• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Film
  • DVD
  • Editorial
  • About ScreenFish

ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • News
  • OtherFish
  • Podcast
  • Give

Loki

Loki: ReWriting Our Future

June 9, 2021 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

Is anybody better at bringing people back from the dead better than Marvel?

Whether its Phil Coulson reappearing in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or Natasha Romanoff receiving her first solo film posthumously (albeit as a prequel), Marvel knows how to maximize the characters that fans have grown to love, even after their apparent deaths. Now, after his ‘no more tricks’ fate in Endgame, Loki returns in his own series which promises to have a major impact on the future of the MCU. 

Directed by Kate Herron, Loki begins during the events of Avengers: Endgame and sets the beloved anti-hero off on his own adventure. After escaping from the Avengers and crashing down in Mongolia, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is arrested by the Time Variant Authority (TVA), a bureaucratic organization tasked with maintaining the consistency of time itself. Because of his actions, Loki is charged with disrupting the primary timeline and sentenced to being ‘erased’ from time itself… that is, unless he helps Agent Mobius (Owen Wilson) to capture an even greater threat to the universal timeline.

After The Falcon and the Winter Soldier sought to challenge their audience, so too did they also lose the ‘appointment television’ vibe that made WandaVision such a success. Loki should change that. Instead of focussing on the weight of social issues or effects of grief, Loki provides a much-needed dose of levity back into the MCU. With an emphasis on fun and humour, Herron has created a series with a tone far closer to the wildness of Guardians of the Galaxy than the gravitas of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Fueled by wit and silliness, Loki has a comedic energy to it that is sure to excite fans of the franchise. (Though, it’s worth noting that the first episode is exposition-heavy as the series must explain the existence of an entirely different layer of reality that’s been added to the Marvel canon.)

Without question though, the centre of the show remains Hiddleston. After all these years, Hiddleston is more than ready to step into the limelight as his charisma has elevated the role from standard villain to one of Marvel’s most adored characters. (Has it really been 10 years since he first put on the horns?) Due to the time travel element to Loki, Hiddleston brings the character back to his more mischievous origins and clearly relishes the opportunity to bring back Loki’s shades of grey. What’s more, the casting of Wilson as Agent Mobius also provides a suitable foil for Hiddleston. Known for his more innocent charm, Wilson uses his likeability to balance out Loki’s more menacing humour and the two are instantly one of Marvel’s more likeable duos.

With the inclusion of the TVA, the Marvel universe has changed drastically. With the multiverse beginning to come into play, a realm such as the timestream has huge implications for the franchise moving forward. This is a place where ‘time moves differently’, superhuman abilities are rendered useless and Infinity Stones are literally used as paperweights. (The TVA is also the first official mention of the ‘Nexus’ after WandaVision’s famed commercial segments.) 

Of course, this sort of environment is both stunning and enticing to Loki himself. As he marvels (see what I did there?) at their unbelievable power, Loki is forced to realize how small he may truly be. In this world, time is sacred and the TVA are sworn to protect it from those who would dare to change it. As such, Loki is arrested because his escape was not ‘supposed to happen’, even if the Avengers can seem to pull it off without prosecution. (After all, their transgressions were supposed to take place…) In doing so, the series suggests that every character or person has a lane by which they much adhere. Villains are going to be villains. Heroes will save the world. For the TVA, there is little room for improvisation and everyone must behave as they’re expected to behave. 

However, at the same time, the series offers somewhat of a paradox. (That’s shocking for any time travel series, I know.) While Loki is branded a criminal for his decision to break the timestream, he is also offered the chance to make it right. Instead of seeing him solely as a villain, Mobius sees him as something more and suggests there may be another way. (“I can’t offer you salvation but maybe I can offer you something better,” Mobius says cryptically.) To Mobius, Loki’s criminal history does not negate him but instead highlights his craftiness and ingenuity and could provide a new direction for his life.

For Mobius, Loki’s future is not bound by his past.

With a return to its more mischievous tone, Loki is a welcome return to form for the MCU. With Loki, Herron, Hiddleston and Wilson have created a world of limitless potential that should be an instant hit with fans. It’s always most fun when Marvel takes risks and, while Loki doesn’t exactly stray from the style that has made them a juggernaut, it does provide its most unique character with a whole new box of toys to play with. 

Loki is available on Disney+ on Wednesday, June 9th, 2021.

