A group of immortal beings came to earth thousands of years ago to protect humans from a species known as the deviants. Led by Ajak (Salma Hayek), the group known as the Eternals is tasked with not interfering in any human issues, unless they directly relate to the deviants. When the deviants return to earth and locate Cersi (Gemma Chan) and Sprite (Lia McHugh), the group of powerful beings must come together once more in order to save the world from certain destruction. Having not seen one another for centuries, things have changed--and protecting earth will prove to be far more difficult than it had ever been in the past.
Director Chloé Zhao was plucked from almost obscurity to lead this film as she still hadn’t been fully recognized for achievements in directing for the world-renowned Nomadland. This is the first time, however, that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) had an Oscar-winning director lead a film--and there are pros and cons to what Zhao brings to the table. Her vision in terms of what the natural landscape of earth has to offer is impeccable, and honestly unparalleled in Hollywood today. This is the absolute best that Marvel has ever offered in terms of set design, and I truly believe that this success stems from Zhao’s ability to see the beauty hidden in our world. On the flipside, however, what Zhao has not had much experience with is special effects and computer generated images (CGI). She dabbles in the natural rather than the fabricated, and while that has worked wonders for her on films such as the aforementioned Nomadland, Marvel is a different beast, and it requires attention to detail when it comes to the animation and the things surrounding that aspect of the film. Eternals sees a series of deviants come and go throughout the course of the film, and they, for lack of a better term--look like cartoons. The world has seen characters like Thanos (Josh Brolin) and Ultron (James Spader) take the screen and appear flawless aesthetically, but that aspect of Eternals fails...miserably.
Viewers see a side to Marvel that they haven’t before--romance and sexuality. We’ve always had tension between Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow)--but never to the extent that is seen in Eternals. Sex is a theme that transcends the entirety of the film, and that’s a trademark of Zhao as well. This addition to the film makes things feel more realistic and natural, drawing in viewers and allowing moments of the film to truly resonate with them. Zhao puts her mark on Eternals from the opening seconds, and like I’ve said, that’s both good and bad.
Eternals is an ensemble film. Not like Avengers: Infinity War where the characters are well established and we know who they are, but in a way where it sometimes feels overcrowded. Hayek, Chan, McHugh, Richard Madden (Ikaris), Angelina Jolie (Thena), Kit Harrington (Dane Whitman), Kumail Nanjiani (Kingo), Brian Tyree Henry (Phastos), Lauren Ridloff (Makkari), Barry Keoghan (Druig), Ma Dong-seok (Don Lee) [Gilgamesh], and Harish Patel (Karun) have significant screen time and play a pivotal role in the events of Eternals. There are so many characters, with so many unique names (that we’ve never before been introduced to), that it becomes cumbersome at times. I don’t want to think that Zhao was overzealous because there are times when this ensemble works well together, but the first two acts sometimes feel like a jumbled mess as a result of the massive cast. However, after the film and its story develop through the first hour and a half (maybe even longer) the cast finds a cohesion that allows each of them to shine and entertain viewers.
With the massive cast it’s possible that some of the characters become lost in the shuffle, but each of the actors are so incredibly talented that they manage to hold their own and present viewers with something to love about each. Eternals is massive in the grand scheme of the MCU, but we’ve all seen gargantuan characters in the past--but, again, this cast is so talented that they are able to measure up to some of the greats of the MCU. What each of these characters brings to the table are themes of love and inner conflict. They develop these themes as well as we have seen in the past--and in these moments, the moments of deepest emotion--the viewers are pulled the furthest into Eternals.
The story feels twisted and messy from time to time. I can’t wrap my head around some of the narrative choices that Zhao makes; between characters coming and going and the jumps from time period to time period it becomes difficult to appreciate aspects of Eternals’ story. It’s that final act that wraps things up nicely, brings the characters together, and effectively entices audiences. By the film’s conclusion I believe that viewers around the world are fully invested in the characters introduced in Eternals and that they look forward to seeing them in the future. Visually, Eternals offers more than most of the MCU (and that’s saying a lot), but it lacks conviction in some departments from time to time throughout. All in all, Eternals ends up being a fun and welcome addition to the MCU.
Directed by Chloé Zhao.
Written by Chloé Zhao, Patrick Burleigh, Ryan Firpo, Kaz Firpo, & Jack Kirby.
Starring Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kit Harrington, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyrese Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Ma Dong-seok (Don Lee), Harish Patel, Bill Skarsgård, Haaz Sleiman, Esai Daniel Cross, David Kaye, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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