The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

If Marvel's WandaVision was like a fancy, gourmet meal containing some ingredients you couldn't quite pronounce, then The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is akin to a heaping pile of comfort food just begging to satisfy your cravings. This is immediately apparent in the Disney+ superhero series' action scenes: extended, seat-of-the-pants sequences packed with enough polished production values to rival any that have splashed across the big screen. But it's not just the flashy special effects and thrilling battles that have made the jump from the movies to Sam Wilson's and Bucky Barnes' episodic adventure. Everything about the show, including -- most critically -- its heart and humor, will feel comfortably familiar to anyone who's laughed, cried, or cheered during a Marvel film.

Despite sticking to the franchise's reliable formula, though, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier never feels like a tired retread. While it contains the key elements we've come to expect from the property, its episodic nature allows it to dig deeper, significantly expanding on characters that were previously overshadowed by the core team of crime fighters. In fact, some of the series' best moments come not when the characters are battling supervillains, but when they're helping out a family member or friend, or even facing their own inner turmoil. If the show stumbles at all, it's in its inaccessibility to newcomers. While faithful followers will eat up every Easter egg, nod, and callout to what's come before, more casual viewers might find themselves a little lost. That's a small gripe, however, in an otherwise stellar outing that serves as the perfect, palate-cleansing counter to WandaVision's weird, wonderful ride.