Loki (2021)
Disney Plus
Season 1, Episode 1-2
The God of Mischief is back! In their own series on Disney+, titled Loki. I got the chance to watch the first two episodes. Before I go into my thoughts, here is the official synopsis: Loki follows Thor’s unruly brother as he “pops up throughout human history as [an] unlikely influencer on historical events.” This is made possible by starring the version of Loki from the Avengers: Endgame timeline where he escaped custody with the Tesseract, enabling him to interfere with human history via his own means of time travel. the idea of Loki in different moments of time through history is great.
What I personally was not expecting was how grand the series actually is. Instead of keeping everything away in some mystery box; they actually allow the show to embrace some of the biggest aspects. I was shocked at everything it revealed so early that it excited me so much about the potential of this. There is so much to explore in this world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The first series kickstarted some huge stakes for not only the series, but for the future of the MCU. Michael Waldron, the main screenwriter of this series has done wonders here. Despite how big the show presents itself, there is still an emotional focus that is touched beautifully here. There’s of course some humorous moments, but they feel very charming at times. Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson have a great buddy-cop duo chemistry. While it initially feels like we’ve seen this type of thing before, it still feels fresh with their performances. I was shocked with how good they are together when they are on screen.
Loki feels like a sequel to both The Avengers (2012) and Thor (2011). While I understand that is the point; it was great to see them bring that aspect of the MCU back to life years later. To Loki fans who have been waiting for something like this since 2011, you will be pleased with it. Both episodes are surprisingly long compared to the past Disney+ Marvel series, which was not an issue with me.
I can’t wait to watch more and explore this world. It seems to be tied into upcoming MCU films such as Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness. Waldron is a great writer, and it really shows here. I was already very excited for Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness, knowing that Sam Raimi is directing it. Sam Raimi’s direction on top of this style of writing is going to make many fans and audiences happy.
I got to give credit to the production here as well. Autumn Duralds cinematography is gorgeous. I love the use of lighting here, it adds a distinctive style compared to other MCU projects. I love how creative the world of the Time Variance Authority is. However my only issue I had is, there are scenes where you can tell the overuse of green screen. I understand tv shows don’t have large budgets compared to films, I just feel one scene could’ve been filmed on location. I love Natalie Holt’s work here as the composer. I’m not a huge fan of past scores in MCU projects, but this is definitely one of my favorites. To summarize, Loki reminds me a lot of Doctor Who, mixed with Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s wacky and brilliant, introducing us to a world with larger stakes we hadn’t seen before in the MCU.