What’s the Difference Between Chaos and Freedom?

A review of Disney's 'Loki.’

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At this point, it requires a mental effort to commit to a piece of Marvel content. The problem is that I know exactly what it’s going to be: a frothy comedy with some ugly CGI action sequences. WandaVision had its moments, but totally wimped out on following its internal logic to an honest conclusion. For a long time, every time a Marvel narrative has approached moral seriousness, it has veered skittishly back into irony, burying sincerity beneath a stream of sitcom joking. 

Could Loki be the exception to the rule? As the story has developed, it has drifted worryingly into the same old Marvel tropes. But what a beginning! The premiere felt like a shot in the arm for the aging MCU—punchy, ambitious, smart, and patient. It even attempts to ask big questions about free will. It’s a lot of fun; it’s smart; it’s unpredictable. It’s … Marvel? It doesn’t feel like it!

Free will and choice are very relevant questions for Loki, Norse “god” of mischief, who, as the Big Bad in 2012’s The Avengers, strutted about pompously explaining to crowds that “the unspoken truth of humanity [is] that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life’s joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel.” 

Looking back at that Avengers speech on freedom, a character in Loki makes the point that those who rail against freedom are always those who consider themselves the superiors—the only ones who are truly free. “Freedom is an illusion,” is the text; “except for me” is the subtext. Loki thinks no one is free but himself, and he is … a god. 

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  1. Nicholas M Engel

    Ugh, what is it about The Dispatch that draws Marvel critics?

    French's affinity for DC movies (and disdain for Marvel movies) is inexplicable. I want to scream every time he talks glowingly about DC films (and throws Marvel under the bus). We get it, David -- you like bad superhero movies.

    And now we have another Dispatch writer lamenting the "mental effort" required to watch Marvel content? Must be something in the water at Dispatch headquarters.

    Loki has been interesting so far, with a fair bit of squandered opportunity IMO. I don't share the author's interest in hearing any character break into a discourse on natural law. That sounds like a homework movie I would have had to watch in my undergrad Philosophy and Film class. Nor do I share her concern that having a character reveal bisexuality is trope-y. I guess we already had Valkyrie, but who knows what to expect from Asgardian persons.

    All I'm hoping for is a consistent and smart show that poses interesting questions and explores a loveable side character in the Marvel franchise. So far, I'm happy enough (though can't help wanting to fix some lines/scenes). Loved the scene where Loki watches how his non-variant life will happen. Cheers to any other Marvel fans out there!

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      Blogger Barbie

      Yes, I don't get it! If anything out there is poised to actually unite the culture in any kind of conversation at the moment, it's the MCU. And the moment in Endgame when the universe opens up and every hero we've ever believed in appears to fight the forces of nihilism and despair... there's just nothing in any other series to even compare it to. I can deal with someone liking the DCEU (I most don't get it, but then, I don't like Twilight either, but I can accept that other people do), but the constant knocks on Marvel are annoying.

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      Michael Darwin

      David has consistently said there's no such thing as a bad super-hero movie, so I think you may be overstating his distaste for Marvel films.

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      1. Nicholas M Engel

        Haha, I must have missed that line somehow (don't always listen to AO).

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        1. Mathew A

          I agree that Marvel is better than DC. But missing AO podcasts, for shame :) They are right at the top of my podcast list.

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          1. Nicholas M Engel

            I'm a lawyer, and I've had my fill of constitutional arguments in law school. It just doesn't do it for me to have two lawyers slowly reading selections of opinions and giving me their hot takes.

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      Bethfreitag

      I don't think you need to be a fan to review particular movies or shows...but if you actively dislike the genre then maybe you aren't the best person to review them. Marvel movies and shows have a particular feel, and even when they do tackle a serious subject they like to keep the tone pretty light. That's their brand. Faulting them for that or complaining about Marvel banter seems to miss the point entirely. Not everyone has to like that, but a critic should review how well they succeeded at making the show/movie they were trying to make, not critique them for failing to make a show in a genre he prefers.

