"Eternals" is Here - And The MCU Will Never Be The Same

 

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is practically a well-oiled machine at this point. The success that Marvel has found is completely due to the products they create. Those films, themselves, are products of the hard work and talent of their casts and crews, and we as audience members and fans of the source material get to benefit from those efforts. This weekend a new Marvel movie opens. It's a momentous time, because theaters are open, people are feeling more comfortable to venture out of their homes to see a film on the big screen, and the continuing saga that is the MCU is reason enough to venture to the cinema. Eternals is a grand, epic narrative that is unlike any MCU film before it, while also delivering a narrative and experience that will change the course of the MCU forever. It's fantastic - don't let the critics' negative scores tell you otherwise.

The movie follows the saga of the Eternals, a race of immortal beings who have lived on Earth and have helped shaped its history and civilizations. They do not interfere with human conflict, but have been integral to the growth and progression of the species. They are also commissioned to protect the Earth from Deviants, creatures connected to energy and made to destroy those they come in contact with. Though the battle between Eternals and Deviants may seem to be the overarching conflict, the real issue that the Eternals face is much deeper and personal. This film is a gorgeous narrative that explores the concepts of purpose, love, acceptance, and sacrifice. It's one of the larger narratives the MCU has tackled, but also one of the most intimate and relatable stories at the same time.

The cast in this movie is stacked. The Eternals consist of Salma Hayek, Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Ma Dong-seok, and last - but most certainly not least - Angelina Jolie. (The fact that Angelina Jolie is in the MCU just fills my heart with so much joy.) With a cast like this - and a supporting cast as well, mind you - my first thought was "how do you manage all of these characters without feeling like some of them don't matter?" What this movie does brilliantly, and I'm sure a lot of this has to do with the extended runtime of 2 hours and 37 minutes, is that it spends just enough time with each of the Eternals to give you everything you need. Sure, some of them get more screen time, but none of them felt flat or underdeveloped, at least for me. Each one of these characters is dealing with their immortality in a different way, and you totally get who they are, their motivations, and why they choose the paths they take. I attribute this to the awesome writing and direction of the film, which should get a ton of praise.

As I mentioned, this movie is long. There is a lot of exposition at times, but I never felt overly burdened by it. These are a lot of new characters to drop into this established universe, and having seen all the films up to this point, naturally we're going to be curious about how they all fit within what we already know. Let me just say that not only does this movie take a rather large concept and weave it into the known narrative fairly well, it also manages to shift what we know about the MCU all-together - and I found that exhilarating. Eternals - I think - will end up being one of the more important movies in this current phase, because what it sets up and what it presents itself to be is a huge disrupter to the establishment. It re-contextualizes what we already know into something new and exciting. Avoiding any spoilers here is really tough, so make sure you go see this as soon as possible.

The performances were all great across the board; Gemma Chan and Richard Madden are wonderful; Kumail Nanjiani is hilarious, as expected; the dynamic between Ma Dong-seok and Angelina Jolie is quite emotional, and the rest are all just great. I could spend an entire review just breaking down the individual performances. The action sequences were awesome, the visuals were stunning, and the entire scope of the film is massive. Academy Award-winning director Chloé Zhao emphatically stamps her place into the MCU, and delivers one of the most unique, emotional, and all-encompassing narratives this cinematic universe has seen. I loved this movie, and I can't wait to see it again - because there's a lot to unpack.