Review: "Eternals" Is Good...Enough
7/12 ForReel Score | 3/5 Stars
Who are the Eternals? We all had this same kind of question when Marvel Studios rolled the dice on introducing The Guardians of the Galaxy to their sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2014. As we know, the Guardians went on to become a highlight among the studio’s movie-adapted superheroes and a key component to the unfolding of Marvel Studios’ Infinity Saga.
But this is what the MCU has been great at since pop culture was introduced to Iron Man in 2008: bringing characters on the fringes of their comic book lore and presenting them as high profile components to an ever-evolving and interwoven cinematic superhero story. Now, waist-deep in Phase 4 of the MCU, audiences now have a new set of heroes to explore, and they are the Eternals.
Sent to Earth seven thousand years ago to protect mankind from ravenous monsters called Deviants and to aid in the evolution of human civilization, Eternals are bound to the mission given to them by Arishem, a giant universe-monitoring celestial being. Thanos’ plan to end half of life across the universe wasn’t enough to call Eternals to action, but what’s occurring now after “the blip” is an awakening that the team has to investigate and figure out how to stop without disrupting the proliferation of life across the universe.
In this movie, the Eternals are an immortal team made up of ten members, each with their own abilities, their own internal conflicts, their own motivations, and their own levels of affection for the people of Earth. Ajak, played by Selma Hyak, is the appointed leader of the team, with Sersi (Gemma Chan), Ikaris (Richard Madden), Thena (Angelina Jolie), Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), Sprite (Lia McHugh), Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), Druig (Barry Koeghan), Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), and Gilgamesh (Ma Dong-seok) following her command until she is inexplicably attacked and killed by Deviants, ultimately passing the mantle of leadership to Sersi.
Coming off of her critically acclaimed and Oscar winning film Nomadland, director Chloe Zhao brings to the Marvel Cinematic Universe a more grounded approach to filmmaking. Yes, there's action scenes and impressive CGI sequences, but there are also naturally gorgeous practical effects and stunning cinematography infused throughout the production unlike anything we've seen in the MCU so far. It’s a beautiful film to watch with visually stunning sequences worthy of the big screen experience.
But the other impressive thing about how this film is how the team of characters is crafted and how diversity and representation is accomplished. Though the Eternals features an eclectic mix of minority female characters in team-leading roles, another young female character, a Korean character, a Pakistani character, a married gay black father, white male characters, a character with a mental disability, and a deaf character (a demographic we’re seeing much more prominently in mainstream films like A Quiet Place, The Sound of Metal, and this year’s Sundance hit and Apple TV+ Original Film CODA), the film is never overt or pandering about its diverse cast and characters. They are who they are. They come with their strengths, their flaws, and their worldviews, and the inclusion of so many different types of people couldn’t have felt more organic.
While there is much to appreciate about this reimagining of what a Marvel Studios movie could look like, Eternals comes with some deficiencies as well; namely scripting and editing. It’s no easy feat to juggle so many characters’ stories over multiple time periods, and the challenge proves daunting for this production. As each character is assimilated back into the team thousands of years after their dispersing, the film whiplashes back and forth in time to cover their pasts, which can be disorienting over the 2 hour and 40 minute runtime. Additionally, while the film builds up to an epic and climactic battle, the climax sputters to a lackluster resolution, leaving much to be desired from a film that, up to that point, rides high on its fresh take of ensemble entertainment.
But ultimately, Eternals is a Marvel film that does its best to bring practicality back to superhero filmmaking. Endowing its heroes and villains with reasonable intentions and moral dilemmas, this is a film that admirably attempts to appease many types of moviegoers, even if its story falls short. Regardless, mainstream audiences can now discover who the Eternals are, and with much to enjoy and much to discuss about the film, Eternals - for better or worse - have made a lasting impression on the MCU.
Acting and Casting - 2 | Visual Effects and Editing - 1 | Story and Message - 0 | Entertainment Value - 2 | Music Score and Soundtrack - 1 | Reviewer's Preference - 1 | What does this mean?