For a long time, Zack Snyder was always a cinema guy. In 2009, he strongly defended his choice to make Watchmen a movie rather than an HBO miniseries, arguing that TV budgets and formats couldn’t support the scale and aesthetic perfection that the story needed. However, his opinion appears to have changed in recent years.
During a 2023 appearance on The Pizza Film School Podcast, hosted by the Russo Brothers, Snyder praised the small screen. “I think we’re in a real golden age of TV in the sense that TV shows are much better at showing you something that you’ve never seen before or catching you off balance or making a turn that you didn’t see coming… They’re way riskier,” he said. I wasn’t surprised when Twilight of the Gods, Snyder’s first-ever TV show, premiered in 2024. The Netflix fantasy animated series, which has eight episodes, is quite a treat. Those who love Norse mythology will enjoy it the most as it features some familiar faces, while also digging deep into tunnels never explored before.
Thor and Loki Lock Horns Again in ‘Twilight of the Gods’
While many people are more familiar with Marvel’s versions of Thor and Loki, the two have been key figures in the Norse pantheon for centuries. In Twilight of the Gods, Zack Snyder made a change from the original stories and pitted the two against each other via the half-giant Sigrid. The Aesir gods Thor and Baldr interrupt Sigrid’s wedding as they search for the escaped frost giant Loki, who is rumored to be hiding nearby. Sigrid and her people claim not to know anything about him. However, Thor doesn’t believe them, so he dispatches the entire clan with precise swordplay. Angered, Sigrid vows to avenge her slain kin. She is then summoned by Loki, who offers to help her.
Watching the show, you can’t help but admit that television was a wise move for Snyder. Known for directing some of the most lavish and expensive films of all time, he has often been accused of making cuts that reduce a picture to a virtually unfathomable mess, which critics often delight in mauling. He only directed two episodes: the first and the last. Calling them brilliant would be an understatement. They are magical.
Twilight of the Gods was made in collaboration with Jay Olive, with whom Snyder worked on Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Much credit to the two for risking it all to tell a Thor and Loki story at a time when Marvel dominated the Asgardian space. They went to great lengths to make their work unique. On the TV series, Thor is an arrogant brute and far from the nice guy we know. Additionally, Sigrid and her lover, Leif, are series-exclusive characters. Thanks to their inclusion, an air of unpredictability remains throughout the show.
Snyder Nails All Key Production Aspects in ‘Twilight of the Gods’
Ever an idiosyncratic creator, Snyder infuses Twilight of the Gods with both emotion and priceless tough guy patter. Marvelous visuals add an authentic mythological feeling to the proceedings, and the plot itself is a cut above most standard Old Norse stories. Beyond the revenge yarn, viewers yearn to know whether this version of Thor, a man lacking a conscience, can actually be forced to develop one later on. While storytelling has never been one of Snyder’s strengths, he gets things right here.
All voice actors are aces, too. I especially loved Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Baldr. In my opinion, he is one of the most underrated performers. While he was excellent on shows like 24, Dynasty, and Black Sails, no one ever talks about him. Pilou Asbæk is also perfect as Thor. You might remember him as Euron Greyjoy in Game of Thrones. We also can’t forget John Noble’s performance as Odin. He, too, has had some notable roles, including his portrayal of Denethor in The Lord of the Rings. And did I talk about the Hans Zimmer score? You can always tell your ears will be in for a treat when you see Zimmer’s name in the opening credits.
TV shows about Norse mythology can hardly fail to lure a crowd, as the lore has millions of fans. However, unlike the original texts, many movies and series often leave no aftertaste and no feeling of a momentous thing at stake. In the Netflix series, you can feel the tension as everyone works hard to ensure their survival. You would expect a show of this kind to be as toothless as an octogenarian alligator when it comes to socio-political commentary, but that’s not the case. In traditional lore, the Aesir gods are often depicted as protectors, but Snyder subverts that and portrays them as out-of-touch elites. Through this depiction, the show addressed the all-too-common problem of unchecked power.
As Twilight of the Gods chews up and digests genre clichés, it also explores zealotry. Like many societies, the one we see here has been totally chained by religion, and characters worship their gods without question. Snyder is on fire here and even manages to insert Anhedonia (the inability to experience joy or pleasure) as a topic of discussion. Sigrid experiences this common symptom of depression as their mental health deteriorates after the grief.
The show couldn’t have been handled any better. It’s arguably Zack Snyder’s best work after Watchmen!
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
