REVIEW: Marvel’s ETERNALS Is Too Big For It’s Superhero Britches

Marvel’s newest addition to its Cinematic Universe is here in the form of Marvel’s Eternals. Directed by Chloe Zhao, the film centers on ten immortal beings, Sersi (Gemma Chan), Ikaris (Richard Madden), Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), Sprite (Lia McHugh), Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), Druig (Barry Keoghan), Thena (Angelina Jolie), Ajak (Salma Hayek), and Gilgamesh (Don Lee) sent to Earth. They are tasked by their overseer, Arishem (voiced by David Kaye), to protect Earth from the Deviants, (monsters set upon Earth to destroy apex predators), and help mankind advance.

Viewers bounce between a stroll down history lane to see how the Eternals helped humans in many key historical moments and present day, where the Deviants have returned with revenge on their mind. As with most Marvel films, all is not what it seems and while getting the Eternals’ band back together might seem like a great idea at the time, something more sinister is at play that will require them to forget everything they know in order to protect the human race.

If anything positive can be said about the film, it is the fact that the film is visually beautiful. Zhao’s choice to use as many real-life locations as possible instead of green screens creates a beautiful world that showcases exactly why Sersi feels so strongly about protecting Earth and the people who live on it. Unfortunately, that is one of the few bright spots in an otherwise weak film. Moving between the history of the Eternals while also trying to develop and flesh out their characters results in pieces of the film becoming confusing, and characters ending up lost. With so many characters to focus on in an introductory film, Zhao’s characters seem to be constantly fighting for time. The story itself becomes so entangled in this battle that it eventually becomes stagnant and repetitive until the final moments of the film, when everything is rushed in order to get to the finish line.

Guardians of the Galaxy was another big ensemble origin story that managed to not only tell a concrete story but develop it’s characters as well and lay the groundwork needed for an introductory film. I believe that the constraint of the story needing to be a film meant for a theatrical release is really what causes the film to ultimate;y suffer. With Marvel now pushing many of its projects to Disney+, a story of this caliber would have made for a great Disney+ series that would have allowed for each episode to focus on one of the Eternals, explaining who they are, and how they came to be.

Gemma Chan’s Sersi is truly the leading character in a film despite the film’s portrayal as an ensemble film. She is the calm that holds the chaos together, but even sometimes Chan’s calming demeanor seemed a little out of place. Madden’s portrayal of Ikaris is played as exceptionally stoic, which, much like Chan, works for bits of the film, but falls flat during the more emotional scenes.

Lia McHugh’s Sprite is by far the worst storyline of them all. Without going into too many spoiler-y details, her character’s story is much like every other one-note teenage girl’s story in Hollywood, focused only on the character’s unrequited love. Young women deserve so much more and so did Sprite.

Kumail Nanjiani Kingo is the comedic relief in this otherwise melodramatic film, but it is Brian Tyree Henry’s Phastos that is the shining light in this lackluster blockbuster. He brings such joy and a surprisingly wonderful comedic timing to Phastos that it’s a true disappointment he is missing for almost the entirety of the first half of the film.

As for Ridloff, Keoghan, Jolie, Hayek, and Lee, their characters spend most of the film sidelined. From Jolie’s Thena, who is struggling with a mental illness to Keoghan’s Druig, who has unwarranted issues with Ikaris, each one as their own personal nuances that could have made for something special. Instead they’re used as minor plot pieces to help tell the central story.

I have seen my share of bad superhero films in my time, but never one as boring as this one. Yes, the film is setting viewers up for something bigger to come in the MCU, as most origin films do, but even with that in mind the film never amounts to anything. My suggestion is to wait until it drops on Disney+ in a few months.

Grade: C+