Created by Zack Snyder, Jay Oliva, Eric Carrasco
Composers Hans Zimmer, Omer Benyamin, Steven Doar
Voices:
Sylvia Hoeks as Sigrid, a half-human, half-Jötunn warrior who swears revenge on Thor after he interrupts her wedding and slaughters her clan.
Stuart Martin as Leif, a human king and Sigrid’s lover who joins her quest for vengeance.
Paterson Joseph as Loki Laufeyson
Pilou Asbæk as Thor Odinson, the bloodthirsty, foul-mouthed god of thunder who unleashes his wrath on Sigrid and Leif’s wedding.
Rahul Kohli as Egill
Birgitte Hjort Sørensen as Hervor[5]
Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Baldr
Peter Franzén as Glaumar
Paget Brewster as Jarnglumra
Susan Denaker as Geitla
Josefin Asplund as Fenja / Menja
Ben Prendergast as Fjolverkr / Somr / Heimdall
Jamie Chung as Hel
Jamie Clayton as Áile, the Seid-Kona
Peter Stormare as Ulfr
Kristofer Hivju as Andvari
John Noble as Odin
Ray Porter as Jorg / Bolverkr
Morla Gorrondona as Marja
Roger Craig Smith as Bjorn
Corey Stoll as Hrafnkel
Lauren Cohan as Inge
Thea Sofie Loch Næss as Thyra[5]
Tracy Ifeachor as Freya
Anya Chalotra as Sif
Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as King Tiwaz
Jessica Henwick as Sandraudiga[6]
Dave B. Mitchell as Fáfnir
Yetide Badaki as Dahl
Tove Lo as Jörmungandr
Helena Mattsson as Angboda
Tómas Lemarquis as Odric “Odd”
No. of seasons 1 No. of episodes 8
Production
Executive producers Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Wesley Coller, Jay Oliva
Producers Sherry Gunther Shugerman, Eric Carrasco
Running time 27–42 minutes
Production companies Stone Quarry Animation, Xilam Animation
Original release Netflix September 19, 2024
When I saw the creator of this animated series was Zack Snyder, I didn’t exactly wince, but I warned myself that given my interactions with Snyder’s movies, I might find myself nodding off. I find most of his work to be ponderous, self-important and overblown, and I usually don’t make it a half hour into one of his movies.
And of course, with Götterdämmerung there’s plenty of room for all of that. Wagner made a career of being ponderous, self-important and overblown, leading to the famed quip, “Wagner has his brilliant moments—and dull hours.” One of the greatest Bugs Bunny cartoons ever made lampooned the stultifying pretentiousness of the Wagnerian saga.
But with Twilight of the Gods, I was in for a pleasant surprise. Snyder hit all the right notes.
The animation, stylishly simple, reminds me of Genndy Tartakovsky’s better work—Samurai Jack, for instance. The characterization of the Gods and Giants is both original and true to the nature of the beings involved.
Like the original, it’s bloody, raw and dark. It holds true to the original sagas, right down to Loki’s…um, interesting sex life.
The voice actors rise to the task, managing the trick of being gods of hate and warriors of love with considerable aplomb, managing to avoid making the improbable sound silly.
It’s very well done from the initial scenes of carnage at Sigrid’s wedding to the final reckoning at the foot of the Bifrost Bridge.
It’s a must watch for those who love the Nordic sagas, and a solidly-based lesson in mythology for those who want to learn more about it.
Now on Netflix.