2 out of 5 stars
Kevin Feige and the Marvel team have had the pandemic to recover from the monolithic conclusion of Avengers: Endgame. With the eventual release of Black Widow as a quiet conclusion to that chapter and Shang-Chi as the possible future of the MCU, we now get the next ensemble in the Eternals. Despite multiple delays, audiences finally get to see Academy Award-winning director Chloé Zhao’s (Nomadland) entry into the world of superheroes.
Even though the Marvel Universe is familiar to most of the world's population, many people would have no awareness of this band of celestial beings from the planet called Olympia. This means the artistically inclined director needed to develop their world and determine how they play into the vast empire of comic book warriors. It is a project that took Zhao two and a half hours to tell, and it is not clear we really know enough about these characters to care about them. Think the MCU’s own version of Nomadland, beautiful cinematography, beautiful people and boring, oh so boring.
[https://youtu.be/x_me3xsvDgk]
For most audience members, a quick explanation of this band of advanced species is that they came to earth seven thousand years ago. They were created and sent by a god-like race called the Celestials to protect humanity from the near-immortal monstrous aliens called the Deviants. These heroic warriors are meant to be the protectors of mankind, the Eternals are not allowed to interfere in the world's affairs. Think of it as the precursor to the Star Trek prime directive at the beginning of human history. Instructions that are held by the leader of this team, Ajak (Salma Hayek). She works with her team to advance the population of the Earth while remaining in the background of history. They battle the Deviants throughout the centuries until they finally disband and head to different parts of the world to live out their existence.
Until a new type of Deviant evolves and begins to kill off the Eternals. Despite being separated for multiple decades, they all reluctantly come back together to work out how to combat this new threat to their’s and humanity’s existence. Sersi (Gemma Chan) and Ikaris (Richard Madden) must determine who will lead this fight while confronting some of the secrets Ajak has held back from the majority of the group. As they come to learn of their less-than-honourable role in the survival of the world, each Eternal must decide which side they will fight on in an epic final battle.
One of the many challenges that Chloé Zhao had in taking on this project was to introduce all of the characters at once. Unlike the beginning of the Avengers journey, where they had stand-alone films to allow people to get to know about Ironman, Captain America and Thor before assembling them together. While the Eternals are all given to us as one big package that proved to be a bit overwhelming. There is a massive backstory to unpack and complex characters to develop, which never really fully works. It was difficult to know why we should invest in these individuals, the team or which side to cheer for throughout the film. Then as each twist and turn is introduced, things go from bad to worse and eventually become a hot mess.
Granted, this is a Marvel film with loads of firsts within this universe: the first sex scene, the first gay kiss, the first deaf hero and even the first superhero suicide. This may be something worth celebrating in certain societal circles. Still, all it really does is add more confusion to this convoluted storyline. Yet, what does become apparent is that this is a superhero adventure for a mature audience. Unlike Deadpool and Logan that took language and violence to a whole new level, Eternals taps into the philosophical, ethical and spiritual realms. This means that this becomes inaccessible to younger audiences because of mature themes and long, boring monologues. When will people learn from The Incredibles to stop monologuing?
While it does contain outstanding cinematography, a fantastic cast and the backing of one of those most influential studios in Hollywood, this movie fails to deliver. Eternals comes dangerously close to the dark and moody world of DC comics Snyder-verse. Beyond being confusing, frustrating and tedious at times, the critical thing that they have missed is the fun. Sure there were a few gags, and Kumail Nanjiani’s take on Kingo was enjoyable. Still, it was not enough to counterbalance the deeply philosophical world-building going on within the MCU.
Hey, Kevin. Remember why people go to see Marvel films and bring back the fun, please.
Reel Dialogue: One thing we loved about this film - Bridge into the spiritual realm
The Reel Dialogue team loved one aspect of the Eternals. It was impossible to miss how the script forces the audience to think of the spiritual realm. The Celestials were creator beings who made the universe and all of its inhabitants. The Eternals are created beings who are reminiscent of angels who battle against evil forces that threaten humanity. Then throughout the script, there was a mixing of various mythologies and beliefs, which begs the viewer to consider what they believe.
Interestingly, the writers and film do not provide satisfactory solutions within the screenplay. Still, they finish the final battle with a Bible passage out of John 8 and all agree that only the truth will set them free. Even though they did not credit Jesus with these words, his quote proved to be the most satisfactory of the options. Within all of the weaknesses of this film, there is something to consider. Where can you find the truth? If you have not read it recently, why not take the time to find out the origin of these words in the biography of the one who spoke them.
‘“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”’ John 8:31-32