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        Blogger Barbie

        Exactly. You can't give a solid review of whether or not something is a good entry in a series if you dislike the series as a whole. I mean, I dislike Harlequin romances... and you know what? I couldn't tell you if any one of them is good because I'm rolling my eyes and saying, "Another stupid meet-cute? Why do people read this stuff?" Which means I can't identify a single nuance about what separates one from the others; I'm not qualified.

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    Haiku Jonah

    My concern is that, like WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the Loki series will offer glimmers of potential and tease with interesting moments, but in the end fail to land the series well. Call it the “Lost” problem.

    Won’t stop me from watching Loki and the other upcoming series, of course, but I can’t imagine rewatching WV or TFATWS.

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    Carson J.

    To be honest I'm slightly confused that you guys are still reviewing these shows, since you just seem to complain about doing so every time.

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    Angie

    I haven't seen it yet, but, planned to, and now I am even more convinced...( I love Loki and Tom Huddleston)...

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    Show Jay Janney the 🚪!

    especially opposite Wilson’s straight man, Mobius.

    Why again do we need to know Owen Wilson's sexual preferences? And are we promoting the extant hegemony when we do?

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      Angie

      ha ha
      You know what doesn't mean what you think it means?..lol

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  6. Kyle C

    BTW, Loki doesn't use time travel to escape his timeline. He just makes a different decision (using the tesseract to escape) and diverges from the "main" timeline.

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    Jason Gibson

    This is fair. Have to say falcon and winter soldier was a slog

    Loved Wandavision though.

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      Angie

      You didn't like Falcon and Winter Soilder? I haven't see it yet...but, everyone else seemed to love it?

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        Michael Darwin

        I enjoyed it but the finale has some rather contorted moral reasoning.

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    CP

    It's really bizarre to me that the first two episodes took place more or less within the confines of a huge bureaucracy, and they were absolutely _riveting_, while the third episode takes place against the backdrop of the end of a world (with a cliffhanger to boot), and I had trouble not yawning. Is it just that less is more? Or is Owen Wilson really _that_ good? I get that they were trying to imitate "Before Sunrise" a bit, but I _love_ "Before Sunrise" and I didn't love this. Or are they falling into the trap of writing another female character as a "straight man" (because goofy people need to seem incompetent), rather than allowing her to out-crazy Loki? If it's against the rules to allow a female character to be more chaotic than a male character, maybe it's a rule that this show should actually break? Is Loki's journey here going to be from someone who only cares about himself to a mostly-humorless rebel committed to "the Cause" (whether the pro-TVA or anti-TVA cause? And if so, how do you do that without sacrificing the aspects of Loki that make him fun in the first place?

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    BrandonAlleman

    The first two episodes exceeded my expectations with entertaining existential musings and bureaucratic absurdities reminding me of my second favorite Terry Gilliam's movie, Brazil. The third dwelled more on identity which made sense to me because the the buddy in the buddy cop set up is an alternative timeline variant version of the other. Loki is self obsessed and focused on distilling the essential commonality with his counterpart while she seemed mostly disinterested. I didn't see the third episode as damaging to the momentum of the first two and am looking forward to more without too much mental effort!

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    1. Nicco

      Agree on the third episode. The show takes a clear turn at the end of episode 2. In episode 3, Loki exchanges Mobius for himself (sort of) as interlocutor. The setting also changes from the TVA to… somewhere else (avoiding spoilers for sensitive readers). Of course it’s going to be different!

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  10. Mrobertchase1

    This is the second time the Dispatch has reviewed a Marvel mini-series before it was complete. It's a good review as far as it goes, but will we have a final summing up at the end?

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      Carson J.

      Third time, actually. Both the Wandavision and Falcon and the Winter Soldier reviews went up before the last episodes did.

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      BrandonAlleman

      Also the second to start with a ' variant' of I'm too smart for the Marvel ouvre but here's my review for the simpletons who aren't. ( I may be one of those oversensitive simpletons)

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