Loki (07.23.21)

When watching films and TV shows that involve time-travel, I have one simple rule: Don’t think about what’s going on too hard. It seems as if every entry into this genre has its own rules, and even the best written ones inevitably abound with paradoxes. How did Captain America show up as an old man in the mainstream timeline of Avengers: Endgame if the rules already established that going back in time creates an alternate timeline? The answer is “shut up, brain; you’re going to hurt yourself.” Loki, Disney+’s latest foray into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is a similar experience; don’t think about things too hard and you will find yourself enjoying some glorious acting, some glorious set pieces, a glorious soundtrack, and maybe even the unfolding of a glorious purpose or two.   

            At this point Tom Hiddleston’s fan-favorite performance as the titular god of mischief seems about as natural to him as waking up in the morning and putting on a pair of pants. He is, as always, electric (no disrespect to Thor), able to switch from being deliciously hammy and broad one moment to quietly contemplative and subtle the next. This time he is joined by a cast that includes Owen Wilson, Sophia Di Martino, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who are all phenomenal in their own right and more than capable of keeping up with Hiddleston’s iconic embodiment of the trickster god. Everyone in the cast brings the script to life wonderfully, even if it does require them to occasionally spout time-travel nonsense that makes my brain start to tune out as a defense mechanism.  

            Out of all the Marvel series on Disney+ so far, Loki seems like the first one to take full advantage of the obscenely high budget that comes from being a House of Mouse production. Every setting, from the retro-style interiors of the Time Variance Authority to the decrepit castle at the end of time, looks stunning. Disney spared no expense on the CG here, filling the small screen with movie-grade special effects and shots that would make even the show’s big screen brethren blush. Rounding out the experience is a rousing soundtrack that easily places within my top five of the entire MCU with its creepy, otherworldly theremin, ticking clocks, and traditional Norse instruments.  

            Despite all of this, Loki does not entirely feel like a complete experience like WandaVision or Falcon and the Winter Soldier did. This comes, in part, from the fact that Loki does not resolve much by its finale (granted, there is a reason for this… Just wait for the end credit scene of the final episode) and because the show simply feels too important to what’s coming next in the MCU as a whole. Some threads introduced in these six episodes will take years to get resolved, which can be a bit exhausting and frustrating to think about. It’s not its own thing as much as I would like it to be, and by being too important Loki paradoxically feels less for it.  

            But it is still, in a word, glorious.  

            Loki is now available on Disney+.

 

This review was first published in The Keizertimes on July 23rd, 2021. Visit at http://keizertimes.com/ 

Luca (07.09.21)

It has been clear for a long time now that Pixar is made up of people that like to set bars. To set a bar is impressive in and of itself, but even more admirable than that is a consistent determination to clear and raise that bar when it would sometimes be much easier to stumble through it, take your billions, and go home. It must be exhausting to expect so much from oneself, and such high standards often make the inevitable “good but not great” jumps appear worse than they really are. This was the metaphor that was on my mind when I watched Luca, Disney/Pixar’s latest offering, a film that takes a step back from the company’s usual grand ambitions and dares to simply be good.    

            There are a few things that we as audience members have come to expect of Pixar over the years after being consistently spoiled by them—creative plots, razor sharp writing, cutting-edge animation, and mature-yet-still-kid-friendly themes, to name a few. Luca, unfortunately, falls just a little bit short on most of these. The plot is simple and feels more than a little familiar, bringing to mind another ocean dweller that wanted to be where the people are, and there aren’t too many of those special moments that make adults laugh as hard as the kids. I was not a big fan of the animation either, particularly the goofy character models. Finally, the themes essentially boil down to accepting others, being a good parent, and being a good friend. All of this is important stuff, of course, but definitely less ambitious than the heavy themes explored in previous Pixar movies like Toy Story, Inside Out, Coco, and Soul.  

            But let me be perfectly clear: this movie is not bad. It is, in fact, quite enjoyable, funny, and heartwarming. The voice acting is predictably great, the overall mood and feel is relaxed and vibrant (and Italian!), and even though I wasn’t a fan of the animation didn’t mean the animation was bad—things still pop, and I don’t think that water has ever been better portrayed in CG than it is here. Perhaps the best compliment that I can give Luca, however, is the fact that my six-year-old nephew (who still sometimes has a hard time paying attention to the entirety of a feature-length movie) has watched it twice within the last week. All this to say that wholly original plots, an abundance of funny moments, and cathartic deep-dives into the human psyche do not necessarily make for a great film-- it’s just that the relative lack of one or two of these keeps Luca from measuring up to the best of the best. If this movie had been made by any “lesser” studio I would be singing its praises non-stop from the top of a mountain. But as it came from Pixar, I can see it only being remembered up until their next gut-wrenching film about, I dunno, anthropomorphic shoes or something.          

            Luca is now available on Disney+. 

 

This review was first published in The Keizertimes on July 9th, 2021. Visit at http://keizertimes.com/