Twilight of the Gods review: brilliantly bloody and well-crafted

Twilight of the Gods, Netflix, review, Zack Snyder

Plot: After traveling to Jötunheimr in search of his brother Loki and finding the giants uncooperative, Thor lays waste to the entire population, save for the human-sized giant Sigrid and her fabled warrior lover, Leif. Together, they vow revenge against the gods, sparking a war that brings about the death of the Æsir and Vanir in the ultimate battle against evil.

Review: Have you ever watched superhero movies and thought, “Sure, those Norse gods seem cool, but I really expected them to be… I don’t know… bloodier?” Forget Chris Hemsworth’s jubilant quips and Mimir’s witticisms from Sony’s God of War: Ragnarok. The gods, born from humankind’s imaginations and stories, reflect our lust for power, carnal desires, and hubris. Whereas most of Hollywood’s portrayal of the gods offer tempered, toothless, and sanitized versions of literature’s all-powerful chess pieces made flesh, Twilight of Gods reminds us of how cruel, cocksure, and Machiavellian Odin and his offspring can be.

Allow me to cut to the quick here. Twilight of the Gods hits like a mighty strike from Brokkr’s enchanted blacksmithing hammer. Created by Zack Snyder, Eric Carrasco, and Jay Oliva, with animation by Xilam Animation, Twilight of the Gods tells the epic saga of Sigrid (Sylvia Hoeks), a human-sized giant from the frostbitten crags of Jötunheimr. When Thor, searching for his brother Loki, massacres Sigrid’s people in a fit of rage, unknowingly leaving Sigrid and her beloved Leif (Stuart Martin) to the crows, the God of Thunder sparks a war to rival Ragnarok as Sigrid seeks revenge.

To help bring about the end of Thor’s miserable life, Sigrid assembles a team of gifted warriors, beginning with Egill (Rahul Kohli), a talented storyteller and magic user with an open mind concerning pleasures of the flesh, Hervor (Birgitte Hjort Sørensen), a battle-hardened warrior with a mouth like a sailor who longs to reunite with her fallen sons in Valhallah, Seid-Kona (Jamie Clayton), a witch and seer with immense power, Ulfer (Peter Stormare), a fierce and feral warrior in wolf’s clothing who longs for a better end to a life drenched in blood and sorrow, Andvari (Kirstopher Hivju) the Dwarven blacksmith out to avenge his fallen friends, and Thyra (Thea Sofie Loch Næss) the surrogate daughter of the leader of the Vanir.

One of the highest compliments I can pay Twilight of the Gods is the writing team’s execution of character. Every member of Sigrid’s party is enigmatic, engaging, and given multiple times to shine across the eight-episode saga. Whether it’s Sigrid struggling to balance her sense of duty to her people with her loyalty and longing for Lief, Ulfer contemplating the sins of his past, Egill and Seid-Kona battling against fate to remain together, or Hervor looking to earn her way into the heavens for reunion and redemption, all are fully fleshed out characters worth investing in.

Loki (Paterson Joseph) is a personal favorite character of mine. Never to be trusted, Loki represents a tragic figure among the gods, forever scheming but with noble cause for his deceit. Fittingly, Loki is at the source of every lie, every hot-blooded longing to bury a blade, and the one who whispers to strike when we hold the life of another in our hands. Loki’s complex storyline is one of the best threads to follow throughout Twilight of the Gods, with his and Sigrid’s plotting and deception resulting in some of the show’s best twists.

The animation in Twilight of the Gods is staggeringly beautiful at all times. While the series boasts a unique look, its style combines Samurai Jack and Cartoon Saloon’s The Secret of Kells elements. The result is something memorable, vibrant, and bold. Regardless of what realm you visit, there’s a gorgeous atmosphere, wondrous creatures and deities to behold, and enemies lurking and listening from within the shadows.

Understand this: Twilight of the Gods is not for the faint of heart. This animation is as mature as it gets, with gory violence, full-frontal nudity, coarse language, and sex scenes unafraid to give another meaning to “thrusting one’s blade.” However, it’s with an overwhelming amount of surprise that I say the show presents all matters concerning sex, nudity, and open relationships with care, inclusivity, and passion. In Twilight of the Gods, the adult elements are respectfully portrayed and non-gratuitous, with some being as hot as Hel.

Speaking of violence, let us talk of Thor (Pilou Asbæk), the God of Thunder and an unrelentingly repugnant villain in Twilight of the Gods. You won’t find Marvel’s Seductive Lord of Thunder here. Instead, Asbæk’s Thor is a hedonistic, self-absorbed, and abusive figure whose ability to inflict pain on others knows no bounds. Thor destroys Sigrid’s entire family and community without batting an eye. For Thor, this unfathomable slaughter is another easily forgotten act in a busy week of excessive drinking and spreading his seed. For Sigrid, voiced to perfection by Sylvia Hoeks, it’s the beginning of her quest to kill a god and anyone who stands in her way. Perhaps the cruelest part is that when Sigrid catches up to Thor, he no longer remembers who she is or why she wants his head. The butchering of Sigrid’s people is smoke on the wind for Thor. He has to die.

While lighting the pyres of praise for this series, I take issue with its audio design. Screeners rarely arrive slightly lower in quality than the final product. Still, if Twilight of the Gods debuts in a similar quality, you could find yourself turning on the subtitles. The accents and pronunciation could have thrown me off, but the audio mix was uneven. Names and dialogue became lost when the action took center stage or music overpowered the narrative. Again, these audio hiccups could easily result from a rough file, and in no way did this detract from my enjoyment of the series overall. The whole experience is a wicked ride!

When credits rolled for the final episode in the series, I raised a clawed hand to the sky and cursed the Netflix gods above. I was ready to keep going. Twilight of the Gods is devoid of Snyder’s patented slo-mo, features characters worth caring deeply about, includes carnage on a grand scale, and aptly balances themes of love, sacrifice, revenge, deceit, and determination. The series serves as a reminder that many gods were not kind and mortals are stronger than arrogant deities give them credit for. Snyder fans will binge this series in the blink of an eye, while those who actively avoid his work could find themselves sucked into the madness. I think there’s something here for everyone with an affinity for Norse mythology, especially once the mission to kill Thor truly begins. I went into this assignment guarded and somewhat cynical. Still, I emerged from the experience with a rekindled interest in the gods and hope to hear the show’s praises sung by the loudest of Synder’s die-hard supporters.