Now playing on Netflix
Zack Snyder and his creative team hold a different idea regarding how Ragnarök came about, and Twilight of the Gods narrates remaking Hel. When this take shows how some of the Norse gods have no pity for Middle Earth, everyone is on their own! Here, King Leif (Stuart Martin) and Sigrid (Sylvia Hoeks) are to wed, and Thor (Pilou Asbæk) crashes the wedding while searching for Loki (Paterson Joseph), and this bride-to-be vows revenge.
Although this tale doesn’t fully draw from the legends, what’s recounted here is familiar. This take on the end of days concerns the love for a woman. It’s sort of the stuff of Norse legends, and overall, I enjoyed this eight episode saga since it only gets crazier as forces have to decide who to ally with.
Also, with no surprise, Thor has developed more than your standard ego that followers of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s version are aware of. Here, this character is very unlikable for good reason, and as for who from the Norse pantheon actually care for Middle Earth, that’s a very good question! As for the god of thunder who seems to enjoy walking around the palace naked, without a care of his female servants glancing at his goods, he takes pride. It seems others like to make love like the drop of a hat. It seems some warriors are quite horny before and after battle!
Style-wise, there’s lots to like in this series that Xilam Animation studios helped co-produce. The character designs take some stylistic cues from Cartoon Saloon, an Irish production studio, and go further with the action elements. The fight scenes in Twilight of the Gods go all out with blood, mutilation, and decapitation, leaving no punches held back. It’s in par when concerning how war-like the Norse warriors are, and this animation is nothing like How to Train Your Dragon! If the decision to work with this company seems left field, that’s probably because some executive producer wanted to expand. One look at their webpage shows they used to make cartoons for kids rather than young adults.
Whatever the reason is for going with this production house, I’m open to the idea of them shifting gears. Also, I can buy into the possibility of a shared universe where a pantheon of gods and various creatures of legend live amongst one another. Even though the idea of another work where the Irish Celts are to aid the Norse, that’s unlikely. Although both landed upon Ireland, not much remains of the latter’s influence on the Emerald Isle.
As for whether the gods can survive this twilight, I won’t reveal who survives. When the gods utter the word Ragnarök, they better say it sparingly. But to fully say a new dawn is here, it’s tough to really say. I’ll have to give this series another full binge watch. The world was in terrible shape at the start, and as for the end, I feel unsure. When concerning which retelling is best, I think I’ll stick to the Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, as that is tough to beat!
3½ Hammers out of 5
Twilight of the Gods Trailer
Discover more from Otaku no Culture
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
