It is recommended to watch the series before reading the review.
Loki is the third television series released by Disney and Marvel Studios since early last year, after WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which are still in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The series this time was worked on by Michael Waldron with the genius Kevin Feige still on the producer bench. With six episodes, each with a duration of 42-54 minutes, this series was released on the Disney+ platform on June 9 and ended last week. Playing in this series is the star Tom Hiddleston, along with Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Sophia Di Martino. Will Loki be able to reach the standards of the previous MCU series?
The timeline of the story setting is when the moment of Avenger’s Endgame, Loki, took the Tesseract from the hands of the Avenger and fled somewhere. Later, Loki faced the TVA organization (Time Variance Authority), which guarded the timeline not to deviate. People who violate (deviate the timeline) termed “variants” will be destroyed by TVA. Luckily for Loki, he was given a choice, which is to help investigate a complicated case that has been unsolved for a long time, a variant separated from TVA, which is another version of Loki himself.
Before going any further, as with most issues in the MCU films, the complexity of the story is the series’ biggest issue. Those who have never or followed this series casually will have a big problem digesting the continuity of the plot. Loki is no exception. The concept is very absurd; of course, it will be more difficult for ordinary viewers.
From the very beginning, the MCU has laid the foundation for a strong story that it won’t be difficult to conceptualize the story wherever it goes. Loki is only a small part of the big plot of the MCU, which is the concept is largest and widest “plot” (multiverse dimensions) never seen before. The term “multiverse” has been around since Doctor Strange, but this is the first time the multiverse has been presented in the plot. Loki was so surprising and far beyond expectations. The script is so “crazy” and is far beyond the reach of previous MCU stories. Such a complex concept is presented so brilliantly without disturbing the continuity of the core plot of the MCU. Whatever happens here won’t affect the big story of the MCU. Loki’s plot timeline is hidden in the space of eternity between a “multiverse” that is flexible in any direction. The time dimension does not exist here.
The concept of the multiverse is not an easy thing to explain. This is the key to the story of this series and the story of the upcoming MCU films. The title of the sequel to Doctor Strange, for example, has used the “multiverse”. In the first Loki series, the concept of the multiverse has been explained in detail and clearly. It could be easy for fans but not necessarily for those who are unfamiliar with this series. This concept is crucial because “across space and time” is an often thing throughout the story “. The plot of the fugitive’s investigation slowly turns into a concept of existentialism that is increasingly complicated to understand. What exactly is TVA? Who made TVA? Who’s in charge? Who is the timekeeper? These are all difficult questions that can be answered elegantly in their climax. The figure of Loki, who we know well for a long time, is so intelligently positioned in the plot as an introductory medium for the audience to make it easier to digest the story. For me, with the game’s time and space dimensions, Loki is the best-scripted achievement in the MCU.
For his technical achievements, Loki uses the standards of previous MCU films, especially for visual achievements (CGI), which are very impressive, even though not aimed at the big screen. There is no standard decrease in setting and costumes until the music is all top class. Music is an element that deserves attention here. The musical nuances of the classic “Kubrick” films have been felt since the first series. They are so fit to be used in this series (Many Kubrick’s films also using the existentialism concept). In terms of players, apart from Hiddleston, who played impressively, several players stole the attention throughout the film, namely Owen Wilson (Mobius), Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Ravonna), and Sophia Di Martino (Sylvie).
Loki takes a step away from the premise or concept of the story, not only for the universe (MCU) or the genre but also the medium. The idea of the story that plays with space and time in such a complex way is a big leap for the MCU. Again, the MCU can still maintain consistency in the quality of its script and can even now explore the concept of existentialism further. A million questions are still unanswered and still a mystery. The filmmakers have openly opened the continuation of the second season of the series. Hopefully, it will be better than the first season. Undeniably, Loki is one of the best achievements of the MCU series. It’s just a matter of time before someone calls this series a masterpiece.
