*Spoilers ahead*
We are well into Marvel’s Phase 4, the phase that has to (somehow) follow the famous 23-movie saga that ended with the record-breaking “Avengers: Endgame.”
Marvel’s “Eternals” is the third full-length film to be released in 2021, following “Black Widow” and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” (plus the three Disney+ series, “WandaVision,” “Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” and “Loki”). This movie has been highly anticipated, directed by award-winning Chloé Zhao and featuring a cast with the likes of Gemma Chan, Kit Harington, and Angelina Jolie, but has left Marvel fans and critics alike with mixed feelings and plenty of negative reviews. I’m a big Marvel stan, so here’s my take:
Characters
There were so many characters introduced all in one movie. Sure, you could argue the 59 returning characters in “Avengers: Endgame” were a lot, but those were characters we grew to know and love over many movies. In just two and a half hours, “Eternals” introduced us to 10 different characters, expecting viewers to understand and identify with each of them and immediately add them to our trusted group of superheroes. I’ve been rooting for Cap for like, 80 years and seven movies.
I did like the casting of many of the characters, though, despite there being a ton of them. I don’t think they needed to add fabricated star power like Harry Styles (!!!) and Angelina Jolie to build excitement about the movie, but I didn’t mind seeing them both look so fresh in this film. Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, and Kit Harington were great familiar faces, and I’m fans of them from their other work in “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Game of Thrones.” I particularly liked the performances by Brian Tyree Henry (Phastos) and Barry Keoghan (Druig).
the storyline
Many reviews have commented that the scope of this movie was simply too big, and I’d have to agree. While traditional Marvel movies may take a while just to climax at one long action sequence where the hero (of course) prevails, this movie jumped all over the place. Something unique about this film that’s a definite positive for me was the historical elements. Pulling in major historical events and anecdotes to explain what the Eternals were up to for thousands of years added to the credibility of their immortality and their involvement (or lack thereof) in pivotal points of human progress. It reminded me of “Mr. Peabody and Sherman” (2014), a movie that I just loved despite only seeing it once in an AP World History class.
My favorite historical tie-ins:
- Ikaris was not named after the Greek legend, but was a story Sprite made up when the Eternals were in Athens
- The ancient artifact that “changed human history,” the dagger Sersi crafted to give to the Mesopotamians, marking the moment humans began not merely surviving but progressing
- Phastos’ internal turmoil after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima
- Thena being the real Athena, Greek goddess of war and wisdom – duh.
- Sprite joking that King Arthur always had a thing for Thena when they were looking through all the treasures they’ve collected over the years
The story in general though…meh. Okay, I know that Thanos and the blip wasn’t realistic either, but I think the build-up in the saga over many movies made it more believable. We were gradually convinced all of this was possible, with the introduction of space in “Thor,” then again in “Guardians of the Galaxy” and so on. In “Eternals,” we were all at once expected to believe our entire existence as we know it was controlled by celestials and that planets were destroyed from emergences and blah blah blah. It was a lot!
I knew we were nearing the end, and I still had no idea what was going to happen. Or rather, I knew what wasn’t going to happen, and that was the anticipated “end of the world.” There are a ton more movies slated, so yeah, I knew the world wasn’t going to end but wasn’t sure how it would happen. Watching the movie with this in mind definitely made it less believable (when you think about the ending of “Infinity War,” it really felt like that might be the end. This didn’t have that same heartbreak or fear).
Ikaris and Sersi’s relationship
Yeah, I’m giving this its own section. Ikaris (Richard Madden) and Sersi (Gemma Chan) display a thousand-year romance that I definitely shipped. They even showed probably one of the more heavy makeout scenes in the MCU, I must say. Obviously, as a human being with emotion you want to be happy for Sersi’s current relationship with Dane Whitman (Kit Harington), but like… they didn’t witness all of human history together. Knowing the depth of Ikaris and Sersi’s relationship made their (I’ll say it, seemingly unnecessary) break up all that more emotional.
But the ending. Oh man, I have mixed feelings. I think what made Ikaris’ betrayal hard to believe was how they built his character up so much as a protagonist. I had a difficult time believing that he would actually destroy any of the Eternals. And how did he keep that secret from everyone, especially Sersi, for 7,000 years? But when he looked at her and his eyes flickered out, that was good.
The mid and end credit scenes
Okay, definite spoilers ahead. I always say that Marvel has me absolutely wrapped around their finger, making me sit through the credits to wait for not one but two additional scenes. Luckily, we got two reveals after “Eternals” (sometimes the scenes don’t have a reveal or significant implications in another movie).
The mid-credit scene… my roommate and I audibly gasped. HARRY STYLES? I remember seeing rumors on Twitter right before the movie came out that he was in it, but I totally forgot until his *beautiful* face showed up on the screen. Styles plays Eros, Thanos’ brother and another fellow Eternal. If you want more info on Eros from the comics, check out my favorite Marvel YouTuber, Screencrush, and their breakdown of this mid-credit scene. Obviously, I’m a former Directioner, so seeing Harry in my favorite movie universe was definitely the best worlds-colliding moment, but it’s going to be interesting to see how having a big name like Harry Styles in the MCU will garner new fans, distract from the storyline, and/or evolves Styles’ career.
Okay, Kit Harington did not get enough screen time, but I’m glad the end-credit scene confirmed that we will see him return in the MCU, speculated to be Black Knight. I’m not 100% sure what the sword or “death is my reward” line means, but I’m excited to see him pop up in another upcoming movie. And whose voice was that? My friends immediately all turned to each other and said Nick Fury, but I knew Samuel L. Jackson’s is way too distinct. Screencrush speculates Blade. Again, check out their end-credit explained video.
Overall, I was excited by both of the reveals, but I wish we saw some characters or plotlines we already knew (think of the reveal at the end of “Black Widow” or seeing Wong, Captain Marvel, and Bruce Banner in “Shang-Chi’s” mid-credit). Marvel has been introducing new characters left and right, and it does make me miss the OG Avengers. I wish there was a bit more of a tie-in to characters or plots we are already familiar with so I could be more confident in how these new movies fit into the larger MCU.
That was a lot. Did I absolutely love “Eternals?” No. Does it deserve the title of worst-ranked Marvel movie? Maybe not. I have to agree with many of the reviews but also remind myself there was a time when Wanda, Doctor Strange, and the Guardians were new and disruptive additions that everyone grew to love in time. I’m confident “Eternals” will find its place in the MCU, even if it takes a few movies to see it. I’m excited to see how “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” include some of my favorite existing characters and hopefully some new ones, too!