Loki Season 2 (2023) Review

Out of all the MCU Disney+ shows Loki was the best for me and it is also the only one so far to have a second season. The second season has finally finished and I have watched all 6 episodes and here is my review for it. The premise of the season picks up right where the last one finished with Loki trying to figure out what is going on with the branching timelines while trying to save the TVA from He Who Remains and his variants. 

Main Character

Tom Hiddleston has been playing Loki for so long now but this is easily his best performance in the role. He nails every aspect of this character to make him on of the most interesting in any film or TV show. Loki isn't the villain he once was but he still has those traits and the inner conflict is there and it is shown beautifully. He is scared after the events of the previous season and Hiddleston does an amazing job of conveying all types of emotion and he deserves awards for this amazing performance. 

Supporting Characters

I remember when it was revealed that Owen Wilson was cast as Mobius that I didn't understand how it would work. But he gives the best performance of his career here, the dynamic between himself and Loki is fantastic and is one of my favourite parts of the show. He has a real arc here and I loved seeing it progress throughout the season with Wilson nailing it. 

Sophia Di Martino is back as Sylvie and though this season doesn't revolve around her as much as the previous one does she still plays an important role and Di Martino nails it. She is clearly conflicted over her actions in the first season and throughout the show it puts that at the forefront of the performance and she does a great job. 

The only really major addition to the cast for this season was Ke Huy Quan as OB, an inventor at the TVA who helps Loki and Mobius. He is so energetic and adds so much to this show, he just really fits in with the crew and it is really cool seeing him in great roles lately. 

I am not going to mention his legal issues but Jonathan Majors is back in a larger role this season and he is fantastic, he plays a few different roles and I love how he is projected throughout the show and how he has been making all the variants feel very different despite being played by the same man. 

Story

The story is fantastically created. It follows on from the major cliff-hanger of the previous season and makes it even better. It improves on all of the characters and makes us care about them, especially with Loki himself who goes on a great character journey leading to the final which is an amazing episode of television. 

Script

The show is really written well, people criticise Marvel for an overuse of comedy sometimes but that is not present here. Here we have a brilliant blend with great characters being written really well and I can't stop praising it. 

Style 

The show looks beautiful, you can clearly see the care that has been put into it and the huge budget behind it. No matter what time period it is showing it nails it and kept me engaged throughout. It flowed really well and I was never bored during the 6 episodes. 

Overall

Overall, the 2nd season of Loki is a masterpiece and should be seen by everybody. They have taken this supporting character and turned him into the best character in the franchise, it feels like a fulfilling story arc over 2 seasons and I think this is one of the best things Marvel has ever done. 

Rating - 10/10

Loki Season 1 (2021) Review

After six weeks Marvel's biggest Disney+ show Loki has completed its first season and the finale was today and here is my review for the whole of the season. The premise of the show sees after the events of Avengers: Endgame, Loki captured by a mysterious group who control all of space and time. 

Main Character

Tom Hiddleston has been playing Loki for ten years now and it is fantastic to finally see him given the main role and he does a brilliant job of continuing to portray the character with tonnes of depth and intrigue, especially considering where he is taken out of the timeline. You truly see him grow as a character and Hiddleston is so charismatic that he can knock it out of the park and truly make you care about this guy that once led an army against Earth. 

Supporting Characters 

Owen Wilson makes his debut as Mobius and I truly love this character, it feels like Wilson is having a blast and really trying and delivering a brilliant and interesting character. The chemistry between Hiddleston and Wilson is off the charts and they are now easily one of the best MCU duos and every scene between the two of them had me really caring about both of them. Sophia Di Martino plays a character called Sylvie and again her and Hiddleston have great chemistry together and you see how there explosive personalities contrast with each other and provide really fun scenes. Gugu Mbatha-Raw plays a head of The TVA, the organisation in charge and she is also really good, it takes a bit of time for her to really get the time to shine but once she does she is also a really interesting character. The rest of the cast also do a great job, the noteworthy one being Richard E Grant who nails the episode that he is a part of. 

