Director: Chloé Zhao
Cast: Angelina Jolie, Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Lia McHugh, Don Lee and Kit Harrington
Screenwriters: Chloé Zhao, Ryan Firpo, Kaz Firpo, Patrick Burleigh
Marvel has never been afraid to go big before, but even by their own standards, Eternals, the latest instalment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is a tale of epic proportions.
Directed by recent Academy Award winner Chloé Zhao (Best Director and Best Picture for Nomadland), Eternals spans the ages, from 5000 BC all the way through to the present day. Taking place on a cosmic scale, the film introduces a new ensemble of heroes known as the Eternals (immortal beings created by gods called the Celestials), who, 7000 years ago, were sent on a mission to protect the people of Earth from a race of monstrous creatures known as the Deviants.
Eternals, in all its fantastical glory, marks a sharp departure from Zhao’s previous films (Nomadland, The Rider, Songs My Brother Taught Me), which focus on telling the stories of marginalised groups living in America. Notably gritty yet tender, incorporating stunning panoramic shots and landscapes vistas, Zhao’s past work can be characterised by its sensibilities and realism, her filmmaking understated but powerful. Yet as much as Zhao’s work is known for being grounded, Marvel has their head in the clouds, bringing the fantastical to life and going heavy on the CGI to do so. In answering the question of how these two seemingly opposing styles meet, Zhao’s influence doesn’t override the Marvel formula so much as it merges with it. Eternals is a careful fusion of Zhao’s stylistic tenderness, careful pacing and penchant for naturalistic shots, and Marvel’s traditional superhero romp, creating a story that manages to remain grounded and heartfelt despite the magnitude of its undertaking. The result is enough to make Eternals feel different and distinctly more mature from previous MCU instalments, while still remaining true to the tried and tested superhero formula.
A star-studded cast brings the new team to life, with Gemma Chan taking the lead as Sersi, alongside Richard Madden’s Ikaris. Other standouts amongst the cast include Angelina Jolie as Thena, an incredibly fierce yet vulnerable warrior, Lia McHugh as the blunt yet loveable Sprite, and Brian Tyree Henry as the brilliantly smart Phastos.
Spread across the globe, the Eternals have been living in hiding for thousands of years, until an unexpected attack forces them out of the shadows. With the return of the Deviants and an even more devastating event on the horizon, the Eternals reunite after years apart, coming together to once again try to protect humanity from a threat that is set to destroy the world (Earth really just can’t seem to catch a break).
With so much history to unwrap, the story flickers between the past and the present day. From Babylon, to Mesopotamia, to the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, part of the fun is seeing imaginings of some of the most intriguing lost civilisations from across history come to life on screen, and discovering how the presence of the Eternals has accordingly been worked into the timeline of human evolution. The globetrotting doesn’t end there either, in the present day, the story flits across the planet from London (hitting a couple of the tourist high spots like Trafalgar Square and… well, Camden), to suburban America, and the outback of Australia, as the team reunites and each member is pulled out of hiding.
With the vastness of the stage on which the film is playing, the sheer amount of history to cover and the large number of new characters to be introduced, Zhao is careful to structure the film so as to avoid an information overload. A crawl sets the scene, imparting crucial information necessary to digest the almost biblical nature of the concepts being explored, (the creation of life, the functionality of the universe; this is no small story). The Eternals are introduced over the course of the movie, reconnecting at a steady pace that spans much of the runtime, ensuring characters aren’t lost in the crowd.
When it comes to the Eternals themselves, Zhao deftly handles the characterisation of each new hero, dedicating time to flesh out their backstory and personality. The result is a welcomed well-rounded team of diverse individuals. There is a wonderful mix of backgrounds and accents, characters also speak American Sign Language, and it’s refreshing to see such diversity on screen without it being expressly called out or deliberately addressed.
It could have been the thing that bought the movie down, but the challenge of introducing a team of ten newcomers, each with a different set of powers, to the MCU in one film was cleverly done. The abilities of the Eternals are clearly differentiated and each power is visually unique, brought to life on screen with beautiful golden VFX detailing—a stunningly elegant styling that also sets the Eternals and their powers apart from those of previously seen MCU heroes.
While it’s fun discovering everyone’s powers, it’s the characters themselves and the evolution of their relationships with one another that are the heartbeat of the film. Much of the story is driven by the exploration of individual vulnerabilities and insecurities, and how those wants and dreams, fears and beliefs play into the group dynamics. This is one of the film’s greatest strengths; despite the cosmic scale of the movie, Zhao focuses on the characters at a human level, and in doing so, manages to keep the story grounded, capturing a poignance that could easily have been washed away by the size of setting in which the Eternals play. Time sees relationships grow and fracture, sees the heroes heal and hurt each other; seven thousand years of history all leading up to the choices they have to make in the present day.
The third act does deliver on the expected Marvel battle, leaning on the usual MCU formula. And yet, contrary to most MCU films, the central conflict is less about the big threat and more about the Eternals themselves, their choices, the debate of right and wrong, and the consequences of those decisions. It’s by no means a revolutionary final act (there is still a ton of CGI and a lot of powers being thrown about—after all, it’s still a Marvel movie), but the subtle change in approach is refreshing, and Zhao’s sensibilities shine through enough that, in many ways, the final act does feel distinctly different to previous final battles; less glorious, more tender, more earnest.
It’s strange to think that a story playing with such vast, fantastical concepts could be at all considered grounded, and yet against all odds, that is exactly what Eternals manages to be. When it comes down to it, Eternals is about what you’d do for those you love, and Zhao never loses touch with the soul of the story, managing to inject a surprising amount of heart and gentleness into a film with a story that spans such mammoth proportions.
Be warned, there’s no neat bow to tie everything up; fresh mysteries open as the film ends with not one, but three massive cliffhangers, courtesy of both a mid credits and post credits scene. And yet, by the end of the 157 minute runtime, the story has spanned so many years and there has been so much emotional payoff for many of the characters that Eternals still manages to feel resolved and satisfying in many respects, despite the fact that there is still more of the tale to come.
A captivating instalment in the MCU that doesn’t buckle under the weight of its own ambition, Eternals remains true to the Marvel formula, yet is different enough in scale and tone to set it apart. A brilliant addition to the MCU, bringing oodles of new lore to the franchise with its grand sweeping story and stellar cast of new characters, Eternals is a movie worth buying a ticket (and popcorn) for.
Just be prepared to also buy a ticket to its promised sequel too.
