Directed by Chloé Zhao, Eternals follows a race of immortals who have secretly lived on Earth for over 7,000 years and have sworn to never interfere in any war or cataclysmic event that occurred on Earth. But the return of half the population as a result of Avengers Endgame ignites an event called “the emergence”, and the Eternals reunite to protect humanity from an impending threat along with the return of their monstrous counterparts, the Deviants.
This marks the first MCU film to be directed by an Academy Award-winning director, one who brings to life a unique ensemble of comic book characters that change everything we know about the MCU, especially on a cosmic level, so my hype for this film was huge. Was it worth it? Absolutely yes.
Eternals is a magnificent film that goes above and beyond, delivering a strong character-driven epic that is another fantastic installment to the ever-growing cinematic universe, but also a film that stands out hugely on its own. Chloe Zhao did something really special here, giving us a beautiful vision of these lesser-known super-powered individuals and the great journey they take.
There is so much that I could talk about in this film but it is a rather spoiler-heavy film, especially with some of the characters, plot, and the major points it has. So if this review feels a bit held back that’s because I’m doing my best to keep a lot of exciting secrets from getting out and being respectful to those who wish to see it.
All the characters are amazing, each having their own time to shine with their beautiful performances, unique abilities, and individual struggles that they all deal with. The Eternals are very powerful beings capable of amazing wonders but they are also a dysfunctional family that has been through a lot, together and on their own, but you always manage to love something about each one of them.
Gemma Chan delivers a wonderful performance as one of the leading Eternals, Sersi, who has a strong connection to humans and the Earth and has the ability to manipulate inanimate matter. She is a very empathetic individual who has great compassion for her fellow Eternals and for the people of Earth that she has spent so many years among, and is willing to do the impossible for them even if there are conflicts. She is very different compared to most of the female superheroes we have had in previous Marvel and comic book films and I honestly loved her so much in this.
Richard Madden delivers a perfect performance as the other leading Eternal, the powerful but headstrong Ikaris, who I’d describe as the almost Superman of the MCU. He is the strongest of all the Eternals but is also the most disconnected, not having as much compassion for humans but he cares greatly for some of his fellow Eternals, especially Sersi, who he cares for in a love that spanned across several years. Sersi and Ikaris make for a very interesting pairing, you could tell both have deep feelings for each other but that certain things are keeping them apart.
And then we come to some of the supporting Eternals who all are all awesome and stand out in various ways. Some may not have as much time compared to others, but in my opinion they were all handled beautifully. Due to spoilers I can’t talk about all of them in great detail so I’ll only discuss the ones that stood out the most.
We have Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, who can project cosmic energy projectiles from his hands and is a Bollywood action star. He delivers the most comic relief in the film and is absolutely fucking hilarious alongside his manager played by Harish Patel. I could honestly watch a whole movie with just these two because they are just so damn wonderful together, especially when levity when needed.
We have Lia McHugh as Sprite, who has the ability to cast illusions and is the youngest of the group. Lia does an excellent job playing a character who acts older than she looks and struggles with being unable to fulfill her own desires due to her inability to age. She truly shows how the Eternal’s immortal nature can be a curse.
We also have Thena, played by the magnificent Angelina Jolie, who is my favorite character in the whole film. She is an elite warrior who can form any weapon out of cosmic energy but she is also perhaps the most broken individual of the group. She struggles with a condition she can’t entirely control but is helped by Gilgamesh (Don Lee), another strong eternal, over the centuries. She considers herself a burden to the others, due to her condition being a huge risk to them, but she learns to overcome it over the course of the film in a satisfying character arc.
Gilgamesh himself is also an awesome character that kicks serious ass and Don Lee truly delivers as the first Korean superhero.
And then we have my second favorite character Phastos, played excellently by Brian Tyree Henry, who is the chief inventor of the Eternals. Phastos is hugely plagued by guilt as a result of his attempts to modernize technology for humans, specifically with weapons. He is revealed to have had a major influence on many weapons of war through human history that cause many lives to be lost, resulting in him losing faith in humanity. But through love, he finds that there are humans that are worth saving, which allows for him to step up when he gets called to action.
I also want to mention Barry Keoghan’s Druig, Lauren Ridloff’s Makkar, and Salma Hayek’s Ajak who were all great characters that stood out on their own despite having smaller supporting roles compared to the others.
The film’s story spans across multiple points in time, detailing the Eternals time on Earth, their personal arcs, and exploring their exact purpose in the universe. It’s is a character-driven story that also expands our knowledge of the cosmic world of the MCU. And even though we have visited the cosmic world through other films we now get to see it in a whole new way which is both mind-bending and full of wonder, especially with the godly Celestials and the Deviants. At the same time, the film also feels grounded as it tackles multiple themes including guilt, love, morality, responsibility, immortality, identity, and perhaps the biggest theme which is being human.
There is so much that goes on within this film and its many surprises that it can definitely feel overwhelming, but it is all handled perfectly thanks to great pacing and unique storytelling by Chloe Zhao. And that perfection continues on the technical side of this film, with spectacular action, stunning cinematography, and visually gorgeous effects (both practical and digital) that make the film stand out from the previous films.
Chloe Zhao brings her own special style to the film, with all the technical elements making people feel absorbed into everything happening on screen and delivering us a film that feels grand in scale but can also be grounded, intimate and emotional. The use of natural lighting and darkness especially on the practical sets was something that really stood out the most to me, and it really made me feel more engaged in certain scenes.
And then of course there is the music, which is absolutely beautiful and enhances the film greatly, delivered to us by the talented Ramin Djawadi.
Eternals truly blew me away in more ways than I imagined and it really opens the door for much bigger things to come in the future of Marvel. I loved these characters and I loved the expansion of the cosmic world and I wish to see more, whether it be in stand-alone sequels or grand future crossovers with other characters. This film is truly bold with what it accomplished and I hope that future Marvel projects can take more risks and tell amazing stories with new characters like this. I’m going to give Eternals an A+.
Now there is something I want to discuss regarding the “negative reviews/reactions” from critics and people for this film, because it’s honestly the stupidest fucking thing I have ever seen. This isn’t towards the people that have legitimate criticisms with solid foundations. This is towards the critics, media outlets, and hateful individuals that have been going out of their way to tear down this film in ridiculous ways and be the most vile pieces of shit on earth in the process. There is no reason for any of it. None. We are in 2021 and there should be no reason for this behavior to be tolerated or encouraged over and over again. This film is not harming anyone in any way and there are no excuses that can be made to justify these hateful actions. People have to be better than this. That is all.
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