Falcon and the Winter Soldier Review

Comics Movie Reviews
Falcon and the Winter Soldier Review
By Hervé St-Louis
September 27, 2021 - 00:30

Studios: Marvel Studios
Writer(s): Malcolm Spellman, Michael Kastelein, Derek Kolstad, Dalan Musson, Josef Sawyer, Ed Brubaker, Gene Colan, Steve Epting, Jack Kirby
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Erin Kellyman, Emily VanCamp, Clé Bennett
Directed by: Kari Skogland
Produced by: Ariella Blejer, Dawn Kamoche
Running Time: 302 minutes
Release Date: 19 March 2021
Distributors: Disney +

Following the Blip that took half of the universe away, a terrorist group called the Flag Smashers are attempting to defeat efforts to repatriate refuges back to their homelands. Although taken them down seems like an easy job for Falcon and Bucky, the former Winter Soldier, the Flag Smashers are a bit more difficult to defeat since they have obtained an updated version of Captain America Steve Rogers’ super soldier serum. Perhaps the new Captain America John Walker can even the odds?

I like to see what Marvel Studios can do on streaming now that they have deeply invested their resources beyond Netflix to expand their universe. Falcon and the Winter Soldier are as mainstream Avengers as you can get and the set up of the story is quite good. I am inspired that Marvel is able to develop such a rich universe following the Blip. Unlike WandaVision, there is action right from the start. However, there are a lot of slow moments and parts that should have been edited further. While the development of Faclon’s life is good, these scenes slowed the story to a crawl, to present a story we have seen before.

There is a lot from the Falcon and Winter Soldier that we have seen before in other series or film. The redemption of the Winter Soldier is straight from the original Bourne Identity trilogy. The foreclosure on the African American property is a story that has been done so many times. Thus, much of the Falcon felt unoriginal and cliché. I did like the introduction of John Walker in the story. He felt true to form. What I did like was the development of the Power Broker’s storyline and how it will continue in future series from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

The story of the guinea pigs used to test the Captain America serum was a very good take that of course, was taken straight from the Tuskegee experiment where black men were given syphilis was good and of course inspired from the comics. What I did not like was the resolution to that which was very quick and done without any input from the original victim. Giving him an entry in the Captain America Museum in just a few days was unrealistic and rushed. In my world, it would take years before repairs are made. Similarly, I felt that the speech given by the Falcon at the end of the series was too long and broke the rhythm of the story. It was too preachy even though the cause was commendable.

The new suit worn by the Falcon is not good. It feels like spandex. I hope that suit is improved for the next Captain America movie. This series will continue to please fans of the MCU and viewers who are

Rating: 7.5/10