Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Erin Kellyman, Daniel Bruhl, Emily VanCamp, Carl Lumbly, Desmond Chiam, Indya Bussey, Danny Ramirez, Adepero Oduye, Renes Rivera, Tyler Deam Flores, Cle Bennett, Noah Miles, Florence Kasumba, Georges St-Pierre, Amy Aquino, Chase Rover McGhee, Aaron Haynes, Don Cheadle.
The idea that anything other features or familial quirks is automatically inherent can be quite a galling proposition, it lacks the belief of progression, that just because one person was, for example, a world leader of their chosen sport, does not mean that their offspring will hold any type of talent for the career their parent was able to pursue.
Such thinking is not only nonsense, it is also dangerous, it assumes that the world revolves and depends on the supremacy of pre-ordained and entitled succession, in the same way that a billionaire will make sure their child has every opportunity to keep the wealth, and therefore maintaining an unnatural balance in which a more talented, more honest and sincere person cannot achieve because the chips are never in their favour.
This is reflected superbly in the Marvel universe, the impact of the superb Brie Larson being named as the first superhero from the house created by Stan Lee to be the lead in an epic film, was in parts derided by certain fans as an insult, whether this was down to sexism or the belief that some fans have that they are constantly right, so their opinion is passed down across the board, is not for comment, but it is telling.
So, it came as no surprise that Anthony Mackie felt the responsibility of being the first black actor to front the new television serials made by Marvel/Disney in The Falcon And The Winter Soldier to be overwhelming, the pressure of inheritance possibly adding to the way he was perceived in some quarters, of those who have no interest in reading and exploring the rich and beautifully diverse history of the character he portrays, and one that is mirrored and captured superbly in the way the mantle was passed from Chris Evans in his final moments of the excellent Avengers End Game to Sam Wilson, but then, as this six part epic shows, his concern of not being able to hold and honour the name of Captain America with the same truth.
Where the first televised showing of what was once considered the less than heavy hitters of the Marvel Universe, WandaVision, was rooted firmly in the fantasy world, The Falcon And The Winter Soldier treads the path of the real, and yet both shows portraying the agony of the fallout of events of “The Snap” and what it did to the human race’s conscious belief and political inheritance.
Aside from the excellent Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan as they reprise their respective roles of Sam Wilson/Falcon and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, the performances of Erin Kellyman, Daniel Bruhl, Emily VanCamp, Carl Lumbly must also be acknowledged and given huge applause, but it is to the point of entitlement that Wyatt Russell gives as the soldier John Walker and government appointed new Captain America that the series hangs upon, and as with the original graphic novels, adds a certain fear of how the United States of America is seen in the world as an out of control police officer, one who doesn’t understand how much it is seen as ridicule at best by some, and for others as the cause of many of the problems circulating the planet today.
Whilst The Falcon And The Winter Soldier doesn’t quite tread the same perspective and intrigue as WandaVision, it nonetheless catches the mood, the zeitgeist of societal issues today, and for that, it is compulsive viewing.
Ian D. Hall