DVD Review: THOR & LOKI: BLOOD BROTHERS (Shout! Factory)

Thor and Loki: Blood Brothers, a four part animated drama series created by Marvel Knights Animation studio, chronicles the inner struggle of Loki after he becomes King of Asgard. Loki is visited by Hera, who demands that Loki kill Thor. After Hera leaves, Loki’s conflicting emotions take over as he contemplates his complicated love/hate relationship with his “brother” Thor.

I was disappointed to find that there are no subtitles available on this disc. Additionally, I am not a big fan of the animation style. I got the impression that the animators used stop motion with cardboard cutouts rather than actual animation. When animation lacks realism and is geared toward adults, it is important for it to have a strong story as compensation so the viewer can connect with the characters in the story. That being said, the dialogue in this story was reminiscent of a bad Tolkien-style novel with biblical undertones.

Although I am a Tolkien fan and a Thor fan, I think the animation style and Shakespearian wordiness made Loki’s inner struggle ring hollow because as a viewer I could not connect to the character or the story. All criticism aside, I believe there is an audience for this style of animated storytelling, even though I am not part of this audience. To be exact, I think this series is appropriate for and will be enjoyed by viewers who like very dramatic adult geared stop motion comics.

Emily Renee Carroll
Guest Contributor