On November 5, Marvel Studios’ new feature film Eternals hit theatres worldwide. With this movie being the third feature film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s fourth phase, it centers on introducing more characters from the Marvel Comics to the big screen, primarily, as the name of the movie implies, the Eternals, who are immortal cosmic beings created by the Prime Celestial, Arishem.
The movie begins with a text crawl explaining what Eternals, Celestials, and Deviants are, which is seemingly unnecessary. Shortly after, the movie then gives us a first impression of the ten Eternals the movie will revolve around, the ones assigned to protect the earth from Deviants. These Eternals are, Ikaris, played by Richard Madden, Sersi, played by Gemma Chan, Phastos, played by Bryan Tyree Henry, Kingo, played by Kumail Najiani, Gilgamesh, played by Don Lee, Thena, played by Angelina Jolie, Sprite, played by Lia McHugh, Druig, played by Barry Keoghan, Ajak, played by Salma Hayek, and Makkari, played by Lauren Ridloff, each of these actors being excellent choices for the characters they portray. The opening scene shows off the basic premise of these characters, including who they are, what their abilities are, and also their synergy between each other, by doing what Marvel does best, making our heroes save the day, all the while using stunning visual effects which are used all throughout the film.
The movie goes on to develop the main problem the Eternals need to face, with a thorough exposition and a deeper dive into each of the characters, showing more about them and their interactions between each other and also some internal conflict between the bunch with clashing ideologies. After finally reaching the well anticipated final act, the movie does not waste any time at letting the characters get their time in the spotlight.
The movie features two post-credit scenes, which is expected from a Marvel movie, both showcasing what’s to become of Marvel Cinematic Universe’s fourth phase, introducing new characters and, obviously, leaving off on a cliffhanger.
Overall, I believe the movie stayed strong throughout, from the beginning with the text crawl, all the way to the end of the post-credits scene. Key points were well spread out across the movie, not making it seem rushed or as if it were too slow. There are several questions that the movie left me with, some which I am leaving future films to answer, and others that have already gotten me to speculate the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or also known by some as the Multiverse. Although the movie did really great, it did not do some characters justice and it left me wondering if they could have shown more of them at their full potential, essentially throwing away certain characters. Aside from wasted characters, there are some moments where the movie tried really hard to squeeze in some comic relief, even in the most tense moments, which I found really annoying, given the situations. Despite its flaws, the movie was spectacular, and I can not wait to see what lies ahead for the rest of the Eternals scattered across the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse.
