Saying Zack Snyder’s body of work is divisive is like saying the sky is blue. There are his die-hard fans who will go down swinging defending his choices in films like Batman v Superman, Man of Steel, Zack Snyder’s Justice League and most recently his Rebel Moon films. Others think he’s a hack who’s been given too many chances and others still who thinks he has some good ideas and a great visual style that has given us some hits and some misses.
I fall into the last group. I loved his version of Dawn of the Dead, 300 was mind-blowing at the time of its release and still holds up well to this day and his adaptation of Watchmen – a graphic novel that’s damn near unadaptable – is great if flawed in some places. As for everything else, well that would take up a whole other review. However, you feel about Snyder’s films you have to admit as directors go, he always does his own thing and his partnership with Netflix has afforded him the same freedoms to create the kind of stories he wants to tell. So far, they haven’t been good ones with Army of the Dead doing so poorly the sequels will never see the light of day and Rebel Moon Pts. 1 & 2 already both getting the “director’s cut” treatment, or as I like to call it, “the do-over” treatment. Maybe third time is the charm with his most recent being the adult animated series Twilight of the Gods, Snyder’s take on Norse mythology with a revenge-driven twist.
We’re introduced to Sigrid (Sylvia Hoeks) and Leif (Stuart Martin), a couple that found love on the battlefield. Sigrid is half-giant and wishes to be married in her homeland of Jotunheim. Once welcomed by her family their wedding is approved but what should be a beautiful day is torn to shreds by the god of thunder and lightning himself, Thor. This isn’t the MCU’s Thor though, as the Norse god proceeds to brutally kill all of Sigrid’s family, unknowingly leaving her and Lief alive. Sigrid in turns swears the kind of vengeance that would make God of War’s Kratos proud as she will not stop until Thor lies dead at her feet, world consequences be damned.
All of Snyder’s films always have a tone to them that would fit perfectly in animation. Maybe that’s the reason Twilight of the Gods works (mostly). His passion for slow motion, his love of fantasy and his penchant for destruction on a mass scale, all fit well in the world of Norse mythology where gods and men exist, and blood and steel are the words of the day. This adult animated series (emphasis on the word ADULT) wastes little time in showing violent kills, tons of equal opportunity nudity, and in that way, it reminded me of Japanese animated movies like Vampire Hunter D and Ninja Scroll. Maybe Snyder pulled some of his inspiration from those types of films and fans of fantastic tales of mythology where gods show themselves to be cruel and selfish will find a lot to enjoy here.
The voice acting is superb throughout and the animation is beautiful and distinctive enough to stand apart from similar fare. That said, Snyder still seems to ignore any of the criticisms the internet lobs at him with gratuitous sex scenes that run longer than they need to and character development shoddy at best. With the focus on Sigrid’s quest for revenge a la Kill Bill, other characters join her “army”, but their only characterisations come from short flashbacks or stories of their past (same thing he did in the Rebel Moon films). You never get much of a sense of WHO they are, only WHY they are there. Her partner Lief fares a bit better but the only other character I found truly interesting was Loki (Paterson Joseph), the trickster god who is as much a victim of Thor’s arrogance and brutality as Sigrid.
As a fan of all types of folklore and mythology as well as animated shows, I found Twilight of the Gods to be interesting and entertaining enough to recommend. There are moments of writing that shine and help create characters you can come to care for. Unfortunately, this is bogged down with frat boy humour and lurid scenes that are meant to bring home how “mature” this story is, but instead just feel jarring and unnecessary. There’s an emotional tale somewhere in there, you just have to look beyond the animated dongs to find it.
Sommer’s Score: 6.5 out of 10
And you can check out more adult animated content below:
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge-Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever, and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes. Double Tap Baby! Read More