Thor: The Dark World, in its third week, has outperformed the entire global output of its predecessor. There is no doubt the God of Thunder has cast a spell among moviegoers worldwide. However, among film critics, the reception is rather a mix bag. Some liked it for its lighter tone while some dismissed it as a mediocre sequel. Interestingly, these same hard-to-please critics offered nothing but slobbering love for Tom Hiddleston. The third Loki outing of the British actor has reduced serious film scholars into blubbering fangirls. Esteemed critic Richard Corliss summoned the poet in him and described Loki as a “Hamlet among hunks.” Rolling Stone resident movie reviewer Peter Travers hankered “for more Loki.” Had there been a real-life Loki-led invasion on Earth, these film snobs will kneel and pledge allegiance to the God of Mischief in a snap of his treacherous fingers. It is safe to assume Hiddleston is the undisputed star of the Marvel films. With three films under his belt, an uninterrupted Loki appearance since 2011, the posh actor is without a doubt, the fan favorite. No other superhero villain has inspired an on-line petition for a solo film project. Of the numerous critical acclamation listed, the most fangirl-friendly came from Jeanette Catsoullis of the venerable New York Times. She mentioned Hiddleston’s hot role in The Deep Blue Sea and enthused over his fine bone structure. Mmm-mmm. You are not alone Jeannette, not alone.
- “As for Hiddleston, it is only a modest exaggeration to declare him the genuine star of the franchise. When he derides Thor as ‘a witless oaf’ or asks him whether he’s sure he wouldn’t rather ‘punch his way out’ of a difficult situation, there’s more than a kernel of truth to the jibe. So clever and conflicted that he seems barely able to tolerate himself, Hiddleston’s Loki is a hero for the antiheroic age of Don Draper and Walter White. (Perhaps the movie’s best moment is when Thor commands Loki, ‘no more illusions,’ and the latter reveals himself completely.) In this installment, Thor and Loki join forces in the battle against Malekith, though the alliance is, inevitably, an uneasy one. ‘I wish I could trust you,’ laments Thor. Trust, schmust: Love him for what he is, like the rest of us do.” — Christopher Orr/The Atlantic
- “Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, making his third appearance, has grown so comfortable in the role that he’s able to steal every scene in which he appears. Thor: The Dark World comes to life when Hiddleston is on screen and his interaction with Hemsworth evidences far more chemistry than the rather feeble spark evident between Thor and his lady love, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). ” — James Berardinelli/Reelviews
- “The one bright light in Asgard is its darkest soul, Thor’s brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), who got all the brains in the Thor family but none of the virtue. He breezes along with an air of uneasy self-satisfaction, smug but not completely sure of himself, and thus more interesting. Actually, in character terms, Loki might be the only interesting person in the movie.” — Mick LaSalle/San Francisco Chronicle
- “To be fair, there’s stuff to like in The Dark World. Loki, for example — whom Thor must reluctantly team with in his fight against the Dark Elves — is simply fabulous. Hiddleston steals the show here, making wickedness and treachery look a heck of a lot more fun than virtue.” — Michael O’Sullivan/The Washington Post
- “Tom Hiddleston is entertaining once again as Loki, Thor’s evil brother.” — Joe Morgenstern/The Wall Street Journal
- “What few jokes there are belong to Chris O’Dowd, as Jane’s clueless suitor, and the incomparable Tom Hiddleston, whose value here cannot be overstated. As the debonair flyboy in Terence Davies’s The Deep Blue Sea, he gave that scoundrel a heartbreaking fragility, and some of that carries over to complicate his portrayal of Loki, Thor’s scheming brother. Dancing above a leaden plot and lumpy dialogue, Mr. Hiddleston moves his fine-boned features and graceful body, as if what he were doing matters; he seems imported from a quite different movie. Rewarded with the best lines and most flattering camera angles, Loki, the master of illusion, is a genetic anomaly in a bulked-up bloodline. He’s also the spoonful of sugar that helps this medicine go down.” — Jeannette Catsoullis/The New York Times
- “The more important — and more effective — interactions are between Thor and his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), the latter imprisoned in Asgard’s dungeons since his attempt to enslave the Earth in The Avengers. Hiddleston remains the single greatest asset at Marvel’s disposal, a complicated baddie played by a fine actor with a blend of wounded malice and impish glee.” — Ian Buckwalter/NPR
- “Just when yawning sets in and you think that Loki, Thor’s dashing, demented brother, will never show up, scene-stealing Tom Hiddleston rides in. Even in prison, Loki’s poison-tipped one-liners fly like arrows, especially at Thor and their Big Daddy, Odin (Anthony Hopkins). This Thor sequel is way funnier than any movie subtitled The Dark World has a right to be (thanks, Hiddleston).” — Peter Travers/Rolling Stone
