Most of us MCU fans know that Loki played by Tom Hiddleston is one of the major standout characters of the franchise. After Avengers Endgame left so many questions as to what would happen to our favorite mischievous troublemaker, we would eventually get our answers in the form of yet another Disney+ series in the same vein of shows like WandaVison and The Falcon and The Winter Solider. You’d think that Loki staring in his own adventure would just be lazy fan service for MCU fans, but this show surprisingly brings a new outlook that not only gives a new way to look at Loki, but a new way to look at the MCU in general.
Taking place in an alternate timeline where Loki (Tom Hiddleston) escapes in 2012 New York during Avengers Endgame. Loki finds himself caught by the TVA (Time Variance Authority) where he is accused of messing up the timeline. Eventually, he is put to work by Mobuis (Owen Wilson) to stop other time variants from occurring but happens to come across some shocking secrets about the TVA and the escaped time variants that may change everything.
The show’s lingering storyline does more than just make Loki an interesting main character, it also introduces a great amount of world building that is honestly some of the best I've seen in a Marvel production since the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. The Time variant world is well executed and brings a fresh idea on time travel that we should have gotten from Avengers Endgame. Endgame’s explanation of time travel was a bit confusing to take part in with its overexplaining and tons of time paradoxes. Loki’s explanation of time travel is much better handled and the rules are made easy to understand because it's told in a very entertaining way. World building aside, this shows story does a great job at introducing creative ideas and tons of unexpected moments. The only complaint I do have is the final reveal of the person behind the TVA as it felt unimpressive and a bit of a cop-out. The rest of the series is so good though that it is practically a needle in a haystack filled with so much creativity and passion.
The characters both old and new leave memorable impressions and are great additions to the ever-expanding MCU. Loki is of course great as he is. Tom Hiddleston is just perfect as the god of mischief and the show gives a great opportunity to show a different side of how to make his character sympathetic and deep. When I first saw Owen Wilson as Mobius I thought he was gonna be a throwaway character, but after two episodes I was hooked on his performance and his acting is so good that I don’t see Owen Wilson as I just see the character he is portraying. Other characters like Sylvie are also great but the one standout character that stole the show for me is Miss Minutes Played by the almighty voice actress Tara Strong. It’s funny because Tara is usually known for doing voices for DC characters so it’s quite surprising that she lended her talents to DC’s biggest competitor to play a character that is both charming and funny.
The cinemotogrpy is on the same level as one of the MCU’s cinematic features but in Disney+ form. The actual locations have great color palettes and have many interesting details to make them stand out from other locations we have seen before in the MCU. the CG effects blend in super well with the practical sets and this series out of all the Disney+ MCU ventures takes the most chances visually to create scenes that are unique and engaging. Another thing I have to give credit to is the animation on Miss Minutes which is both expressive and somewhat cute at the same time. These visuals are so far the standard that other MCU Disney+ shows should follow to create unique and visually interesting experiences.
The Music is surprisingly helmed by the same composer who composed the score for the family-friendly Paddington movie. Her movie score brings an eerie and sci-fi dystopian feel to the entire series which makes for a nerve-racking but engaging experience.
While WandaVision is pretty good and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was decent. Loki is so far the MCU Disney+ show that can and should be compared to the greatest of MCU feature films. It brings the same amount of character, charm, and interesting visuals and music to create an experience that is pretty hard to forget. It could have been so easy for this series to be nothing but fan service to those who love Loki as a character, but this series goes a few steps further to make for a series that is worth seeing for fans and newcomers alike. The MCU has more Disney+ series’s in development, but it’s gonna take a lot of effort to top this one.
(Final Grade: A-)