The cast was stacked, the anticipation had been building and even though throngs of audiences went to the theaters over the past week to see the film, Marvel’s “Eternals” unfortunately did not live up to the hype of its predecessors and there are a few reasons why. First off being, it is a very, very convoluted storyline. I will do my best to explain below.
Eternals are essentially cosmic beings sent from Olympia (a supposed planet in the Cosmos) to Earth to protect humans from Deviants. They are instructed to never involve themselves in human conflict (hence them missing from Infinity War) and only execute the job they have been assigned. The Eternals are sent to Earth in 5000 BC by a celestial being by the name of Arishem. Throughout the course of their lives, they protect and bond with the humans on Earth, staying until the very last Deviant is destroyed, or so they thought. Centuries pass without a disturbance of said “deviants” and all Eternals venture to their own secluded parts of the world, blending in where they can until new deviants emerge and this time, they start hunting Eternals to absorb their powers.
Still with me? Ok, cool. Take a breather if you need it. Four score and…. two thousand years later, the Eternals reunite when they discover that their leader Ajak (Salma Hayek) has been killed. Desperate to understand their continued placement on Earth, they discover that their one true goal is actually to mend the human population to a certain size in order for an Emergence to take place. (Sigh).
What is an Emergence? I’m glad you asked.
An Emergence is what happens when another celestial being is born. Spoiler alert, the planet that they are born into gets obliterated as it absorbs its remaining energy. Can you guess where the Emergence is supposed to take place? You got it. Earth. A split seems to divide the group – some are desperate to save the humans that they have been living alongside for centuries and the others are torn with their duty to fulfill the purpose they have been placed on the Earth to execute.
The story spans from 5000 BC to present day so there is a lot of ground to cover. The story includes copious flashbacks of their time together in BC and honestly spends too much time here. They focus more on the conflicts that they witness versus the familial bonds that they are supposed to have. So much so that when they reunite together, some 2000 years later it’s not an exciting event because the audience doesn’t really feel the connection between the supposed “family members.”
There are 10 members of the Eternal Family: Ikaris (Robb Stark—excuse me, Richard Madden), Sersi (Gemma Chan), Thena (Angelina Jolie), Ajack (Salma Hayek), Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), Sprite (Lia McHugh), Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) Makkari (Lauren Ridolff), Druig (Barry Keoghan) and Gilagmesh (Ma Dong-seok). Each Eternal has a set of unique powers generated.
Inside this two hour and thirty-seven minute movie (yes, it is that long), there are some relationship struggles in what I can only imagine is their attempt to be a Love Triangle between Sersi, Ikaris and Dane (Jon Snow—I mean, Kit Harrington), but in my opinion the best love story exists between Makkari and Druig, I can’t wait for them to explore that later.
Directed by the Academy Award Winner, Chloe Zhao, the decision was an ambitious choice by Marvel Studios when the announcement came in 2018. It’s not that she isn’t qualified for the under-taking, her Oscar speaks for itself, but Zhao has a very different style and approach than most other directors who have taken on such massive projects. Zhao’s previous projects have been character driven works, focusing on the details and nuances of people and relationships. While Eternals should have been a closer fit, it centers around a family of immortal beings tasked to protect human nature, there are so many characters interwoven in the story that her attention to detail on their lives is missing. It is a Marvel movie after all, people are coming for action, fight sequences and a bit of sarcastic humor here and there.
So where to from here? More spinoffs and installments, of course. And to address the giant elephant in the room. Yes, Harry Styles is in fact featured in the post-credit scene (and I stayed in the theater almost three hours just to see it). Styles shows up as Eros, the biological brother of the Mad-Titan Thanos, he steps in to help the Eternals on their next mission. If you are also wondering how Harry Styles (who looks very much like himself in character) is related to a big, purple alien with a thumb for a chin, you are not alone. I stand with you.
With Styles stepping into the MCU, it’s only a matter of time before we can expect to see him in Marvel follow up projects in the next year or so… Might I suggest a cameo in “Thor: Love and Thunder?” Please, make that happen.
Movie Score: 4/10
And that’s the sitch.
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