- “But the god of thunder shrivels in character complexity beside Loki, the god of mischief, later promoted to the more imposing and accurate rank god of evil. The Marvel Encyclopedia instructs us that Loki stands 6 ft. 4 in. and weighs 525 lb. (to Thor’s 6-ft. 6-in., 640-lb. frame), but Tom Hiddleston incarnates him as a sinister sylph draped in black leather and chain mail, a Hamlet among hunks. Their brawn often seems puny in comparison with his scheming brain. Loki’s demeanor bears a hint of the gay outsider, an antidote to the solemn testosterone of most of the Avengers crew. Except for Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, he is one of the few figures in the cosmology who looks to be enjoying himself. Without camping things up, Loki shows that it’s good to be bad.” — Richard Corliss/Time
- “There’s nothing in “Thor: The Dark World” that wasn’t done better in Thor, or a lot better in The Avengers. Except Tom Hiddleston’s performance as Loki, Thor’s evil adopted brother. Hiddleston continues to be the best thing about these films, his sneering confidence curdling into condescension. The universe and all its realms simply aren’t big enough for his ego. He knows it, we know it, the filmmakers know it, and ‘Thor: The Dark World’ is never more alive than when Loki is on-screen. Ah, but Hiddleston. If someone somewhere isn’t dreaming up a buddy movie starring him and Benedict Cumberbatch, well, they need to be. Hemsworth suggests fun in his performance as Thor. Hiddleston has fun as Loki — big difference. And ‘Thor: The Dark World’ is a lot better than it would have been if he hadn’t.” — Bill Goodykoontz/Arizona Republic
- “However, it’s Hiddleston’s devious, dangerous Loki — who may be the key to Asgard’s salvation, or its destruction — who holds the scattershot plot together.” — Soren Andersen/The Seattle Times
- “And, as always, the most valuable player remains Tom Hiddleston as Loki, the trickster. Thought you’d seen the last of him in The Avengers? Foolish mortal. Know you not of the precious metal that can be mined, simply by having him return in film after film. Honestly, Hiddleston has the best part in the movie and although some of his tricks are really kind of cheats (at least as far as the audience is concerned) he’s a sly and consistent delight. (And you will love his quick Avengers joke.)” — Stephen Witty/Neward Star-Ledger
- “Hiddleston saves this movie. He’s become one of those actors – like Benedict Cumberbatch and, at one time, Gary Oldman – who can completely change the direction of an otherwise mediocre film. In prison for his murderous rampage in The Avengers, Hiddleston grabs the second half of Thor: The Dark World and elevates it to the level of his talent. No one ever knows what’s motivating the sneering, sarcastic, patronizing Loki. He’s the greatest used-car salesman in the galaxy. You want to like him, you want to believe him, but he’s simply too smart and conniving to trust. His apparent emergence on the side of good this time allows for badly needed banter between the brothers that sets you up for a either a heroic transformation or a disappointing betrayal.” — Tony Hicks/San Jose Mercury News
- “The secret weapon is Hiddleston. The best thing the film’s army of five screenwriters did is set the odd couple of Thor and Loki on a sort-of celestial road trip. Loki is puckish, malevolent, peevish, magnetic and, with his Rooney Mara-like pale skin and dark hair, the polar opposite of Hemsworth. Hiddleston’s villainous asides steal the show, and he brightens The Dark World when it needs it most.” — Joe Neumaier/Daily News
- “In a desperate attempt to head off this apocalypse, Thor ultimately has to set Loki, his villainous but inventive foster brother, free from the prison cell he has inhabited since the end of the last movie. These are by far the best scenes of the film, both because Hiddleston is a crack-up at almost every moment and because he makes this comic-book gloss on a mythological deity feel completely convincing. As in the actual Norse legends, this trickster Loki is an adversary of the gods who is also bound to them and sometimes helps them; Hiddleston actually makes you feel the anguish of a character who genuinely loves those he betrays, and who often wishes he could be better than he is.” – Andrew O’Hehir/Salon
- “Only when Tom Hiddleston is on screen, as Thor’s dark-souled stepbrother, Loki, does any real drama take hold. Loki has been imprisoned for his treachery, but it turns out that Thor needs his help to defeat the Dark Elves. Can he trust Loki not to betray him? Hiddleston, with pleading eyes and a mad-dog grin, plays Loki as a wounded sociopath who’s cackling at the world but seething on the inside. Which makes you realize he’s just about the only character in the movie who has an inside. ” — Owen Gleiberman/Entertainment Weekly
- “To save Life As We Know It, Thor seeks help from his duplicitous adoptive brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), who has been imprisoned for killing thousands of humans at New York. Hiddleston’s sneering Loki remains one of the finest Marvel antagonists, and – now with a starring role in three films – the franchise seems to value him (as it should) as much as his more heroic brother.” — Jake Coyle/Associated Press
- “Nobody gives good sneer like Tom Hiddleston, back once again in the pleather leggings and goat-horned helmet to play bad guy Loki in Thor: The Dark World and pretty much steal the whole show. — Leslie Felperin/The Hollywood Reporter
