Review: Eternals (2021)

Eternals

Rating

Director

Chloé Zhao

Screenplay

Chloé Zhao, Patrick Burleigh, Ryan Firpo, Kaz Firpo

Length

2h 36m

Starring

Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kit Harington, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Don Lee, Harish Patel, Bill Skasgard

MPAA Rating

PG-13

Original Preview

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Poster

Source Material

Review

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are countless potential threats. Some are relatively minor. Others are universe-threatening. With Eternals, Disney seems to have settled on a galaxy-spanning villain that could hang over the entirety of their Phase IV efforts, but the film might just feel too obvious to entice the legion of franchise fans to their latest lengthy story arc.

What made the MCU successful from its seemingly humble origins in Iron Man through its massive two-part finale was that the build-up occurred slowly over the decade, with new hints and Easter eggs popping up gradually over the course of more than a dozen films. Eternals, the third feature in the self-titled Phase IV of the MCU, introduces a multi-universe villain that hits bluntly and obviously.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Warner Bros.’ DC Extended Universe started with a massive storyline that would be broken into smaller films for each hero. It’s clear which direction worked out best and for Eternals to start at the other end is a worrisome development for Disney’s latest multi-film story arc. Part of the galvanizing factor of the first films was that Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury was slowly recruiting heroes to a new initiative. In these latest three efforts, no attempt at inter-film cohesion is attempted and that makes it all feel rather disconnected.

The influx of new characters has given a shot in the arm to the franchise with the likes of Captain Marvel, Ant-Man, Black Panther, Shang-Chi, and others taking a front seat towards driving the narrative. The Eternals are another attempt to add to the bloated number of characters that fans of the MCU have to commit to memory. Eternals does a fine job introducing each of eleven new characters, giving a surprisingly bountiful bit of back story to each character, fleshing them out in ways that characters like Hawkeye and Black Widow didn’t get until recently.

Part of that attention to character detail comes from director Chloé Zhao, the latest indie director to tackle an MCU feature. Disney seems to believe that getting smaller directors and giving them big budgets, but slapping specific standards on their creations, is a way to give some gravitas to the franchise. Yet, unlike Destin Daniel Cretton with Shang-Chi and Cate Shortland with Black Widow, Zhao’s unwieldy film has too many parts to give her the kind of time she should need to craft something much more intimate.

That doesn’t stop her from trying. While the film sometimes struggles to give all the characters something to do, Zhao’s focus on diversity and big moments gives the film room to breathe that a lesser director wouldn’t have found. Scenes surrounding the MCU’s first deaf superhero and its first gay hero are given subtle treatment, allowing the characters to shine and develop in ways that don’t make them feel like footnotes. The film also introduces the first moment of sexual intimacy. It’s kept brief and nudity free as Disney would demand, but it’s a nice attempt to make the series feel more adult than it has up to this point.

Eternals is a gorgeous film to look at. Zhao’s eye for framing is dominant throughout the film and while she’s forced to adhere to Disney’s seemingly strict framework for successful filmmaking, she infuses it with just enough of her own talent to make it feel somewhat unique.

Ultimately, the MCU is chomping at the bit to bring in as many new characters as possible and invest the audience in the continuation of the series with new threats and new opportunities for everyone to find their place within the universe. Unfortunately, after more than a decade of films that are similar enough to one another to become forgettable after a time, the MCU faces an uncertain future. Films like this are necessary to move the narratives forward, but they are also helping to create a sense that what has worked in the past may no longer be effective. And it’s going to take a major realignment of strategies to suitably impress future audiences.