Twilight Of The Gods is a mesmerizing, brutal epic
Zack Snyder has enjoyed a few prolific years at Netflix. With the Rebel Moon films, he has been given the chance to create his own Star Wars-esque universe. Now, with an Army Of The Dead sequel also planned, comes another Netflix project from Snyder—and it might be his best for the streamer yet.
The adult-animated series Twilight Of The Gods (which Snyder co-created with Eric Carrasco and Jay Oliva) follows the warrior Sigrid (Sylvia Hoeks) and the mortal Leif (Stuart Martin), who meet on the battlefield after Sigrid saves his life. We follow them as they fall in love and eventually plan to get married. On their wedding night, a beam of light crashes down from the sky, with Thor (Pilou Asbæk) coming behind it. Searching for his brother Loki (Paterson Davis Joseph), this mightier and more sinister interpretation of the god of thunder attacks Sigrid’s home, wreaking havoc on her village and its people and leaving Sigrid and Leif to devise a war in the name of those who’ve died, no matter the cost.
They are joined in this pursuit by a group of outcasts whose dedication and lust for battle just may be enough to kill a god: The ax wielding Hervor (Birgitte Hjort Sørensen), poet Egill (Rahul Kohli), sorceress The Seid-Kona (Jamie Clayton), her servant Ulfr (Peter Stormare), and dwarf Andvari (Kristofer Hivju) make for one hell of a cast of characters, and the series gives them all time to shine. While their initial reasons for joining Sigrid and Leif's dangerous quest may have been rooted in self-interest—be it a thirst for glory, a desire for revenge, or the promise of riches—the shared trials and tribulations they face forge an unbreakable bond between them. As the journey progresses, we witness the transformation of these disparate individuals into a tightly-knit unit, their loyalties shifting from personal gain to a fierce protectiveness of one another.
From its first episode, which crackles with a tension that never leaves the show, Twilight Of The Gods is propelled into greatness with its unabashed brutality. Since the beginning of his career, Snyder has been known for his visionary battle sequences and languid storytelling, and the series nicely delivers on all these trademarks. While these qualities have often also aided in the director's undoing, they work here better than in his live-action projects. The battle sequences are fueled by slow-motion rather than stifled by it, giving you time to admire the meticulously animated scenes in front of you.
The character work in Twilight Of The Gods is also quite impressive. But at the heart of this group is Sigrid, whose quest for revenge brings her closer and closer to something that she may not be able to control, opening her heart to a darkness that may never be able to truly leave her after her mission is completed.
And it is this very darkness that forges an unexpected connection between Sigrid and Loki. In the aftermath of Thor's devastating attack, their fates become inexorably intertwined. As the series unfolds, their relationship evolves and intensifies, taking on new dimensions. Sigrid's growing rage serves as a catalyst, deepening their bond as they find common ground in their shared animosity towards Loki's brother. This dynamic creates a fascinating interplay between hero and anti-hero, blurring the lines between ally and adversary in what becomes the series' central relationship.
Once the trickster shows up, he becomes one of the show's most intriguing characters. Like Thor, this version of Loki is quite different from the one that dominated movie screens throughout the 2010s. Here, Loki boasts an introspection that makes him the most compelling iteration of this character yet. At the core of this is a phenomenal, sultry vocal performance by Paterson Joseph. “I am only what men have made me!” he cries out later in the series as his motivations become known, signaling that, like Sigrid, he is a man propelled by an unwavering sense of grief.
Twilight Of The Gods is ultimately about the things we do to pause that grief or stop it all together. While many will come for the series R-rated brutality, the tenderness at the core of this story is what will undoubtedly keep them watching. Yes, there’s sex and blood and guts, but the sensitivity—notably absent from Snyder's work since Zack Snyder’s Justice League—makes a welcome return here. What begins as a tale of vengeance evolves into a nuanced exploration of the grieving process with all of its messy flaws—one that we hope, considering the cliffhanger finale, continues in season two.
Twilight Of The Gods premieres September 19 on Netflix