12 Awesome Performances That Saved Underwhelming Films

A lot of people fail to acknowledge that the first Thor isn't very good. Another film directed by Kenneth Branagh, the first Thor solo film lacks the compelling spectacle and a fun-enough plot to bring the blockbuster fun it was meant to. The rare element of the film that isn't entirely workmanlike is Tom Hiddleston as Loki.

Tom Hiddleston is a lucky actor on the whole, as he's not actually that great in a lot of the stuff he's in. For example, he wasn't good in High-Rise and in BBC's The Night Manager he was overshadowed by all of the other principle actors. However, as Loki, he's downright brilliant. He's evil and intimidating, but he's also so funny and so human that he nearly tricks you into rooting for the villain.

He's so much more interesting than anything else in the film, and the plot-lines surrounding him and his motivations give the film its dramatic oomph. On the whole, a terrific villainous performance and a great introduction to one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's biggest stars.

He was similarly the best thing in Thor: The Dark World but sadly on that occasion he wasn't enough to save the film.