The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (2021)

Title: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Year: 2021

Genre: Action | Adventure | Drama |

Season: 1 |

Runtime:  50 min

Creator: Malcolm Spellman

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell

7,5/10

Following the events of ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ Sam Wilson/Falcon and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier team up in a global adventure that tests their abilities — and their patience.

LOST IT’S POTENTIAL AFTER THE PILOT

We all know by now that Marvel has become a powerhouse among other studios. It has the money, manpower, and ability to create an appeal among its audience. The Cinematic Universe has created a solid fanbase and an income of billions of dollars. These characters in their portfolio are long gone known from the comics that have been around since the 60s and earlier.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is a follow-up on the storyline that ended in Avengers: Endgame on what happened with the shield and follows Steve Rogers companions  Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson on a new adventure. A new Adventure is a lie as it doesn’t really add up to the initial excitement that was provided from what we know before. Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie deliver throughout six episodes in a way that doesn’t really allow more depth. The character that we know and love is living an alternative reality in the way it’s portrayed. It feels distracted and the storyline doesn’t really help.  The feeling of superheroes like Iron Man, Black Panther or Thor, doesn’t exist in this mini-series, which is a shame, mostly because there are two main characters that have been involved with this franchise for over a long time. They feel like they’re not really comfortable in their own character like it’s itching.  Maybe it’s because of the horrible writing, the atrocious writing that doesn’t help Marvel’s most predictable show. A show where Falcon denies the Steve Rogers Shield to, later on, change his mind and take up the shield. It was obvious that he would be the wielder of the shield.

The most interesting part of the show was Wyatt Russell’s John Walker who interprets a rouge Captain America, which is probably building up for the Dark Avengers. He gives nuance to the classic character and gives it a different meaning. At the same time, our “so-called” heroes, are terrorized by a radicalized group called Flag Smashers, this doesn’t really add to the show. Erin Kellyman or Karli Morgenthau as she is called in the show drags down the whole series. Her stiffed portrayal does not make the series worth watching. In the end, she isn’t an antagonist worthy in the end. Her end goal does not add up and doesn’t make her choice clear.

By the final episode, it appears that someone completely else is the villain, the main villain meaning that Karli – a dull rouge teen, doesn’t deliver enough of the poorly written dialogue to make it worth it.  The fact that Sharon Carter aka Emily VanCamp revealed as Power Broker seems unrealistic and a little out of the blue. It doesn’t make sense to the storyline and it’s not properly explained either. Then there’s the political debate that overthrown the real story. It’s appreciated but it clouds the real premise which had initial potential.