'The Falcon And The Winter Soldier' Early Buzz: Does Marvel's Second Disney+ Series Have The Goods?
Next week brings the premiere of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, the second Marvel Studios series coming to Disney+ in the wake of the wild and surprising WandaVision. But critics have already seen the first episode of the series, and reactions have started to hit the web.
So far, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier has looked like a much more straightforward comic book action comedy series that isn't trying to do anything groundbreaking. That might be good for fans who were perplexed by WandaVision, but disappointing for those who want to see Marvel keep getting a little more ambitious in their style. So what do the critics think? C
heck out our round-up of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier early buzz below to see what they're saying.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Early Buzz
Let's kick off things with a reaction from our own managing editor Jacob Hall:
If FALCON AND WINTER SOLDIER is content to be just a fun action romp full of juicy Marvel world-building, the first episode is certainly promising. But considering the talent behind the camera, I suspect/hope for a wild left turn.
— Jacob Hall (@JacobSHall) March 12, 2021
And here's what our editor-in-chief Peter Sciretta had to say about the series:
First episode of Falcon and The Winter Soldier feels like a Marvel movie in a big way, a lot more so than Wandavision (not a knock). The opening action screen feels like a huge MCU action sequence (and not a tv fight), story feels like it has significant MCU consequences.
— Peter Sciretta (@PeterSciretta) March 12, 2021
Our old pal Germain Lussier also found the first episode to be a solid set-up for what's to come:
The Falcon & The Winter Soldier Episode 1 is a solid set up to what I hope will be a very interesting series.
The Post-Blip MCU is in full effect & no one is okay. So far it's a show of action & intrigue, but also trauma & regret. I think it's gonna dig deeper than we expected. pic.twitter.com/h3oguAS8Hn
— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) March 12, 2021
Here's a round-up of what other critics thought about the first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier:
Saw the first episode of FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER. So far so good? Tough to tell after one episode, but I'm a huge Falcon fan so I'm glad this exists. Also there's a character that shows up that is a definite, "Ohhhh, so that's what this series is about," moment.
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) March 12, 2021
#TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier has some really touching ties to the MCU and those are some of my favorite parts of Episode 1.
References to other characters, questions about the Avengers, the world's view of Endgame storylines... some small-scale, fun MCU world building. pic.twitter.com/EBIMYssqdO
— BD (@BrandonDavisBD) March 12, 2021
(1/3) Ive seen #TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier My goodness there are no words 2 express how this show made my heart full. My FULL review is the 18th & my deep dive is the 19th
My thoughts – THREAD#FalconAndWinterSoldier #TheFalconAndWinterSoldier #BuckyBarnes #thefalcon #bucky
— Dana (Store Name) #AmplyBlackVoices #TCA21 (@sagesurge) March 12, 2021
Sure, it's totally different than #WandaVision, but "Falcon and the Winter Soldier" holds to the Phase 4 recurring theme: the real damage from #Endgame was the emotional trauma.#FalconAndWinterSoldier #DisneyPlus pic.twitter.com/0bWhFtxiOi
— Amy Fulcher – As The Bunny Hops (@asthebunnyhops) March 12, 2021
Exciting news: The Falcon And The Winter Soldier gets off to a kick-ass start with its first episode. Its high-flying action is perfectly worthy of the MCU, and the emotional stakes are set up well. It also has some cool surprises in store, so be spoiler-phobic! #TFATWS #Marvel pic.twitter.com/7nwm8dKdOw
— Eric Eisenberg (@eeisenberg) March 12, 2021
If the first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is any indication of the whole season, fans are in for an action packed treat! Looking forward to diving more into these two incredible heroes! @falconandwinter episode 1 is 48 glorious minutes and ends with a WHAT moment! pic.twitter.com/KVok64KXjx
— Tessa Smith – Mama's Geeky (@MamasGeeky) March 12, 2021
Early #TheFalconAndWinterSoldier review (embargo has lifted):
-It's everything you want from Marvel.
-Iron Man vibes/tone in Captain America setting.
-Adds a ton of depth to characters.
-Excited for where the show heads next.
-It's VERY different than #WandaVision.— Herb Scribner (@HerbScribner) March 12, 2021
#TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier Episode 1 is very grounded & character-focused that adds new depth to Sam and Bucky.
The episode delivers brilliant action sequences that rival the movies and establishes an intriguing narrative.
Full review coming next week. pic.twitter.com/TKoiQkAnXT
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) March 12, 2021
Everyone is going to come into #FalconAndWinterSoldier expecting big, visceral action and the first episode delivers on that expectation. It also delivered a couple of character moments that gave me chills.
— Charles Murphy (@_CharlesMurphy) March 12, 2021
Stan gives a particularly chilling performance and Mackie's charisma inhabits every scene, even the ones that don't go his way. Big action, big moments and big surprises, even for me, and the first act isn't even done. This is going to be a huge success for #MarvelStudios
— Charles Murphy (@_CharlesMurphy) March 12, 2021
Watched the first episode of #TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier. It's a lot of fun. It didn't grab me nearly as much as #WandaVision ep 1 and felt much more like standard Marvel movie fare (not in a bad way). The quiet character moments were my favorite of the episode.
— Chris E. Hayner (@ChrisHayner) March 12, 2021
Sounds like that the series is delivering exactly what we expected right out of the gate. But that doesn't mean it won't go in some surprising directions. I'll admit to being a little disappointed that this goes straight back to the Marvel Studios formula, but then again, this was supposed to be the first series they did for Disney+ until the coronavirus pandemic shook up the production schedule. So maybe it's not fair to hold it to such expectations after WandaVision broke the mold.
That's all for the first reactions to The Falcon and The Winter Soldier for now. Full reviews will be coming soon, and the series debuts on Disney+ starting on March 19, 2021, with new episodes arriving on Fridays after that.