The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is Disney's latest Marvel original tv series. Superheroes Sam Wilson (aka the Falcon) and Bucky Barnes (aka the Winter Soldier) must reunite to stop a new threat to the world whilst upholding the complicated legacy of Captain America's shield.

I wrote a review of the first episode of this series. You can read that review here. If you read that review, you would know that I was super excited for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier but was quite disappointed after the first episode. It was a mix of not enough action, too much talking and uncomfortable camera angles that made this episode unenjoyable. At the end of the review I hoped that the series got better. Thankfully, it did, but it took a while for me to get invested. The first episode didn't have much which made you want to come back for the next. The second and third episodes were a bit like this as well. I did feel after those next episodes that it was starting to improve. But the fourth episode, that one really got me hooked. I even remember saying at the end of the episode, "Ooh, it just got interesting!"

One thing that I said about the first episode was that it didn't bring anything new to the MCU. I was quite surprised then when the series started to tackle some big issues which I can't recall seeing in many other Marvel movies. There were also some storylines which were new and inventive which hadn't actually been seen before.

Another thing I loved about this series was the music. Henry Jackman constructed a score which developed ideas from other Marvel movies but then added elements which made it relevant to the time. After every episode, I would love sticking around for the credits to hear the catchy credits music. (Speaking of credits, if you enjoy watching the Marvel post credits scenes, be sure to stick around for the credits for episodes five and six!)

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier isn't essential for Marvel fans. It can be entertaining at times and is great if you are a fan of either Sam or Bucky. But if you just want to watch the 'main' Marvel movies, then don't bother with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and I doubt it is going to segue into many other Marvel projects coming anytime soon. You can stream The Falcon and the Winter Soldier now on Disney+.

Director: Kari Skogland

Starring: Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Wyatt Russell, Erin Kellyman

Year released: 2021

My Rating: 6.5/10

Review by Tristan Carr

Last edited: 25/04/21