Eternals: review of the new cinecomic on Marvel cosmic heroes

Eternals

It finally arrives at the Eternals cinema, directed by Oscar-winning director Chloé Zao. The third film of Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe stages the deeds of the Eternals, a group of immortal heroes born in 1976 from the fervent mind of Jack Kirby.

The cast of Eternals sees the presence of: Gemma Chan (Sersi), Richard Madden (Ikaris), Kumail Nanjiani (Kingo), Lia McHugh (Sprite), Brian Tyree Henry (Phastos), Lauren Ridloff (Makkari), Barry Keoghan (Druig), Don Lee (Giglamesh), Angelina Jolie ( Thena) Kit Harington (Dane Whitman) and Salma Hayek (Ajak).

The film will hit Italian theaters on November 3rd. We had the opportunity to participate in the preview and in the original language reserved for the press, below you can read our considerations (obviously without spoilers) regarding the new cinematic chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Eternals: the plot

In the twenty-fifth cinecomic of Marvel Studios we will meet the Eternals, a group of immortal aliens with semi-divine powers who are sent by the Celestials to Earth to fulfill a very important mission: to protect the planet and its inhabitants from the Deviants.

Thanks to their cosmic powers, the Eternals are able to fight and defeat these dangerous predators and, at the same time, they look benevolently over the human race, providing them with knowledge and technological innovations to evolve and thrive. For their part, the Eternals are happy to live among humans and share knowledge and powers with them, but they are prohibited from interfering in any way in the conflicts and choices of the latter.

With the years and the complete annihilation of all the Deviants, the group has separated and each of the Eternals has gone in search of their place in the world: the sudden reappearance of the monstrous predators will force them to reunite again .

An auteur direction

Eternals represents an important film for the Marvel Cinematic Universe from many points of view, as it proposes some elements that are currently unpublished for the format.

We are talking about format because, by now having reached the twenty-fifth film chapter and the respective serial counterparts, it is clear that this boundless franchise follows well-defined rules and canons that are able to package, from time to time, products that are consistent with each other and immediately recognizable. It is well known that Marvel films are projects constrained by many constraints (creative and otherwise), just think of the periodic declarations of actors, directors and various workers who underline this aspect.

Keeping this assumption in mind, we consider it admirable the work of Chloé Zao, Nomadland's Oscar-winning director, who manages to express his style in a film far removed from his previous feature films.

Zao in fact juggles with the usual themes of cinecomic enriching it with a personal touch both in the visual system, than in the narration.

Visually the hand of Zhao is always present, albeit in a more nuanced way when compared to the aforementioned Nomadland or The Rider, but enough to make Eternals the film more authorial than the other chapters of the MCU.



Narratively speaking, however, the director excellently develops the titanic challenge of introducing eleven new characters almost unknown to the general public: the characterization is such that the viewer is able to identify them all without problems and, by the end of the film, will develop a strong emotional bond with them.

It should be noted that some characters inevitably have more space than others. The protagonist of the story is Sersi and the whole story unfolds around her; however Zao manages to compensate with a clever use of the don't tell show, to best represent the instances and characteristics of the other characters.

Atmosphere and tone

Eternals is a film that it differs from the previous ones also for elements such as atmosphere and tone. Among all the tributes with which this film pays homage to Jack Kirby (in case you would like to deepen the original work of the comic counterpart the volume We are the Eternals is available for purchase online) this is undoubtedly one of the most marked.

If from the visual point of view these aspects are supported by a direction and a photograph that underline the cosmic nature of these beings, from the narrative point of view the whole film is permeated by a sense of epicness and majesty radiated by the "divine" deeds of the Eternal in moments of agitated action, as well as a sense of drama given an immutable existence over time.

As for two other key elements typical of Marvel cinecomics, irony and action, Eternals fully captures the spirit of the House of Ideas, while maintaining its strong epic connotation. From the point of view of the action, the protagonists will be involved in several stages in the fight with the Deviants, but it will be the final battle to give one of the fights of the MCU among the most epic and grandiose ever.

The typical humor Marvel, as well as the various references to the rest of the narrative universe, manifest themselves in a discreet and balanced way so as to never be anticlimactic or out of place.

A film that will make people talk about itself

Eternals was sadly the subject of preconceived review bombing, as it was done before its theatrical debut, by those who still cannot accept LGBTQ + and representation issues and who justify these choices with the bogeys of "politically correct" and of "woke culture".

Eternals, for this noisy fringe, would be guilty of presenting an ethnically rich and varied cast, introducing into the MCU an LGBTQ + character and a deaf person able to communicate with other people thanks to sign language. The film also introduces another currently alien element in the MCU's imagination: the first love scene between two characters.

In dissociating ourselves from this incorrect and unfair behavior, we want to emphasize that Eternals is one of the Marvel films the best products produced so far and which, while not a masterpiece in the history of cinema (we are still talking about mainstream entertainment cinema), offers a complete and satisfying experience.

Having to find a negative aspect, we believe that the film is perhaps too long: the first part of the film lays the foundations by presenting the different characters through a series of flashbacks set in different eras that break the linear narrative of the events present.

The Eternals in the Phase 4

At this point in the review, always with a view to avoiding spoilers at all costs, we still want to frame this film from the perspective of the Phase macrotrama. In light of what we have seen in this film we think that Eternals will have the same value for Phase 4 as it once had Guardians of the Galaxy in Phase Two. While not sharing the light and easygoing tone with its predecessor, Eternals reintroduces the cosmic element, foreshadowing something great that extends beyond the stars.

Conclusions

Eternals is a film very ambitious and permeated with a sense of epicness and grandeur. For the Marvel Cinematic Universe it is a very important film from many points of view and which we consider one of the fundamental chapters of this very long saga.

Specifically, this cinecomic does not leave indifferent with its strong authorial personality, merit of its director's aesthetic and narrative sensitivity, and a majestic and solemn tone that underlines the gravitas of these immortal beings. As with any Marvel movie, we remind you to stay in the hall after the end credits, to enjoy the post credit scenes as well.