Filed Under: Disney+, Featured, Reviews, SmallFish Tagged With: Black Widow, Kate Herron, Loki, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, MCU, Nexus, Owen Wilson, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Tom Hiddleston, WandaVision

Avengers Infinity War: The Hype is Real! (Spoiler Free)

April 28, 2018 by Arnaldo Reyes 4 Comments

It’s hard to believe when you look back at it that it has been 10 years since Marvel Studios–then on its own–embarked on a bold strategy to change cinematic storytelling as we knew it. What started in 2008 with Iron Man has evolved into what can arguably be called the standard of superhero film-making. Of course, during that time, many of the films have fallen between OK to amazing in terms of quality. Lately, the box office tallies have been record breaking (Wakanda Forever!). So, after 10 years, and the much anticipated Thanos showdown with the entire MCU, it is of no surprise that this weekend Marvel will shatter even more records. Still, the question remains whether or not the film actually lives up to the hype?

Ever since the first Avengers film, Thanos has been a lingering threat. Slowly, Marvel has moved towards the inevitable collision with the Mad Titan and we had to wait until now for, as Bobby Bouche’s mom tells him, “The chickens [to finally]come to home to roost.” I can say that, for the second film in a row, Marvel has knocked it out of the park with their villain (something they haven’t been able to do since Loki). Like Killmonger, Thanos comes off as a villain whose motive actually makes sense though in the mind of a mad man, it is insane. Josh Brolin is exceptional in this role, and we are given a character in Thanos who is not just menacing and powerful, but even almost relatable. In the midst of a high pace edge of your seat film, The Russo brothers were able to inject just enough of Thanos’ background to give us a glimpse into what makes this madman tick. If not for the fact that he wants to wipe out half the universe without remorse, one might almost feel bad for him. When Infinity War was over, I was left speechless and in awe and Thanos was a big reason as to why.

One of the questions many had going into the film is how managing all these characters in one film would work. There are some things that I question, but overall the Russo brothers did a great job in putting together a film that balanced the characters extremely well. Not an easy task, that’s for sure! There was balance between character screen time, pace, seriousness, and humor. Like most Marvel films, you find your self laughing out loud at parts, edge of your seat for some, and even tears for others. All emotions are tapped and some for the most unexpected of characters. From the ego filled banter of Tony and Dr. Strange; the camaraderie of Thor and Rocket; the respect of T’Challa and Captain America; to the relationships that take center stage of the film, each character gets a moment to shine like we know they can (even teenage Groot). My only gripe in relation to the characters has to do with a missing person, and what I consider a cop out near the end of the film. Outside of that, the film handled the balancing act very well.

From the start, this film was intense with a splash of fun added in for good measure. It truly brought the past 10 years of Marvel films together while showing us what heroism is. From the start, the heroes were over-matched and outgunned, as it should be. The children of Thanos (Black Dwarf, Proxima Midnight, Ebony Maw, and Corvis Claive) were a handful for our heroes on their own. From the beginning, we witnessed the power of Thanos. Still, similar to the scene in Captain America: The First Avenger, where a puny Steve Rogers is getting beat up and continues to get up, the heroes stood up to fight. We see that no matter what the enemy throws at us, we need to stand firm and fight. In the end, although we may be broken, battered, shattered, and feel like the world as we know it is ending, we can look to the horizon and realize there is still hope.

Avengers: Infinity War not only lives up to the hype, but I believe it may even shatter some expectations. There are story points that not even the cast knew would happen until they actually watched the film. The ending will leave the audience speechless, and some bold decisions might make some fans unhappy. However, in the end, this is what makes the film work. It stayed on point, never drifted away from what it wanted to do, and delivered what may one day be considered one of the best superhero films of all time. Avengers 4 comes out next year, and it has a lot to live up to.

Personally, I hope the Russo brothers can deliver again.

P.S. The film has no mid-credit scene. Though, there is a post-credit scene that really Marvels…

 

Filed Under: Film, Reviews Tagged With: Avengers, Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther, Captain America, Guardians of the Galaxy, Iron Man, Loki, Thanos, Thor

Primary Sidebar

THE SF NEWS

Get a special look, just for you.

sf podcast

Hot Off the Press

  • She is Love: The Quiet Rage of Relationships
  • Black Ice – What’s needs to change in Canada
  • How Do We Do Evangelism?
  • Arctic: Our Frozen Planet – Baby, It’s Cold Outside
  • Dear Edward: Sitting in Sadness, but Never Alone
Find tickets and showtimes on Fandango.

where faith and film are intertwined

film and television carry stories which remind us of the stories God has woven since the beginning of time. come with us on a journey to see where faith and film are intertwined.

Footer

ScreenFish Articles

She is Love: The Quiet Rage of Relationships

Black Ice – What’s needs to change in Canada

  • About ScreenFish
  • Privacy Policy

© 2023 · ScreenFish.net · Built by Aaron Lee

 

Loading Comments...