Whatever else you might think of as a storyteller, he’s always had a knack for crafting striking imagery, and that holds true in his latest effort, Netflix’s . Stone Quarry Animation casts the Norse mythology retelling in vibrant colors and elegant, expressive lines that turn into awesome monsters towering over scenic vistas, or enormous battlefields punctuated by bursts of lightning, explosions of gore and slow-motion leaps through the air. As a work simply to be at, it’s a thing of beauty.
Alas, as one to get emotionally invested in, it’s rather more lacking. The saga is chock-full of larger-than-life characters who seem plenty interesting, but short on the patience it’d take to actually get to know them. As a result, it rings hollow, even as its heroes and villains go about the weighty business of reshaping the universe.
At the center of the story, co-created by Snyder, Jay Oliva and Eric Carrasco, is Sigrid (voiced by Sylvia Hoeks), a fierce warrior who once won the heart of an equally formidable king, Leif (Stuart Martin), by saving his life in battle. But when the storm god Thor (Pilou Asbaek) pays an unexpected and unwelcome visit, what should have been a peaceful wedding is turned into a horrific bloodbath. Sigrid comes out the other side alive, but with a burning desire for vengeance.
Taking to heart the motto of her late clan — “We fear no gods!” — she sets out to do nothing less than murder Thor himself. ’ leads are men and women of action, and .