The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

An excellent series that I'm getting to late, but I'm enjoying it all the more. A spy thriller atmosphere, great action and to my surprise a great script, which especially in the last two episodes is overflowing with well-written and acted dialogue and monologues that nobody would expect from Marvel. Apart from the two leads, I really liked John Walker's character and his development. If we see him again in the future, I won't be mad at all. (08/04/2024)

If someone wanted to argue with me that the stopover of favorite characters in the series is just a filler, I wouldn't have much arguments to oppose. Sam's dealing with the legacy and possible future and, on the contrary, Bucky's painful return to the gloomy past "only" pushes both heroes where they belong and gives them just the kind of work I would expect and wish for. This all happens in a cynically acting political world where there is no time for nostalgia and touching memories. The show and the shield must go on, no matter what. Moreover, the script is not afraid to touch on social issues that there is not enough time for in feature-length films and which still need to be addressed. Luckily, it presents them in an improper, but pleasantly conversational and thoughtful way, and that is what has the greatest merit for extremely positive final impressions. This is much more of a personal, future-oriented step than just a sigh over a story of a beloved and absent person with stars and stripes on their chest that has already been closed. And as for Sebastian Stan being "won" so perfectly that he has outgrown his role in a good sense, we can talk about that somewhere else. (10/03/2023)

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier works almost perfectly in terms of action and offers more than one imaginative (albeit slightly overdone here and there) sequence that both thrills and excites. In terms of the story, however, I often had a hard time accepting and believing the motivations of the "bad guys", which was certainly helped by the (to me) exceedingly unlikeable casting. Of the storylines, Bucky's therapy sessions and the return of Zemo and the Wakandans appealed to me the most. I found Falcon to be vastly unbalanced and far too "American", while John Walker just went almost completely out of my head throughout (except perhaps at the end of episode 4). Along with action and sci-fi adventure, the series tries to highlight (not only) contemporary issues (racial discrimination, "powerless individual" x "all-powerful government", terrorism, etc.), which it only half succeeds in doing. The series doesn't outright offend, but it doesn't impress either - especially after the genre-bending WandaVision. (04/25/2021)

As an expansion to the Marvel Universe, it’s fine. I would call it an add-on that doesn't offend, it presents some new features and gadgets, but I wouldn't call it very exciting or, God forbid, a full-fledged movie, although it has its bright moments. The action is OK for a series, the visual effects are passable (except for a few minor things) and it has the drive and dynamism we've come to expect from Marvel. There is not much to say about the story, it does have a main plot, but the large number of characters and their confrontations in various situations are far more interesting. I’d be fine with a sequel, but it’s not necessary. (05/03/2021)

Action isn’t everything. I’m willing to turn a blind eye to a very poor story rewritten from bioterrorist threat to non-Covid running around Prague, but not to the amateurish directing. I often didn’t understand how the scenes followed each other, who is where and why they do what they do. Mackie is transformed from the likeable Falcon into an unlikeable moralist and unfortunately the writers change him too quickly, sometime in the gap between the last two episodes. Much more interesting is the genesis of U.S. Agent. Bucky’s transformation into a good guy revolves around someone’s grandpa and a notebook with a list of crossed out names. And the formerly excellent Zemo becomes a comic book caricature again. Better screenwriters, better directors. They also need some help with the action scenes: the actors and special effects can’t do it alone. P.S.: GRC is a really dumb abbreviation. (04/24/2021)