The Eternals - An honest and Unbiased Review
Let me preface this by saying a few things. I am a huge comic book fan but despite that can not say The Eternals was ever a series that was on my radar. So my knowledge of the characters is minimal. I however saw the trailers and was immediately excited, telling a close friend, “I have to watch this!” to which he replied, “We have not even watched Shang Chi yet!”.
Finally before I get to my thoughts on the film, I have seen the mixed reviews of the film which has prompted me to not just create this post but return to blogging. You will see why in future posts.
Let’s get to the review!
Simply put, I enjoyed this movie but that is not enough to validate you watching it or forming an opinion on it from this article. So let me break it down.
The Characters:
(Everyone does a decent to good job in their roles.)
The movie has a sprawling cast of characters who are all rather unique in their appearances, personalities and powers. So pretty much like a super team! But what makes the Eternals stand out is that unlike most origin movies, this team starts out like just that, a team. They have spent centuries together and for the most part are such a family that when a possible tragedy befalls them, they come back together like any family would.
All the actors for the Eternals do good to great jobs with my favorites being the speedster Makkari, the Bulwark that is Gilgamesh and the goddess of war, Thena. The latter two had an amazing subplot that makes you question just what will happen with Thena especially. The film does not show a team coming together for the first time, but a team coming together and seeing if they can overcome their personal issues with themselves or each other. Phastos and Sprite had their own smaller stories that were tragic, showing why they did certain things for the people they loved.
Did all the characters get totally fleshed out? No! Did you get to see a side of them that tells you something about them and that you can understand their motivations? Yes! Every Eternal is given a reason for why they do what they do.
The Powers:
(Makkari races away with how many scenes she steals in the movie.)
This movie had a more muted approach to certain character types. We are accustomed to the big brute of the group running rampant and having bombastic displays of his or her power but that was not the case in the film. The standouts for power displays were Makkari and Sersi for me. We have all seen the badass warrior woman archetype that is Thena and she does it well in the film. We have seen the superman type that is Ikaris who, while I enjoyed, did not break the mold with anything new but he did it better than you would think. Gilgamesh perhaps was the weakest for me in terms of his powers on display because he as the powerhouse of the group did not really get a chance to truly show it in a grand ‘THIS IS MY MOMENT’ scene.
Makkari however, stole the show. Everytime she used her power was just fantastic. In the final battle she was easily the MVP for just how she used her speed which was not another slow time down moment. No, she went in the other direction of, “I’m fast as ****boy!”. Sersi on the other hand was different. Her powers were akin to Thanos (in Infinity War), Dr.Strange or Scarlet Witch but there are moments where you just have to pause and realize what she just did on screen such as literally transmuting something living into a tree. Sure it is not EXPLOSIONS! but that was fine for me.
The Story:
(This scene above has so much depth to it, brief as it was.)
“Oh no a museum!” My friend said when we are brought to the present day of the first act. I laughed at that because he was calling back to our time watching Wonder Woman 1984 which was to put nicely, not a great time. I have seen several reviews saying the story is slow paced and boring or they did not like the flashbacks or the history lessons. I can not understand this.
The movie indeed jumps through time, showing you the Eternals’ Influence on the world and how it was shaped by them through the ages. Just look at the names and you will see the influences, such as Ikaris being the inspiration for the story of Icarus and Thena being the inspiration for Athena. It is a nice pseudo history lesson, that does not beat you over the head but does a good job of informing you of what these characters were up to as they spend centuries on the planet.
However! The film is not a straight laced, predictable romp. For me at least. No it has twists and some are gut wrenching. It gets quite dark in spots and while there is humor it is quite restrained and does not detract from those serious moments. You can say the entire last act is void of comedy save for a great moment between Druig, Sprite and a rock. There is more I want to say but I will leave that for other articles. The story is a great origin story in my opinion and while it has plot holes in certain spots it is by far an easy to understand tale.
The Cinematography and CG:
(Gorgeous cinematography is abundant in this film)
Apparently this movie is being lambasted for its CG and it is odd because the CG in this film are some of the better offerings from the MCU. The powers, outfits and sets all look very real. The Celestials are shown in such grand scale you can only sit in silence as they speak. Makkari’s display of her powers is downright some of the best CG I have seen but it is Phastos and his constructs that are a feast for the eyes.
(You wanna hold these planet sized hands? Square up!)
The film visits numerous settings which I will not spoil but they are all gorgeous to behold with CG locations looking quite realistic. The one scene that may be jarring is when Sersi has the truth revealed to her. But seriously, there is a scene where Ikaris and Sersi embrace that is breathtaking thanks to the backdrop! One spoiler here to drive the point across. They show the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and all I could think was, this is is amazing!
The Villains:
(The villain is there somewhere...squint!)
It’s sort of like the Kree and the Skrulls in Captain Marvel! But here there are really no clear cut villains in the movie because as it carries on to the third act you see a revenge story, that can be totally understood. Seriously once things are revealed you understand that much like the Eternals and Jon Snow, that you know nothing. That said the Deviants are perhaps the weakest part of the film for me. The main one, Kro does not have much speaking scenes and even when he shows up for the final battle, he does not have that aura too him like you expect of a villain out for revenge. Is he a threat? Oh most definitely as the film demonstrates quite a bit. You even get scared when he gets his hand on several of the Eternals in the final act but even so he joins the list of ‘meh’ marvel villains. The villains in this movie are simply there to pose a threat and get in the way of the Eternals, nothing more.
The bottom line:
Director Chloe Zhao and her crew need to take a bow despite what the ‘critics’ and others are saying, this movie was a well done movie and something I will gladly watch again or add to my movie library. It has flaws but it has strengths. If you come into this film wanting high octane action like say Endgame’s final battle or even the Avengers first outing’s final action piece you will be disappointed. But that is not what the movie is going for. It feels like Zhao held her cards close to her chest and did not want to reveal just how powerful these characters could be just yet. This makes me hope and pray that this movie not only gets a sequel but that the characters get a chance to interact with the larger MCU as they all deserve it. This movie is an easy recommendation for those looking for a more thoughtful and controlled superhero experience, focusing on the story instead of spectacle.
PROS:
.Great cast.
.Good story.
.Great cinematography.
.Decent to good fight scenes.
CONS:
.Some characters do not get enough screen time.
.Weak ‘villain’ presence.
