Loki ★★★
Updated: Jul 17, 2021
Kate Herron
Starring Tom Hiddleston, Sophia Di Martino, Owen Wilson, Wunmi Mosaku, Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Is Marvel's magic beginning to fade? Their latest offering, Loki will take you on a journey across time, but leave you a little underwhelmed at the destination.
Avengers: Endgame left fans begging for a series surrounding the titular villain (Tom Hiddleston) and his swift escape during their time travelling antics. The mystery of what happens next is enough to entice anyone to hit play on this six-part mini-series.
Immediately we are shown that meddling with time has consequences and as a result of diverting from the life he was meant to live, Loki is caught by the sinister TVA (Time Variance Authority), an organisation dedicated to keeping all of time in check.
Upon learning just how powerful they really are, Loki becomes the protagonist of this story, teaming up with Owen Wilson's Agent Mobius to track down a villain devoted to leaving the "sacred timeline" In chaos - an alternate version of himself.
Still with me? Because the story is total bonkers from the get go! Loki acts as the perfect audience surrogate through this tale, as the very concept of controlling time is both terrifying to the God of Mischief and ourselves.
There's no denying that Tom Hiddleston is the stand-out in a series dedicated to a role he has perfected over the last 11 years. His character's flutter with heroism and misunderstood villainy are so natural and there's no knowing which side of the coin he will land on.
The same cannot be said for the supporting cast. While Owen Wilson gels perfectly with Hiddleston into the buddy cop formula and delivers a rousing performance, everyone else comes off as bland as the TVA's interior office walls.
Where Wandavision and The Falcon & The Winter Soldier supporting casts helped to provide intrigue and feed the mystery, only the leading Loki achieves this throughout. Sadly the mystery never gets as interesting as its opening episode implies it is.
That's not to say that there aren't elements of whimsy and twists along the way to sprinkle a bit of fascination back in. When Loki embraces the madness, you struggle to divert from finishing the episode.
As always the budget and stunning visual effects for a six-part series should be commended; once again they knock it out of the park with their imaginative views on time travel, alternate realities and other planets.
Overall, Loki was a series that lacked that knockout punch that other Marvel series have been able to deal, but hardcore fans will still consider this essential viewing for the sacred timeline that we've been following since 2008.
Loki available now on Disney+