Loki (2021) Review
Loki is a fresh take on a character that has been severly underused and forgotten in the Marvel movies, transitioning from an MCU comic relief into a character with real feelings and struggles. But upon further analysis, you'll realise that some stones are better left unturnt, or rather, lifted, if you know what I mean ;)
Contrary to what other people are saying about Loki in this show, I feel that the series treats him and his comicbook history with the utmost respect and reveals the true expanse of the Marvel universe, by introducing entities like the TVA, Lamentis, Roxxon, Variants and so on.
While at times the show can be draining due to the erratic pacing, by the end of the day, your eyes are still glued to the screen, all thanks to the performances of Tom Hiddleston, Sophia Di Martino and Owen Wilson (wooooooooooow). The chemistry between Tom and Owen is just what the show needs, and this was to be expected from colleagues that previously worked together on Midnight In Paris (2011). The writing for Sylvie was dull and didn't really delve into her character, but Sophia's performance was enough to make her memorable enough.
The set pieces are intricate and very reminiscent of the 80s office fashion, the cinematography is beautiful, and the music is intriguing and haunting. All the visual and auditory aspects have been perfected with elegance. Even the scenes with little to no dialogue are interesting to watch because of how well they are shot and scored. Natalie Holt's catchy and memorable score is the highlight of the show, for her OST gives the show a larger-than-life feeling, yet brings the personal touch that is required for a journey that the protagonist is on.
But I must admit, the physical attributes of the show seldom manage to compensate for the lack of logic or the incessant dump of exposition. Before Loki even realises that he is much more powerful that he thought he was, he uses his telekinetic powers to attack his foes. The way he avoids this incredibly crafty power of his in crucial moments makes him look like anyone but the God of Mischief. Like I said before the visuals are beautiful and eye-catching, but the director missed a huge opportunity to use it for visual storytelling. The "show don't tell" rule is one of the most important narrative tips in cinema, and this show should have really used some of the visual storytelling elements that it could have easily accommodated.
Moreover, the character development that took place in the first episode was brilliant, but it was definitely not enough to be the foundation of his emotional responses and actions in the following episodes. The way it sets stage for some of his drastic and technically out of character decisions is quite unconvincing. A lot of fans are fighting over the apparent homophobia and sexism that the writers have exhibited through the "selfcest" relationship between Loki and Sylvie.
Well, first off, "selfcest" is NOT real. The fact that you had to coin that term to describe it goes on to show how fictional it is. Personally, I neither mind it or support it, because I could not care less about them, but I just wanted to get this straight. Oh, and speaking of straight, Loki pairing up with Sylvie was not homophobia. In fact, expecting a bisexual to only have a same sex partner is biphobic, and I am tired of seeing homophobic and biphobic stans taking a dump on the lore for no reason, but since I am not queer or well-versed in this whole issue, I will move over to the other parts of the show that I want to focus on.
Certain parts of the story like Hunter B-15 and Ravonna left me wanting for more (in a bad way), because their backstories and experiences do not matter to me. Their motivations are so disconnected from the audience, but we are expected to care and root for them. But on the bright side, this series shows a lot of promise for the upcoming second season and how the finale sets up the plot of Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania.
In conclusion, Loki is an exciting series when you factor in the effect it has on the future of the MCU, but much of the unexplained character development and logic leads to hoping for a better second season to compensate for what the first one could not offer.
If you love callbacks to the OG Marvel comicbooks, clever Easter eggs, great music, visceral cinematography and some good ol' Hiddleston Wilson chemistry, then this show is for you.
