Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

Loki: The Complete First Season 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 27, 2023

Some might jokingly argue that the so-called expanding (real) universe may still eventually not have enough room for the expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it looks like things are only going to get more "crowded" in that regard. If Loki is commonly thought of as being something of a trickster, the ultimate trick with regard to this latest MCU series may be trying to keep track of where and how both the title character and the, well, galaxy if not universe of other characters in this "little" corner fit together and as part of the greater whole. That niggling qualm aside, Loki in its first season tended to remind me (however odd it may sound) as its own kind of alternate universe version of a combo platter of elements from Doctor Who and Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. For those who have seen both of those properties, that comparison may be intrinsically intriguing, but my hunch is more people are probably familiar with the good (?) Doctor than with the addlepated Dirk, so let me just clarify by saying in this particular setup, Loki is what might be whimsically described as a Time Lord, though in this case, a la Dirk Gently, he's caught in a loop of sorts where he seems to be chasing a version of himself. Trivia fans may already be aware of a connection between Doctor Who and Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, namely the involvement of the inimitable Douglas Adams as either a contributing writer or the actual source writer, and with that connection in mind I'd also argue that Loki is often rather brilliantly Adams-esque, which is frankly one of the highest compliments I personally can pay any effort which attempts to combine a whirlwind of often incredibly labyrinthine activity within what might be termed a rather bracingly metaphysical context.

Loki rather cheekily refers to its big screen progenitors at various points, including in a raucous opening which sets the tone for the rest of the series. Loki (Tom Hiddleston), being taken prisoner by group or armed soldiers, is surrounded by a gaggle of characters from the MCU, but due to some anger management issues on the part of Hulk, manages to abscond with the Tesseract. That plops him down in a Mongolian desert where he's soon confronted by another group of armed soldiers, who turn out to work for the Time Variance Authority, a McGuffin to end all McGuffins, and with an appropriately baroque bureaucratic name to boot. The bottom line to this high concept is that long ago in a galaxy far, far away, Time Lords (or something very much like them) managed to unite warring "multiverses" into one cohesive whole, though occasionally certain individuals, like Loki with his theft of the Tesseract, go off the predetermined path into their own alternate universe and need to be "reset", so that nothing is fractured.

Loki is taken prisoner again by the TVA, ushered into a world that is perhaps deliberately reminiscent of some aspects of the workaday office Heaven in Powell and Pressburger's A Matter of Life and Death. Suffice it to say the TVA office is more of a Purgatory or possibly even a Hell than a Heaven, though worker Mobius (Owen Wilson) takes a special interest in Loki, convinced that an alternate version of Loki has been responsible for a series of puzzling deaths of TVA agents working in a dazzling array of locations and eras. That sets up the general premise of the piece, where Loki is on a quest to find himself, in more ways than one. Without spoiling things too much (though I suspect pretty much anyone aware of this series already knows), suffice it to say that journey toward identity invovles a bit of gender bending, as personified by a character known as Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino). Later in the tale other variant versions of Loki enter the fray, including one enacted by a wonderfully buffoonish Richard E. Grant.

The actual expanding universe is apparently beset by something called entropy, which evidently may not spell a happily ever after, but in the meantime the good news is that somehow, someway the expanding MCU, or at least this particular corner of it, is alive and well and thriving, and I found the first season of Loki to be a hugely enjoyable, mad rush of visual splendor and sometimes surprisingly thought provoking writing. The finale might suggest that yet another referent might come in handy for Season 2, not Quantum Leap as creator Michael Waldron jokingly mentions in a supplement, but Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Loki: The Complete First Season 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from Disney's separate standalone 1080 release of the series. This release does not include any 1080 discs.

Loki: The Complete First Season is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Disney / Buena Vista and Marvel Studios with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. Let's just cut to the chase and state that by just about every metric we use to evaluate image quality, this first season of Loki is a stunner in 4K. The 1080 version is completely excellent on its own terms, but, wow, what a noticeable uptick in fine detail and especially new luster in the palette courtesy of HDR greet the eyes with this release. As I mentioned in our Loki: The Complete First Season Blu-ray review, the show's riotous production design and especially lush uses of both lighting and grading choices give the show a really amazing look that in its 1080 version offers secure fine detail and really nice tonal values for an amazingly diverse palette. But all of those elements see at least some improvement in 4K, and at times I'd argue kind of stunning improvement in detail levels in particular. Take the brief view of the teeming metropolis outside of the TVA headquarters, which in its 1080 version is realistic enough that it didn't strike me as being overly CGI'd (to coin a term). But in the 4K version, suddenly all sorts of crisp new detail is available, and surprisingly deep within the frame. Almost all of the practical items in the production enjoy really expressive detail levels throughout the episodes, and I'd also argue the CGI in general looks more detailed in this version. The palette is simply gorgeous, especially in the last couple of episodes. But some of the early episodes show some interesting new highlights in this version, including some of the slightly orange tinted material in the TVA headquarters. Blues and purples are especially vivid in this presentation.

Loki: The Complete First Season 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 4K UHD presentation of Loki: The Complete First Season also enjoys an audio upgrade from the 1080 release courtesy of a wonderfully immersive Dolby Atmos track. I found the 1080 release's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track to be perfectly excellent on its own merits, but this is another case where the immersive capabilities of the Atmos version make their presence known virtually from the get go and then recurrently throughout every episode. There are some nice vertical placement of effects in this iteration, and some of the "portal" material in particular has some more enveloping characteristics in this version when compared to the 1080 version. The same attention to directionality and discrete channelization of ambient effects that I noted in the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is again present here. The mix is also superb, with really wide dynamic range and some nice floorboard rattling uses of LFE. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.

Loki: The Complete First Season 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One

• Designing the TVA (HD; 5:43) looks at some of the production design elements that give the series such a distinctive look, with some brief interviews with Production Designer Kasra Farahani and Tom Hiddleston. Interestingly, this also promotes the second season of the series.


• The Official TVA Orientation Video (HD; 1:46) is the hilarious animated short with a midcentury design flair that greets Loki as he is taken prisoner by the Time Variance Authority.


• Gag Reel (HD; 1:20)


• Deleted Scenes (HD; 4:59)

Disc Two

• Assembled: The Making of Loki (HD; 1:03:01) is a really fun look at the series, providing a wealth of enjoyable candid footage, interesting interviews and what might be termed built in "meta" aspects (you'll understand when you watch).

Additionally, Disney is packaging this release is a really nicely designed SteelBook with some fun imagery of Loki, Sylvie and Miss Minutes. Bonus concept art cards are also included.

Loki: The Complete First Season 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Hiddleston is on hand in the main making of supplement at the end of the first day of shooting expressing his amazement that he's still wearing the Loki costume ten years later. The energy and excitement of this first season of Loki may suggest he has another ten to go. Technical merits are first rate and the supplements very enjoyable. Highly recommended.