play. Even though Zemo was the antagonist of ‘Civil War’ and killed T’Chaka, they disguise him as a good guy.
The writing is very good when it comes to most of the characters and the story, however if you took each episode of the season and made it into one movie, it would be a disaster due to how extremely uneven it is. In one episode we get a semi-Mission Impossible action sequence with The Falcon, then in another episode, we get a fun neon stylized episode. Then the show turns itself into a political thriller when a character goes berserk. This show wants to be so many different things. It wants to be funny, action packed, dramatic, disturbing, realistic, stylistic, and adventurous. All of that is great, however it is impossible to fit all of those tones with one another.
There are some standout episodes here and there, just like the previous Disney+ Original Series’ ‘WandaVision’. But these shows do not have the same rewatchability as all of the movies do. They are completely different from the movies; which is either good or bad for some.
‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’ is the continuation of the legacy of Captain America that some comic book fans will enjoy, but others may not.
Grade: B-
What are your thoughts?
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