The saga of the Eternals, a race of immortal beings who lived on Earth and shaped its history and civilizations.
Chuck says:
The first genuinely bad film from Marvel Films, Chloe Zhao’s “Eternals” is a colossal bore, a bloated, meandering super-hero odyssey that’s intended to serve as the foundation for the studio’s next extended epic. It will serve as a rocky underpinning what with indistinctive characters, a purpose that lacks direction and a tenuous connection to the rest of the company’s extended universe. To be sure, the plans Marvel has previously put into motion have proved to be a masterstroke of narrative interconnectivity that’s set a standard other studios have failed to duplicate, so it’s too early to cast judgement on their next epic. But there’s no question, phase four is off to a rocky start.
Based on the Jack Kirby comic book, the title characters are 10 godlike creatures charged with protecting the cosmos from The Deviants, sinewy, dragon-like creatures that look like they escaped from a rudimentary programmer’s laptop. (Perhaps the biggest surprise is how cheap these creatures look from a studio that prides itself on slickly produced special effects). This duty takes them to Earth, a place they fall in love with and vow to protect, despite the objections of their creators, The Celestials.
Hiding in plain sight, these demigods watch over the planet and its inhabitants from 5,000 BC to the present day, protecting but not interfering with major historical events that shape the race. Having finally vanquished the Deviants during the Middle Ages, the members of the group have gone their separate ways but when their ancient foes reappear in modern London and other spots, they must reunite to combat them.
And who are the members of the team? Well, that’s part of the problem as the 10 characters are, because of their sheer number and the fact they’re all introduced at once, hard to keep track of, some making an impression, most of them not. Ajax (Salma Hayek), is their leader, Sirse (stand-out Gemma Chan) and Ikaris (Richard Madden) have been in an on-again-off-again thousand years romance, Kingo (Kumail Nanjinai) is the comic relief, Gilgamesh (Ma Dong-seok) provides the muscle, Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) is a master inventor, Makkari (Lauren Ridloff) is mute but very fast, Druig (Barry Keoghan) controls minds, Thena (a sleepwalking Angelina Jolie) is a fierce warrior and Sprite (Lia McHugh) is a bitter, eternal child. Laser beams shot from eyes, shapeshifting, flight and teleportation are among the variety of powers the group employs to vanquish evil.
Far too long at nearly two hours and forty minutes, the film ratchets back and forth on a 7,000-year timeline, resulting in a disjointed affair that never finds its footing. It takes 90 minutes to get the band back together and by the time that occurs, you’ll have ceased to care about why they’re reuniting. What’s most frustrating is the plot twist that’s revealed early in the third act is a genuine stunner, one that knocks you and the characters back on their heels, forcing them to reevaluate all they’ve done and their purpose in the universe. However, before it and its ramifications can be fully explored, an over-blown, special effects laden throwdown that’s apparently required in movies of this sort takes place, wasting a prime opportunity to delve deeper into these vague characters.
At the end of the film when it’s promised the Eternals will return, I took it more as a threat than something to anticipate. Hopefully during the second go-around more time will be taken to flesh out these characters, in order to generate some empathy. Without that, all the action scenes in the world mean nothing.
2 Stars
