The Falcon and The Winter Soldier: The Complete First Season Collector's Edition SteelBook - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

It can be debated that after Avengers: Endgame, the MCU took a sharp nosedive into schlocky, experimental rubbish that never seems to find a massive audience. Its overflow of numerous productions released very quickly has caused its fanbase to step away and seek other forms of entertainment. Except for only a couple of projects, the MCU is nowhere near as great as it once was, as they continue to pump out mostly side characters with less-than-average filmmakers behind the helm to save a few dollars or to appease certain demographics. If any project was super close to the events of Avengers: Endgame, it would be The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which followed two fan-favorite characters directly. Its tone and themes surprisingly played a very big role in real-life events at the time of its release helping the show attain mass amounts of coverage, conversations, and parallels to the turbulent times that the world was going through.

Six episodes are spread across 321 minutes of screen time that like other Disney and MCU series is far too long to tell a tale with supporting characters. Thus the pacing can fall flat and too many other characters are introduced that should have been left on the back-burner for another time, if at all. But the narrative of this new show The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is a brilliant setup, even if its first inclination of an idea would have been far more fun to watch. Originally, The Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) were going to reprise their roles and take their thematic cues from the buddy cop action comedies Rush Hour, 48 Hours, and Lethal Weapon - something that would have been fantastic to watch on screen. But the MCU wanted something more serious with some major action beats. Which worked out for the series at the time, given all of the horrifying news events happening in the real world, such as the pandemic and the murder and aftermath of George Floyd. Those two world events inadvertently portrayed strange parallels to the show's tone and story. But wouldn't a new Captain America and Bucky Barnes buddy cop film called Black and Tan be hilarious and highly entertaining to watch? We might never know.

Producer Marcus Spellman who has helped produce a few episodes of Empire and the failed dramatic reboot of Fresh Prince served as show-runner here with hired Kari Skogland to direct each episode of The Falcon and the Winter Solider. It's a bizarre creative choice, one of financial decisions, assuming Marvel wanted to save some money somewhere, which is why they hired the director of Children of the Corn Part 6 to make this miniseries. That's audibly laughable, however, Skogland did helm some great episodes of The Walking Dead and The Handmaiden's Tale, but still - Children of the Corn 666 to the MCU is a big leap. But to Skogland's credit, the series looks phenomenal and the action beats can stand next to some of the bigger ones in the film franchise. Not to mention one of the coolest shots in the MCU took place in episode 4 of this series with a bloodied Captain America shield that echoed what America was going through at the moment. It was sublime to see a Marvel show get something so incredibly right in a taboo way.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier picks up six months later after the final moment of Avengers: Endgame where Steve Rogers hands over his shield to Sam as they both understand he is to take over the role of Captain America. Sam and Bucky team up to fight the good fight, however, there is a new faction who refer to themselves as the Flag Smashers who believe that the world was better off during the blip when half of all life was wiped out. To make matters worse, members of this anti-patriot movement have all swallowed the super juice that gives Captain America his power so they're not exactly pushovers. The Flag Smashers have deadly plans to make a better world, a sentiment that rings a familiar bell in certain political and societal sects to this day. Additionally, America doesn't recognize Sam as Captain America and labels another guy named John Walker (Wyatt Russell) as the ultimate Captain. 

Again, this is a brilliant setup, but its wobbly pacing throws off the entire narrative and entertainment value of the show where anyone watching is just hoping for the next action beat or to see Bucky and Sam have a bit of fun. But Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan bring big gravitas to their respective performances that are both nuanced and further the characters inside the MCU as they deal with the fallout of Endgame and what it means to be an Avenger in present times. Wyatt Russell is excellent as a man who feels he has been left behind on all accounts by his family, government, and friends, who will navigate a fine line between good and evil. The action set pieces look amazing for a miniseries as well, but the pacing isn't there - like a lot of the Disney+ Marvel shows. So a sequel feature film might do the trick next year to pick up the pieces.

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
The Falcon and the Winter Solider battle their way to 4K over two discs inside a Steelbook. There are no Blu-ray options here. The discs are housed inside a Steelbook case with three lobby art cards from the show that are wrapped in plastic. Yet again, is anyone opening these up and enjoying the cards? A booklet with information and essays on the show and images from the production would probably be better. The artwork on the front features both Sam and Bucky looking out into the open with the Shield backing them up. There is a smaller version of Captain in costume in between them. On the backside, Bucky and Sam are in their action poses for the lulz. Inside the Steelbook, there are images of the series. 

The Falcon and the Winter Solider miniseries comes with a 2160p UHD 4K image with HDR10 in this steelbook set and is a worthy upgrade from its Disney+ streaming option. The color palette is very natural and dynamic. The HDR10 drives home those primary American colors in every light setting. Blues, reds, and whites are dazzling from the police sirens to the costumes. These bright and bold colors mix well with the silver cityscape buildings and warmer interiors throughout each episode. Green leaves in trees and lighter blues in the daytime sky look amazing. Black levels are inky and rich without any murky shadows. Skin tones are natural as well. The red blood is deliciously red and pops up more often than not. 

The detail is sharp and vivid throughout with exquisite closeups that reveal facial pores, individual hairs and stubble, beads of sweat and blood, along with textures in the costumes and metallic weapons. The CGI visual effects never look soft or pixelated, but extremely detailed, which was something that the streaming format struggled with during the heavier action scenes. The detail in the lower-lit sequences also looks impeccably vivid. The HDR10 in this 4K transfer on physical media is certainly worthy of the upgrade from the streaming option on Disney+. There are no problems with this video presentation. 

This release comes with a Dolby Atmos track that ascends the show into an immersive state. These found effects are robust and forceful in each of its big action sequences. Gun blasts, punches, shield vibrations, vehicle engines revving, and explosions all sound exemplary. The noises flow smoothly from speaker to speaker in a wonderful transitional cycle. Smaller sound effects are nuanced and exude the natural and correct reverb when in certain locales. The low end of the bass comes in with a hefty rumble during the bigger moments without crossing into rocky territory. Henry Jackman's score always adds to the tone and themes of the action and dramatic situations. The height speakers rain down debris, destructive noises, and weather. The dialogue is clean, clear, and easy to follow. This is an amazing Dolby Atmos track. 

There are about 71 minutes of bonus features, all of which are worth the time, especially the hour-long documentary on the making of the show. Other productions and releases should utilize this format. 

• Assembled (UHD, 60 Mins.) - Another excellent all-in behind-the-scenes documentary is located here. The cast and crew give extensive interviews with tons of wonderful on-set footage that discusses the themes, the casting, and the direction of the show. Everyone talks about bridging Endgame to this show and much more. This is a great watch. 
• Cap's Shield (UHD, 5 Mins.) - A short talk with the cast and crew on the Captain character, Sam's narrative, and more. 
• Gag Reel (UHD, 3 Mins.) - A fun collection of flubbed lines, missed cues, dancing, and laughing on set. 
• Deleted Scenes (UHD, 3 Mins.) - There are two sequences included, both of which are worth watching.

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is probably the closest related to Avengers: Endgame and the aftermath of that incredible franchise up until that point. The performances are solid and the narrative has a great setup, however, its pacing is all over the place, and the lack of main Avengers is troublesome. Still, the show sets out to do something different and in that case, it succeeds. The 4K image with HDR10 is a fantastic upgrade from the streaming option and the Dolby Atmos track sounds wonderfully explosive. The bonus features are highly enjoyable too. Recommended!