Story

The story is great, I really liked how the show takes this version of Loki and really does a character examination of him and looks at the good and bad that we have seen over the years and highlights it. With this show involving time travel and different timelines it has plenty of opportunities to go to creative locations and do creative things and it does a great job of keeping each episode fresh and interesting. Then we get into the ending of the show and it is fantastic, it delivers a solid ending to this show and sets up so much for the future of The MCU in a fascinating and truly exciting way. 

Script

The script is fantastic, the mixture of drama and humour is spot on and it doesn't go too far either way to create fascinating characters that you grow to really care about and a story that is engaging and dynamic throughout. 

Style 

The show looks amazing, the budget for this show must have been absolutely huge as it looks as big as the movies in the same universe. The action mostly works, with impressive set pieces especially and a good episode count. But my only gripe for this show is sometimes the pacing of the episodes, there are quite a few exposition scenes and they just drag a bit sometimes and slow the episodes down a bit too much, though that is one of the only few gripes I have with the show. 

Overall

Overall, Loki is a fantastic almost epic show that needs to be seen. MCU fans who haven't watched the Disney+ series get on it as in my opinion Loki is the best one yet. 

Rating - 9/10

The Avengers (2012) Review

On my way to reviewing all the MCU films I have now made it to the end of the first phase which means I have made it to The Avengers and I re-watched it today and here is my review for it. The premise of the film sees a group of superheroes have to come together to save the world from an alien force. 

Main Character

He was the first star of the MCU and he is one of the main focuses here, I'm talking about Robert Downey Jnr as Tony Stark AKA Iron Man and I think he is great in the film. He has so much charisma and the one liners are coming at a really high rate in the film, the key thing for me though is that his character develops and I think what this film does really well is show you how much has changed in him since the first Iron Man film. Chris Evans is back as Captain America and it is fun seeing this man who is from another time having to deal with modern times, I also like how his character interacted with the others, also in the action scenes Cap still shines and this film doesn't even montage past all of it. The dynamic between Downey Jnr & Evans is great here and shows just how different their personalities are and how difficult it is for them to work together despite the world literally being on the line. 

Supporting Characters

Okay, there are so many characters so in order for this review to not be longer then it needs I will try and keep this as short as possible. Chris Hemsworth is great as Thor, he adds more humour and presence in the role and like all the other characters he really gets to excel by bouncing his presence off of the other characters. Tom Hiddleston plays the villain Loki and what a shock he is great too, we saw the start of the character in Thor but he has clearly progressed since then and I liked how the relationship between the two brothers develops from the previous film. Scarlett Johansson is back as Black Widow and she is much better here then she was in Iron Man 2, she is actually given a character and real time to shine and the best thing I can say is that she stands alongside these gods and super powered beings and doesn't look out of place. Jeremy Renner plays Hawkeye and they don't give him that much to do, or more like they handle the character poorly, but by the end of the film I came around to Renner in the role and given more to do he is a great fit for the character. Over the first phase of the MCU we have seen flickers of Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury but this is the most we get of him so far and he is great, he is just so cool and interesting with his motivations not being as black and white as you would expect for this film. Now onto The Hulk, Mark Ruffalo takes over the role in this film and he is great as Banner, yes it is different to Edward Norton but he feels like a natural fit and I really liked his character here. But The Hulk is the star of this film, when he gets going he is amazing and looks incredible, The Hulk has never been better then he is in this film I believe and credit has to go to him for that. Clark Gregg, Colbie Smulders & Stellan Skaarsgard are also all good in their roles. 

Story  

As you can see by the lengthy cast list there is plenty going on here but it all balances nicely. I love the fact that the film shows that despite these characters all being heroes they don't all necessarily get along and have different views on things and it adds some much needed drama. I think the fact that we have seen their solo films aids in that as the film doesn't have to waste time with backstories and that allows the film to move at a really fast pace. Yes, there are some conveniences but I don't care, this film is so fun and the final act is comic book film greatness and delivers truly memorable moments. 

