The review embargo for Loki season 2 has lifted, but what are critics saying about the God of Mischief's long-awaited return to Disney+?
The Hollywood Reporter seems mixed on the series after watching the first four episodes, wondering if "maybe Loki will continue to just be tantalizingly atmospheric, playfully kitschy and somewhat purposeless. It’s a lava lamp of a TV show, one that in a different timeline feels like it could have been truly illuminating." The Wrap, on the other hand, praises Loki and notes, "Characters with compelling issues, high existential drama, quirky comedy and world-threatening action are blended better than in any other Disney+ show to date."
Empire awards Loki 4* and concludes by saying, "With the multiverse teetering all around it, Loki is one strand of the timeline that is sustaining its originality and intention - and actually thriving. It’s about time." Total Film, meanwhile, goes with 3.5*: "Loki season 2 is a fast-paced and thrilling return to the world of the TVA, but its focus on the bigger Marvel picture loses some of the God of Mischief’s magic."
Discussing Film awards top marks and believes the show "easily has the potential to be the best season of television for an original Marvel series on Disney+ yet." Radio Times agrees by saying it's a "much-needed win for the MCU" and Slash Film argues that it fulfils the Multiverse's potential in a return that "[delivers] a sharply directed, tightly-scripted, and constantly entertaining thrill ride that should please the diehards even as it wins over even the most jaded of fans."
USA Today appreciated something different from Marvel Studios and ends by stating, "The new season of 'Loki' is a scrappy time-travel caper, a ticking-clock sci-fi thriller and a workplace comedy all rolled together, and a reminder that oddball creativity still goes a long way in the MCU."
IGN, unfortunately, was less impressed. "Those expecting a new multiversally manic season of Loki should temper their expectations," reads the site's 5/10 verdict. "The absence of director Kate Herron has seemingly removed the series’ wily sense of anything-goes possibility, effectively turning Season 2 – and, shockingly, Loki himself – into an obedient, uninteresting cog in the MCU’s increasingly unwieldy mega-structure."
Of course, we have to include our superhero-hating pals at IndieWire who award the show a "C" grade and dub this a "maddeningly loopy, levity-resistant second season." Still, The Evening Standard also wasn't impressed and feel "it's all a bit wearying."
In our review published earlier today, we wrapped up by saying, "A masterclass in imaginative storytelling, Loki season 2 is the MCU at its best and a riveting new chapter in the Multiverse Saga that’s mind-bending, monumental, and utterly marvellous. And as a bonus, Ke Huy Quan is a scene-stealing delight!"
CBM's Rohan Patel has also chimed in to declare, "Loki season two is a high-stakes magical experience that will ultimately leave your jaw on the floor, with the highest of stakes and twists and turns that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat."
Loki season 2 premieres on Disney+ on October 5.