Eternals (2021)

Eternals (2021)

 

5/10

Starring:

Gemma Chan

Richard Madden

Kumail Nanjiani

Lia McHugh

Brian Tyree Henry

 

Directed by Chloé Zhao

 

I may have taken longer than others to finally see this movie, but in the end, I’m glad I did. The movie isn’t as bad as many make it out to be. I enjoyed having new characters in the MCU to explore, adding new dimensions to the stories, and welcoming the dynamic characters Marvel has woven for itself. However, this movie felt lifeless and easily forgettable.

The cast in Eternals is a strong one, and their combined talents are what really keep the movie going. I loved the cinematography and the lighting effects—they’re worth admiring and probably something for other movies to emulate. The fight scenes were cool too.

The sad thing is the story. While the movie isn’t a total train wreck, I can’t, in good conscience, say it’s as great as the other MCU movies that came before it. It’s not my least favorite MCU movie—that title, for me, is a toss-up between Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) and Thor: The Dark World (2013)—but it’s definitely one of those movies I wouldn’t want to watch again. The story, in my view, overcomplicated itself with betrayals and by killing off some characters that I felt didn’t need to die.

Eternals is the 26th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and is directed by Chloé Zhao, who also worked on the screenplay. The movie uses a lot of flashbacks, showing us the Eternals’ place in the cosmic order—what their role is in shaping worlds and why we don’t see them often. After watching Earth grow for centuries, an old threat returns, stronger and more devious. The Eternals must come out of hiding to defeat this threat. Their challenge, however, lies in the fact that their leader has been killed. The new leader doesn’t know how to manage the situation and is torn between fulfilling her purpose and saving humanity.

Meanwhile, there’s betrayal within their ranks, which takes a dramatic turn as they’ve already lost some Eternals in this battle. How they handle the traitor, stop the impending end of the world, and go against their original purpose is something you’ll have to see for yourself.

The movie ends with two post-credit scenes. One hints at a possible future if Disney/Marvel decides to make another Eternals movie, though based on this one, I’m not so sure they will. The second scene introduces a new character to the MCU.

Eternals has its place in the MCU, but I believe there’s been a drop in quality and storytelling—something that seems prevalent in Phase Four, with only Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) breaking that trend.