Script

The script is great, it just has that very snappy dialogue with plenty of one liners and dialogue that just fits the characters appropriately. There is also some depth and drama to this popcorn blockbuster film and that is good and credit to the people behind the script as this aids in making these god like characters interesting and a bit relatable. 

Style 

The style of the film is one of the best things about the film. As I mentioned above, the pacing of the film is incredibly quick and that aids in making this an incredibly fun film. The action scenes are huge in scale and the CGI is at its best here then any MCU film that came before. Which brings me onto The Hulk, he looks amazing, the action scenes involving him are the the most exciting part of the film and finally the MCU had a Hulk that delivered in looking and fighting like he deserved. 

Overall

Overall, The Avengers is a special film that is a must watch for not just Marvel fans but all film fans. I think because of what The MCU now is we sometimes forget about this film and take it for granted. But without, The Avengers there wouldn't be an MCU and it is an amazing film that is honestly one of my favourite movies possibly ever. 

Rating - 10/10

Thor (2011) Review

Next on my list for MCU films that I am reviewing is the first Thor film that came out in 2011 and really started this franchise up and here is my review for it. The premise sees an arrogant Thor forced to Earth and without his power where he has to attempt to recover his power in time to save both Earth and his home of Asgard. 

Main Character 

It's funny that when this film came out in 2011, Chris Hemsworth was not a well known star and this film threw him into stardom and he is really great here. He actually plays a layered version of the character and you see a really good character arc, he starts the film in one way and by the end you feel like he has earned his acclaim and it would be the start of a bright future for him and the character. 

Supporting Cast

This film also has a fantastic supporting cast with the best being Tom Hiddleston in his first portrayal of Loki. The film is best when it focuses on the relationship between him and Hemsworth and that is due to the great performances between the two of them. Hiddleston nails the real tragedy and depth to do with the character and he easily rises above a one note villain and a character that you can feel real sympathy with and despite being the villain having some sort of connection with him and want to see him put back on the right track. Anthony Hopkins plays Odin and he is also great and actually an important part of the film. With Hiddleston and Hemsworth being lesser known actors Hopkins had to aid them and provide plenty and he did here with him being the strict father very well and if you are gonna have some drop exposition you might as well have Anthony Hopkins. Natalie Portman plays Jane Foster for the first time and I think she is decent in the film, I feel like her character isn't particularly interesting but the dynamic between her and Hemsworth is good here and is a decent romance here. Kat Dennings, Clark Gregg, Stellan Skarsgard & Idris Elba also do decent jobs here and really lead to this having a very good cast and maybe one of the better ones in the MCU. 

Story 

The story is decent, as I said above the film really thrives when it focuses on the relationship between Thor & Loki and how there characters act and develop as the film progresses. Also it is interesting seeing Thor weakened for the majority of this film and seeing him have to work to improve himself does work for this story. But for a first introduction to the character it does feel like Thor is missing for quite a bit of the film in his glory and maybe something could have been changed there. Also this films plot definitely goes through a lull in the second act and it can't keep the intrigue up but it does recover by the end of the film. 

Script 

The script is really well written, Sir Kenneth Branagh who has been known for his Shakespearean fields directed this movie and he took that knowledge and naturally fit it in here, especially in the relationship between Loki and Thor. This film also has some good comic relief and this film had good drama but also plenty of laughs to be had. 

Style

The style of the film is okay, there are some alright action scenes and the film moves briskly by and keeps moving throughout. But the film does have some issues and that is mainly due to the big action set pieces being poorly filmed and the fact that the CGI looks pretty bad which is a big issue when it is film like this. Obviously, this was Thor's first outing so I guess this could have been expected but it is a criticism for sure. 

Overall

Overall, this is a great first film in the Thor franchise. It brings this character to the mainstream and provided a really fun film that fits the MCU tone and is an easy watch that if you are a fan of the universe or want to be then give this film a watch. 

Rating - 8/10