By Emily Chang and Isabelle Oroc
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) returned to the big screen on Nov. 5, 2021 with a new release, “Eternals,” directed by Chloé Zhao. The story follows a group of immortal aliens, known as Eternals, who were sent by Arishem, the leader of the powerful Celestials, to protect Earth from their dangerous counterparts, the Deviants.
The Eternals arrived on Earth millennia before the present day on the spaceship Domo. The Eternals have a shared set of abilities; however, each Eternal has more strength within their specialized ability, which includes a range of powers from flying to creating illusions or even telepathic powers.
Long ago, the Eternals believed that they had rid Earth of all Deviants and thus went their separate ways, living amongst humans all across the planet. Centuries later, they found that they were mistaken, as the Deviants returned to create chaos. As they reunited to fight the Deviants, the Eternals uncovered the deep secrets of their true purpose, which was to farm the population of Earth. Arishem had sent the Eternals to foster the development of humanity, since Earth was the home of an emerging Celestial which would destroy humans in the process of its awakening.
The Eternals were forced to choose between their given purpose and their love for humanity. The Eternals’ understanding of the intricacy and beauty of the human experience deeply impacted their decision, which was ultimately to fight to save humanity. The portrayal of themes such as love, jealousy, betrayal and skepticism of authority allowed the audience to feel empathy for the characters as they struggled with decisions which would impact the future of the human race.
The movie featured great cinematography by Ben Davis, who has worked on multiple MCU films. The CGI and direction were also excellent, featuring scenes in filming locations in England, the United States and Spain. We thought the comedic relief was very light-hearted and gave depth to the characters’ relationships. The representation of the LGTBQ+ community, ethnic diversity and the first deaf superhero using sign language were great additions to the MCU. We hope to continue to see more diverse character representation in Marvel films in the future.
Although there were many amazing aspects to the film, we found that the character development and the plot pacing were poor. We felt frustrated with the sense of whiplash which resulted from excessive plot twists. Further, we felt that the resolution of the tension was anti-climactic and underwhelming. The movie showed great appreciation for the beauty of humanity and complexity of human experiences; however, we felt the message was rushed at the end.
“Eternals” is a decent first-watch Marvel movie that adds plenty of characters and background to the MCU. You can gain an immense appreciation for humanity through the themes of betrayal, jealousy, revenge and redemption explored within the story that show the nuance of humanity’s goods and evils.
We would give “Eternals” a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars. If you are an avid Marvel fan, you should support the remarkable representation in this film by streaming it. While this movie may not end up being a classic in the MCU, it is still worth watching.
