Loki Premiere Early Review

The following is a spoiler-free review of the first two episodes of Loki. The first episode premieres Wednesday, June 9th on Disney+

Following Loki’s untimely demise in Avengers: Infinity War (spoiler alert for the few who still haven’t seen the film yet), it shouldn’t come as that much of a surprise to anyone that the MCU wouldn’t get rid of the character and Tom Hiddleston that easily and that they did not, giving a past version of him circa The Avengers in Avengers: Endgame (spoiler alert for the few who still haven’t seen that film yet either) a means of escape as a means to set up his own Disney+ series, following the likes of WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. That being said, those wondering what they can do with the character will be pleasantly surprised as it places him in an entertaining sci-fi romp in an ambitious and sprawling world through time which looks to have major implications on the MCU. Boasting stellar production design and costumes used to create that world while guided by strong writing and performances, Loki offers a compelling mix of thrills and laughs in setting up a mystery that looks to have an impact on time as we know it.

Loki certainly doesn’t waste any time by picking up the moment following Loki’s (Tom Hiddleston) escape in Endgame. From there, the differences between this version of Loki and the one we saw in Infinity War are immediately clear in his reaction as he definitely did not get away with it with his antics attracting the intention of the Time Variance Authority (or TVA), a bureaucratic organization existing outside of time and space that oversees all timelines within the multiverse, that deemed him to be a variant or someone who has strayed from their intended path and created a branched timeline. Suffice it to say that this was frowned upon as this situation was one where Loki couldn’t talk himself out of as they were all well aware of who he was and his history. Regardless, all that stuff didn’t matter as he was taken to the TVA, a futuristic-looking metropolis created by a trio of entities known as the Time Keepers whose duty were to monitor the main timeline.

As mentioned, the TVA is a well-oiled machine as these first two episodes only scratched the surface of its many intricacies but as Loki became fairly acquainted with it, it brought upon countless hilarious moments as he caught the eye of an analyst named Agent Mobius (Owen Wilson). Despite what we already know about this version of Loki, Mobius saw something more. Nevertheless, he still had his doubters while Mobius was very aware of who he was dealing with as he and everyone else in the TVA were very prepared for him though all of that could only go so far. Just as Loki was redeemed during the back end of his MCU run, this version of Loki was set on a similar path as he got the chance to take a step back and take a deep look at himself and face the repercussions of his actions as a means to figure out the kind of person he was and his purpose. This would clearly take more than two episodes to do and there were already some bumps here, that start was still very compelling to watch.

Beyond the character arcs, there was an actual story here as Loki had to take those feelings into a mission with Mobius to apprehend an illusive variant hiding in the timeline and killing TVA soldiers, or Minute Men. Going into it carrying that internal conflict, one still can’t help but doubt whose side he was really on and it seemed like he wasn’t as sure of that either and it was hard to shake that feeling. In the field, the TVA were also a well-oiled machine, solving disturbances and resetting the timeline. Mostly a passenger in the field, Loki had to earn the trust of the TVA but he definitely did not make it easy for them. However, it wasn’t until the true nature of this conflict was revealed that the series truly became interesting and the TVA at that point had to listen to what he had to say and start to trust his methods (though he still had some work to do in the earning trust department) though that story wasn’t as simple as it seemed.

Ultimately, the best part of Loki was the stellar performances across the board as Hiddleston and his effortless charm truly shine here as he is nothing but a blast to watch here as Loki, showing range in adeptly tapping back into the old Loki while adding more depth, bringing levels of pain underneath that over-the-top personality. That duality to his performance made the character much more gripping to watch. Meanwhile, Wilson as Agent Mobius was up to the challenge, creating an immensely-entertaining dynamic with Hiddleston thanks to their excellent chemistry. Much more than a pure straight man to Loki, he was great as that, they were equals who cam each dish it out as well they can take it. It will be exciting to see where that dynamic goes over the remainder of the series. Rounding out the cast was Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Wunmi Mosaku who were both great as Mobius’s boss Ravonna Renslayer for whom the two also shared a fun dynamic and the uber-intense Hunter B-15 respectively.

At the end of the day, Loki sees the MCU continue to show their versatility by taking their latest series in yet another satisfying direction, proving that Loki still has plenty of mileage left.

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.