Loki Review: Tom Hiddleston is enigmatic as the God of Mischief in this terrific show
Marvel has been on a roll with its web series. Wanda Vision was set as a sitcom, Falcon and the Winter Soldier was a next-gen sci-fi thriller and Loki is their introduction to the expanded world of mythology with a Norse god in an alternative dimension. To add drama to it, Marvel spins it into a crime thriller of sorts. There are case files, shreds of evidence, suspects and an awkward Asgardian who’s trying to find his ground.
Initially, the show feels like a leaflet plucked from the Avengers: Endgame, however, you soon realise it’s more like an independent branching with its roots buried deep into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The show draws aspects from its titular character. Just like how Loki slickly disguises himself for his nefarious schemes, the show projects silhouettes of different genres without easily being defined as one or the other.
It’s better to take all your premonitions about Loki and throw them aside because this series delivers an absolutely unexpected take on the MCU. It starts off reminding you of the adventurous life of Loki through clips from old films and seamlessly paves the way for what’s to come. Odinson disrupted the ‘sacred timeline’ when he escaped by stealing the Tesseract in Endgame. He soon finds himself in the clutches of the Time Variance Authority (TVA), a seemingly powerful organisation committed to protecting the sanctity of time.
Marvel has laid out the groundwork for the multiverse theory it has been long pinning upon. It is evident that many future projects can be linked to the theories set up here in Loki. Though, it’s impossible to know what the trickster will do next. For instance, in a scene, he seems to be shaken up to learn about his fate in addition to Asgard and his parents' but a few moments later, he seems to be interested in forging a plan. You simply can’t guess what’s he’s up to.
Regardless of Loki‘s unfathomable intentions in the past, he is rendered as a reverential ‘hero’ in the limited series and Tom Hiddleston's joy at playing the character is palpable on screen. He is charming. Playing the character in six films, the actor has the right footing for Loki. Standing tall next to him is Owen Wilson as TVA officer Mobius M Mobius. He's generous, influential and strongly believes his gut. The two are terrific when together. Their drabs are revelations turning out both funny and intense. Wilson's Mobius is the calm to Loki’s chaos. They don’t trust each other but they impress one another. It seems like they’re bending their ways for one another. But you can’t be entirely sure, because Loki is Loki, he’s a trickster, God of Mischief and has stabbed like 50 people in the back. But people do change, right?
From the first two episodes, it feels like Loki-Mobius can be another hit MCU pairing after Iron Man-Captain America, Falcon-Winter Solider and Hulk-Thor.
It goes without saying, Marvel has been excelling with its web shows. Their recent outings have been a surprise package. The Studio has been particularly smart with them. While the films can be kept under a bracket, each of the Marvel web show has been given a distinct treatment. A smart move to say because it makes these characters more recallable with a very distinctive memory of them. It is kind of easier for the audience to easily pick their favourites. I loved Wanda Vision and The Falcon and The Winter Solider was one terrific show, but Loki is much reliable to give you the ‘MCU vibe’. So far, Loki is my choice, it has every element to make it an iconic Marvel project.