Eternals isn’t the first crack in the armor of Marvel Studios, nor is it the worst movie in Marvel’s ever-growing 26-film output. But Eternals is dull and, save for a few last minute surprises, ultimately forgettable—a far deadlier diagnosis for any big-budget spectacle. It struggles under the weight of everything it wants to do: establish a fantasy mythos, introduce north of a dozen characters, and tell a sweeping epic that tracks their relationships across centuries. It’s a lot, even for a movie clocking in over two-and-a-half hours. Some blockbusters take admirable wild swings, but the supposed risks Eternals takes never feel bold. It feels too beholden to generic story beats and obligatory CGI punch-ons, rarely venturing into the fresh territory it teases. The Marvel formula is well-oiled (and successful) and Eternals is by no means a redefinition of the superhero epic.
Directed and co-written by the same Chloé Zhao whose Nomadland won Best Picture earlier this year, Eternals follows a team of interdimensional superbeings living secretly on Earth for centuries, ordered by a higher entity to never interfere in human history except to vanquish mindless monsters called Deviants. Those same Deviants have mysteriously returned after hundreds of years, and the Eternals must regroup to find out why—and who’s behind it.
Marvel has a reputation of stifling the unique voices of any filmmakers who play in their sandbox, but that’s unfair. Zhao’s imprint is felt throughout Eternals, from the stoic portrayals of her heroes to her eye for framing and scale of sweeping landscapes. Certain sequences felt more at home in a Terrence Malick movie, which is refreshing change of pace for Marvel. The internet had its fun dragging Marvel boss Kevin Feige for his amazement that Zhao filmed on location with real sunsets, but there is visual distinction and atmosphere in Eternals that sets it apart from its Marvel siblings.
But Zhao’s visual touch can’t rescue the film that’s too bogged down by storytelling choices. The most glaring problem is there are too many characters to service. It was a wise choice not to make this an origin story; instead, we briefly learn where the Eternals came from and how they disbanded in flashbacks, and the thrust of the main story is assembling the team in the present day. The movie works best during this “getting the band together” stretch, as we’re exposed to more interesting characters and compelling relationship dynamics. Unfortunately, we spend a majority of the film with the flattest characters—Gemma Chan’s Sersi and a frustratingly-wooden Richard Madden as Ikaris—but the supporting cast shines through when they can. The bright spots are Kumail Nanjiani’s Kingo, Lauren Ridloff’s Makkari, and Brian Tyree Henry’s Phastos: their natural charisma and screen presence transcend any conventional plot elements. Barry Keoghan’s Druig offers the most compelling worldview of the lot, one that actually challenges the story and asks interesting questions, but is shunted to the side for much of the movie. The problem is there are too many characters for even the bloated run time to properly develop on-screen relationships. Eternals would have been better served by combining or dropping a handful of characters to streamline the narrative. That said, the talented cast do their best to convey centuries-worth of relationship dynamics, and in the quieter moments of the movie, it connects.
The movie also teases interesting ideas and concepts: How would immortal beings behave? What would their attachments, priorities, and humanity look like if you endured for thousands of years? How could you not feel disassociated from humans and develop a Dr. Manhattan-level ambivalence? Much of the film’s conflict is driven from these philosophical questions, but is unfortunately overwhelmed by the need to visualize these conflicts by superheroes punching mindless monsters. The most confusing thematic choice is how Eternals lays track for an upending of traditional hero/villain dynamics with the Eternals and Deviants. The movie hints throughout that the Deviants may be unwitting pawns in a larger conflict and sympathetic heroes in their own story, ala I Am Legend. Not only is this not paid off, but the generic “beautiful hero vs. ugly monster” trope is reinforced at the last minute with a built-in applause line.
Another element left Eternals landing with a whimper, and this is less the fault of Eternals and more the Marvel Cinematic Universe at large: Marvel, stop ending your movies on cliffhangers. It’s one thing to lay breadcrumbs for the future (the Joker card in the final moments of Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins) or have an unrelated post-credits stinger of what’s to come (Nick Fury’s appearance and Avengers tease in the first Iron Man end-credits). I realize that the MCU is the modern day serial, but telling a complete story and setting up the future are not mutually exclusive ideas. Eternals ends on a cliffhanger that feels too thirsty for a sequel at the expense of its own story. There are better ways. (Mr. Feige, you can reach me in the comments.)
That’s my take on why Eternals is getting an undeserved beating in relation to weaker Marvel offerings. Eternals feels like a misguided attempt to do something different but couldn’t commit. It has a fantastic cast doing their best with varied results, and an interesting filmmaker putting her stamp on the film where she can. But Marvel can’t coast on goodwill through lamer films forever. It’s not the cleanest comparison, but in 2014 they introduced an entire team of C-list cosmic heroes in Guardians of the Galaxy—and it was a homerun. Marvel can do better, and we should expect more, even from our mass entertainment.
Eternals is currently playing in theaters. It runs 156 minutes and is rated PG-13 for fantasy violence and action, some language and brief sexuality.
