Eternals

In the past, Marvel Studios has shown great skill at introducing some of their lesser known comic creations to mass audiences on the big screen.  There's obviously the Guardians of the Galaxy, or a more recent example being Shang-Chi.  Now here is Eternals, and I'm honestly curious how the blockbuster crowd is going to react to this.  Not because it's a bad movie, because it's really not.  It just aims to be much more reflective and character-driven than your average superhero movie. 

The question here is was Chloé Zhao, the recent Oscar Winner for Nomadland, the right choice to helm a blockbuster movie, and that's difficult to answer.  She definitely brings a sense of style and beauty here than what we normally get from Marvel.  She also seems to be trying to challenge our expectations of a superhero movie, by having its heroes be uncertain if humanity and Earth itself is worth saving, leading to infighting among them.  And she also tries to give the audience what they usually come for in these movies, such as world-shattering stakes, an apocalyptic threat, and a dry sense of humor that is worked throughout the script.  Whether or not these elements mix is the test.  To me, at least, the combo works in an uneven kind of way.  I admire what Zhao is doing, but it does occasionally lead to some awkward moments that don't stick the landing fully.  I was never bored, and the stakes the characters were facing was enough to grab me, but I never felt that rush of exhilaration that the better entries in the Cinematic Universe offer.

Even though the plot and the film itself covers countless centuries, it's really quite simple when you boil it down to its basics.  Long story short, god-like beings known as Celestials have been keeping order in the galaxy since the beginning of time, and the being who is tasked with watching over Earth is Arishem.  When humanity on Earth was threatened by some predatory monsters known as Deviants, he sent 10 immortal beings down to Earth known as Eternals to wipe out the threat.  The mission of the Eternals has been to wipe out the Deviants, and help humans evolve and prosper, all without actually getting involved or interfering with our wars or battles.  They have the ability to control minds, and even change the course of nature, but they must limit themselves, and let humanity grow on its own.  That explains why these immortal beings with incredible powers have been living among us since the beginning, but have never tried to use their powers to stop our wars, or solve that messy Thanos business that the Avengers had to deal with.

The leader of the Eternals is Ajak (Salma Hayek), who speaks directly to Arishem, and gives his orders to her fellow immortals, which include the warrior Thena (Angelina Jolie), the protective Gilgamesh (Don Lee), Makkari (Lauren Ridloff) who can run at blinding speed, the powerful Ikaris (Richard Madden), who is probably the strongest of them all and is often compared to Superman, Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) is a skilled inventor who passes his advanced technology onto humanity, Sprite (Lia McHugh) is eternally in the form of an adolescent, and can create powerful illusions, Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani) can harness energy in his hands, and the seemingly ever-brooding Druig (Barry Keoghan) who can control minds, and really wishes he could just control all humans to stop their endless fighting and wars, and needs to be reminded that he's not supposed to interfere.

But the main one the film chooses to focus on is the gentle Sersi (Gemma Chan).  She has amazing elemental powers, and as the film opens, has been trying to live a normal life and pass herself off as a human in modern day London.  Her boyfriend (Kit Harington) does have his suspicions, as he's seen her some of her abilities, despite her best efforts to keep them secret.  Her powers and who she is can no longer be hidden when they are attacked by a Deviant on the street, who the Eternals believed were wiped out thousands of years ago.  They have been living among us ever since, but vowed to regroup if the need ever aroused.  The time has come, and Sersi, Sprite and Ikaris begin to travel the globe and tell their fellow Eternals about this new threat, as the Deviants seem to have evolved, and now possess healing abilities, and even the power of speech.  

Even though the plot in Eternals frequently jumps forward and backwards in time, it is to its credit that it's easy to follow, especially when you consider the large number of newly introduced heroes at the center of it that the audience has to keep track of.  I also was gradually pulled into the film, which asks some difficult questions that I was not expecting.  When we learn the true purpose behind the Celestials, the role of the Eternals, and even the roles of the beast-like Deviants, it does make you question just who is right and wrong.  Even the heroes themselves ask this as plot elements that will not be revealed here are uncovered.  I admired that this movie seemed to have a bit more on its mind than I expected walking in.  But will the general audience latch onto that?   We also get to see two of the Eternals engage in PG-13 sex briefly, and another is depicted to be in a same-sex marriage.  It's great to see these things represented, and I kind of wish the movie could have spent a bit more time with them.

However, despite an over two and a half hour run time, the movie does seem a bit rushed.  It knows what the causal Marvel audience has come for, so it does have to get to its apocalyptic climax, which is not quite as loose or out of control as you might expect, and actually features a lot of internal struggles between its heroes, and what is right for the world itself.  This is a movie that wants us to think, and give us a spectacle too.  Other movies have accomplished this, but Zhao and her screenwriters sometimes don't seem too confident.  I had the feeling that she wanted to go deeper with some of her themes, but was also afraid to step a bit too far out of the Marvel Comfort Zone.  This leads to a movie that is sometimes ambitious, sometimes familiar, and sometimes a bit messy, but never boring.  For what it is, I enjoyed it, but it's not about to become one of my favorites, and it doesn't seem as sure as the best Marvel entries are.

I'm kind of rooting that audiences will find something in Eternals to like.  I do want to see these ideas explored more, and maybe expanded.  I think there's a lot that can be done.  This is not the best movie Marvel has done, but it's far from the failure some are labeling it to be.  Maybe this won't wind up being a box office event, and that's okay.  I'm sure the Studio has plenty of those under their hat to come.

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