The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of, if not, the biggest movie franchise in history. Since the release of Iron Man in 2008, we have had twenty-three cinematic films and two television shows on Disney Plus, those being WandaVision and the brand new The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Since the arrival of the two leads in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), The Falcon aka Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and the Winter Soldier aka Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) have become favourites amongst fans. They have certainly became two of my favourite characters within the MCU because their TV show, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, is off to a tremendous start!
The show takes place soon after the events of the box-office smash hit, Avengers: Endgame, and follows Sam Wilson/Falcon and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier who team up to stop a mysterious villain as they go on a global adventure that tests their abilities – and their patience.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a franchise that I have grown up with. Iron Man came out when I was fairly young and each time Marvel releases a brand new title, I always get excited to see where this universe will go next. I have now seen the first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and this is a brilliant continuation from ‘The Infinity Saga' which spanned from Iron Man in 2008 to Avengers: Endgame in 2019. The beginning to the next chapter in this universe has the ‘wow-inducing' moments that we have come to expect from the MCU. Yet also deals with more grounded moments which did not even come to mind when thinking that half of humanity disappeared for five years. I won't give any specifics due to spoilers but it makes the story feel a lot more realistic and human.
Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan also give probably their best performances within the MCU thus far. While they still are the same characters we have seen throughout the Marvel movies, the story allows them to be a lot more mature and deal with real-world issues whilst being superheroes and fighting criminals. There is a fine balance between the humour and matureness of the story which never felt jarring to me. You get the laughs but at the same time, see the struggles that people went through during the five years where half of humanity was wiped out.
Overall, the first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is one of the best television debuts that I have seen in a while. It relies on your prior knowledge of the characters and leaps straight into the story making it all the more engrossing. The story is mature plus Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie are great as the two leads and I cannot wait to see where it goes next!
Dir: Kari Skogland
Scr: Malcolm Spellman, Josef Sawyer, Dalan Musson, Derek Kolstad, Michael Kastelein.
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Emily VanCamp
Prd: Kevin Feige, Zoie Nagelhout, Kari Skogland, Malcolm Spellman
Music: Henry Jackman
Country: USA
Year: 2021
Runtime: 6 Episodes
Marvel Studios' The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 1 will be available to stream exclusively on Disney Plus from March 18th
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