5 Things Falcon and the Winter Soldier Did Well (& 5 Things That Fell Flat)

5 Things Falcon and the Winter Soldier Did Well (& 5 Things That Fell Flat)

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The Falcon and the Winter Soldier succeeded on many levels and did a lot right but it also missed the mark in several ways.

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5 Things Falcon and the Winter Soldier Did Well (& 5 Things That Fell Flat)

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was meant to be Marvel’s first step on their new Disney+ platform and of Phase 4 overall, but for various reasons WandaVision came out first, garnering much popularity and praise. Wanda Maximoff’s show currently holds an 8.1 rating on IMDb, and TF&WS is trending that way now that it has concluded.

As a seven-hour extension of the MCU, there was plenty of room for the show to explore many adventures and themes, some of which turned out better than others. It was a success in many ways but misfired on a handful of other aspects that ultimately hurt it.

10 Did Well: Banter Between the Leads

5 Things Falcon and the Winter Soldier Did Well (& 5 Things That Fell Flat)

Like all MCU movies – and hopefully those upcoming – the dialogue between the heroic leads should have a light, playful touch. This was the case between the two main characters, who bickered like an old married couple while battling evil minions.

Even the villains in the MCU get in on the playful banter, and this series delivered on the not-too-serious tone alluded to in the trailers.

9 Fell Flat: Villains

5 Things Falcon and the Winter Soldier Did Well (& 5 Things That Fell Flat)

It may be a tired axiom to say that a superhero is only as good as his/her villain, but audiences were probably hoping for someone better than the two main antagonists, Karli and the Global Repatriation Council.

The GRC was positioned in the series as an ineffective worldwide bureaucracy, which unfortunately made them merely an effective villain. And the main antagonist Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman) bounced between self-doubt and things like threatening Wilson’s nephew. Efforts by the showrunners to make her character relatable or at least sympathetic were contracted by her murderous behavior.

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8 Did Well: Wakandans

5 Things Falcon and the Winter Soldier Did Well (& 5 Things That Fell Flat)

Audiences didn’t want to leave Wakanda after Avengers: Infinity War, given the richness of the setting and its likable people. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier offered audiences the next best thing by exporting some of the key characters – and their fighting skills – to join the conflict in Europe.

Although fans didn’t get reintroduced to the main players from Blank Panther, the series reminded them of the compelling stories ahead for Wakanda.

7 Fell Flat: Family Ties

5 Things Falcon and the Winter Soldier Did Well (& 5 Things That Fell Flat)

Family dynamics are rarely covered in the MCU, with Ant-Man and Ant-Man and The Wasp as notable exceptions involving Scott Lang. So it was refreshing to see Sam Wilson given a familial underpinning to help us follow his journey.

Unfortunately, Wilson’s sister and nephews only joined the series when it was convenient to the plot and were often forgotten when other themes took precedence. TF&WS isn’t a sitcom, but more family time would have added more reality to his characterization and made the view care more about them.

6 Did Well: Zemo

5 Things Falcon and the Winter Soldier Did Well (& 5 Things That Fell Flat)

Baron Zemo was a very dry and misunderstood character in Captain America: Civil War, so there was definitely room to add more depth to him with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Zemo proved himself to be as sardonic and cunning as the previous movies, but also amusing, intelligent, and (notably) a lousy dancer.

Zemo’s final moments attending a Sokovian memorial were a fitting bookend for his character, and his role as compelling villain perhaps too brief.

5 Fell Flat: Cap is Dead

5 Things Falcon and the Winter Soldier Did Well (& 5 Things That Fell Flat)

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier underlines the fact that Captain America, Steve Rogers, is dead, and the world needs to move on without him.

Except he’s not, as anyone who’s seen Avengers: Endgame knows – he was last seen as a really old man who jumped the timeline to give Sam his iconic shield. This is a minor irritant since, for all intents and purposes, Captain America the symbolic soldier is indeed dead and gone; but it seems odd for the main characters to be dismissive of the man they last saw sitting on a bench in upstate New York.

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4 Did Well: John Walker

5 Things Falcon and the Winter Soldier Did Well (& 5 Things That Fell Flat)

When John Walker (Wyatt Russell) assumed the role of Captain America by government decree, MCU fans howled and plotted his demise. That’s great because it was the point of Walker’s story, as he struggles to assume the mantle in ways good and bad.

The series did well to place Walker as a sympathetic character that audiences would love to hate, regardless of where his character lands in the final frame.

3 Fell Flat: Sharon Carter

5 Things Falcon and the Winter Soldier Did Well (& 5 Things That Fell Flat)

The character of agent Sharon Carter was given little room to make an impression in Captain America: The Winter Soldier or Captain America: Civil War, as a romantic interest or otherwise, and she was entirely absent from the Avengers movies.

But in TF&WS, Carter’s entire backstory is ignored to provide whatever skillset is required – street-fighter, sharp-shooter, wealthy benefactor, master-of-disguise – to fix plot holes. Her final reveal as a (perhaps) world-beating antagonist felt neither realistic nor earned.

2 Did Well: Bucky Barnes

5 Things Falcon and the Winter Soldier Did Well (& 5 Things That Fell Flat)

One of the main themes of the TF&WS was James “Bucky” Barnes’ road to redemption, introduced and then underlined in the first 2 episodes. In fact, his halting line to Wilson that “… if he was wrong about you, then he was wrong about me,“ is one of the best early moments in the series.

The story of a lifetime of unwitting assassination is a compelling one, and the final episode addresses this arc in a convincing fashion. Each time actor Sebastian Stan is given space to do something onscreen other than beat up people – which he also does well – it’s emotionally rewarding.

1 Fell Flat: Too Many Themes

Sevenish hours of entertainment is a long time to fill with battles, globetrotting, and “you’re wrong, I’m right” exposition, so it’s a relief that TF&WS is interested in following more than a single plotline.

However, the themes explored – family ties, imperialism, redemption, racism, courage, morality – are often dismissed or outright abandoned. There’s a compelling story for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier that is too often overburdened with themes and ideas that don’t quite stick.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/falcon-winter-soldier-mcu-success-fail/

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