REVIEW: Marvel's Assembled, Season 1 Episode Three 'The Making Of Loki'
REVIEW: Marvel's Assembled, Season 1 Episode Three 'The Making Of Loki'
To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Loki became a pretty massive hit this Summer. He's a character who has developed quite a following, with many displaying a deep interest in the character. Loki was always going to be a major success story for Marvel Studios, and a fairly obvious choice to base a television series around.
It's this simple fact that makes it such an inspired creative decision to have Tom Hiddleston as the narrator for the 'Making Of'. Without Tom Hiddleston's charismatic portrayal of the God Of Mischief, there's a very real possibility that the show wouldn't have been as successful. He adds a lot to the character and is a significant reason behind Loki's popularity; using him as the narrator imbues this documentary with an identity, giving it a personal touch that would be otherwise missing had they opted not to have Tom Hiddleston contribute in this fashion.
It's truly great hearing him speak about the character to camera too. You can really feel his passion for the character that he has played for such a significant chunk of his life. Loki clearly means a lot to him, not just because he's getting paid to play the role but because you can tell he enjoys embodying this part. It doesn't feel like watching a man talk about his job, it feels like watching a man talk about something he loves.
This love for Loki transfers across to the creative team, in particular head writer Michael Waldron and director Kate Herron. During their talks to the camera these two show a strong understanding for the character of Loki and what makes him tick. It's clear that they have taken the time to really dig deep into who Loki is at his core and what journey he goes on through the story. There's a lot of creative attention to detail that has been paid to the show's central figure here.
Through the behind the scenes footage we see what Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson are like behind the scenes, and they seem as though they must be just as fun a pairing off-screen as they are when playing Loki and Mobius respectively. You can tell these are two people who obviously get on very well; from what we are shown here they appear to have quite a rapport, and you'd imagine that it can't have ever been a dull moment on the set of this show. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall during the making of this series and to have heard some of their conversations off-screen, as I bet they must be an absolute riot when they engage in conversation.
One of the most interesting aspects of this behind the scenes documentary is the concept art that shows Rocket Raccoon at the TVA. This is something that I wish had actually made it into the finished show, because it would have been very cool to have seen a Rocket variant at the TVA. It reminds me of how we all thought we had spotted a Peggy Carter variant in episode one, as Rocket showing up would no doubt have led to some very similar theories about which characters may or may not show up.
The concept art may have been a fascinating thing to see, but what's more impressive is the entire Lamentis town created by production designer Kasra Farahani. This town is called Sharoo and despite only appearing briefly in one episode, the production designer clearly went to town in building this set. Seeing the behind the scenes set-up of this location is crazy as it feels so elaborate and articulate. There's clearly a lot here that we will all have missed when watching the episode, as it looks so real, and it's mad that we are told this scene was all filmed largely in one shot, with just a few 'stitches' to tie the sequence together in the editing. It's extremely ambitious for something barely seen in the final edit, and it just goes to show how much hard work and effort goes into these Marvel Studios productions.
Overall, 'The Making Of Loki' is another fantastic dive into the behind the scenes production of a Disney Plus production. Like the other episodes of Assembled, it gives a very solid indication of the creativity and effort involved in the making of a gigantic production like this, and shows us a cast who have clearly formed a good bond. Marvel Studios really know how to make a behind the scenes documentary, and other companies such as BBC and ITV should take note when it comes to their own drama productions. If Marvel Studios can be bothered to make these documentaries, then why can't the BBC give us Doctor Who Confidential's glorious return?
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