Marvel’s ‘Eternals’: A Visually Stunning Epic That Lacks Emotion

Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios.

SPOILERS AHEAD.

Eternals was released in theaters on November 5, 2021. The film’s premise follows a group of immortals who reunite after thousands of years to stop the deviants.

I really loved Thena (Angelina Jolie), Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), Sersi (Gemma Chan), Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), and Druig (Barry Keoghan). These characters stole the show.

I absolutely loved Makkari and Druig. I thought that I would’ve loved Sersi and Ikaris (Richard Madden) more but boy I was wrong. The chemistry between these two characters was electric. They were so entertaining to watch on screen.

The visuals were stunning. The cinematography and visual effects were mesmerizing. Honestly, I think this was the best aspect of the entire film. It was very artistic and the style was different compared to previous Marvel films.

I can see why Eternals received mixed reviews from critics. It lacked certain things and heavily focused on other things. It truly wasn’t bad. There were just some misses.

The pacing was weird. The beginning felt slow and felt rushed towards the end. It wasn’t draggy though considering the length.

The writing wasn’t that great. The story didn’t flow as much as I hoped it would.

Time allotments didn’t allow for equal amounts of screen time for each character so it was difficult for me to get attached to some of them. Sersi and Ikaris were highlighted much more than the others. Ajak (Salma Hayek) was in most of the trailers yet she was only in about 40% of the film.

Richard Madden’s portrayal of Ikaris felt stiff. Even if the character was supposed to be emotionless, there’s something deeper that could be going on. There are emotions there.

The post-credits scene was underwhelming because I knew Harry Styles was entering the MCU as Eros but also his acting wasn’t that great.

If there was some way that each character could’ve been highlighted more, if the writing was better, and if the pacing wasn’t weird, Eternals could’ve been a great film.

If there’s a sequel or some kind of continuation, I hope that there are improvements.

 

 

Marvel’s Eternals is available to stream exclusively on Disney Plus.

Director: Chloé Zhao

Cast: Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, Barry Keoghan, Don Lee, Lia McHugh

Producers: Kevin Feige, Nate Moore