Of 2021’s four Marvel Cinematic Universe films, “Eternals” is the most intellectual but the least fun. “Black Widow,” “Shang-Chi” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” are more entertaining, funnier and more action-oriented. But their narratives can be contrived at times.
With “Eternals,” director/co-writer Chloe Zhao meticulously crafts an epic about demigods that holds up to narrative scrutiny. It’s noticeably long (2 hours, 36 minutes), but it tries to have some heart to balance its classic/clichéd theme about the responsibilities of gods. (It comes from Jack Kirby’s 1976 comic, which itself draws from Greek mythology.)
In present day and in regular flashbacks, we follow 10 demigods – the Eternals are the offspring of Celestials (gods) – but Zhao smartly makes them all “human” (in the casual sense of the word). While they have incredible superpowers, they aren’t significantly more powerful than MCU characters we already know.
“Eternals” (2021)
Director: Chloe Zhao
Writers: Ryan Firpo, Kaz Firpo (screenplay, story); Chloe Zhao, Patrick Burleigh (screenplay); Jack Kirby (comics)
Stars: Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie
The action sequences are respectable, especially in the final act. By this time, we know everyone’s powers, love matches (requited or unrequited) and feelings about whether Earth is worth saving. So there’s true feeling behind the battle on a deserted sandy island, not just spectacle (although the spectacle is good too).
‘Human’ demigods
Part of why we’re so familiar with the Eternals is we’ve spent a lot of time with them by this point. Deliberate pacing doesn’t bother Zhao, writer-director of 2020 Best Picture “Nomadland.” But she does address another danger area for losing viewers: making the Eternals unrelatable. So they all have recognizably human traits from the beginning.
Zhao and three co-writers try to achieve this through love stories: Sersi (Gemma Chan) and Ikaris (“Bodyguard’s” Richard Madden) were together for 5,000 years before Ikaris broke it off, but a spark lingers. Sprite (Lia McHugh), stuck in a child’s body, pines for Ikaris. Sersi tiptoes into human life with new boyfriend Dane (Kit Harington).
Makkari (Lauren Ridloff) and Druig (Barry Keoghan) have a thing, as do Gilgamesh (Don Lee) and Thena (Angelina Jolie). Phastos (Bryan Tyree Henry) has settled down with a family. Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani) loves being a Bollywood star.
Ajak (Salma Hayek) is the group’s benign leader – a “players’ coach” who allows freedom. She was chosen by Arishem (voiced by David Kaye), the Earth-overseeing Celestial – a large statue that floats in space.
“Eternals’ ” focus on love contrasts with humanity’s history of war; one flashback finds Phastos cursing humanity in the wake of the Hiroshima bomb. Ajak and Ikaris briefly engage in the familiar debate about whether humans are horrid for their evils or worthwhile for their good traits.
I can’t say I deeply engaged with the love stories. The actors are good, but chemistry is not present in any of the pairings, and most of the performances are full of import. To go along with the obvious (and welcome) racial diversity, there is some personality diversity. The natural comedic leanings of Nanjiani and Henry are allowed to breathe.
10 Supermen/women
“Eternals” is aware of the MCU default setting (action, humor, big personalities) and the fact that it doesn’t quite conform. At one point amid a long stretch of exposition, Kingo’s companion videographer (Harish Patel as Karun) notes that “We need an action sequence.”
It’s a meta-joke, but it’s also accurate. “Eternals” is an info-dump for quite a while as it unspools a dense mythology that spans millennia, and on top of that it’s told out of order. You’ll want to pay close attention to the title cards; Eternals don’t physically age so there are no clues to be had there. And while the film looks good under the lens of Ben Davis, we aren’t in any given era long enough to absorb it.
The Eternals’ core tenet is they don’t interfere with human-on-human conflicts. They should say sentient-on-sentient, because they don’t interfere with purple Titan Thanos’ depredations either. They are essentially Superman split into 10 people, although Ikaris is the bluntest Supes equivalent. This MCU film even directly references the DC legend in a brief sidestep into light-heartedness; I suppose the lampshade allows them to later copy iconic “Superman” shots without angering people.
Although it’s tragic that people have died in genocides while the Eternals watched – Druig is especially irked by this, but he’s (intriguingly) hypocritical because he’s fine with mind-controlling humans – their internal debates are largely in the past.
In present day, Ajak’s job isn’t particularly pressing, but the emergence of Deviants – silly-string lizard monsters that are the dark answer to the Eternals’ light – at least allows them to brush up on their powers. They are allowed to fight Deviants.
The MCU’s ‘Dune’?
I liked “Eternals” more than “Dune,” another epic about long-lived powers with spacious, remote vistas. Some will argue that comparing the films is an insult to “Dune,” or at least the lazy result of the happenstance that they were released around the same time.
“Dune” author Frank Herbert meticulously built worlds; Kirby is legendary for his art, not for his writing. But I’m complimenting “Eternals” for evoking a similar vibe to “Dune” since the source material decidedly does not have classic status.
Some viewers will find “Eternals” doesn’t earn its sense of import. But their issue is with whether “Eternals” should’ve been made at all. Once the MCU committed to this road, Zhao was right to infuse this part of the saga with gravity as it delves into gods’ moral responsibilities.
We already have Thor cracking jokes, drinking mead and hanging out with the Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s appropriate that the Eternals brood. The MCU has room for variety, even if I don’t love all of it.