“Eternals” (2021) Film Review
A Review by Victor DeBonis
I have a solid respect for films that take further chances beyond what a typical universe has to offer. “Eternals” falls into that category in the sense that there’s a greater ambition and wish to do a superhero story that feels more epic and wants to approach its ideas on a level that involves much craft and reflection amidst its characters. The sense of characters and their chemistry with each other work wonders as this narrative passes over centuries, and it makes for some unique moments and fights that feel very different from what we typically see in this universe.
It’s worth noting that there’s been plenty of discourse over this movie at the time that I’m doing this review. Anybody coming here expecting me to trash this movie or give it a negative rating, however, is going to experience some serious disappointment. With that said, it’s not an imperfect film by any stretch of the imagination, and there are elements that bring it very close to being something great but also elements that prevent that from fully happening.
With a team of cosmic superheroes that last through every time period imaginable, it’s great to watch these Eternals interact with each other and either joke about something or come up with a plan for how to guide the humans on Earth, especially with such a diverse and talented cast. One of my favorites includes Don Lee as Gilgamesh who possesses massive strength but also has a charming foolishness and passion for using his hands in many ways, such as cooking. Lauren Ridloff is terrific as Makkari in evoking her swift movement and speaking sign language in a manner that’s thoroughly convincing. I also appreciate seeing a MCU film show a deaf superhero for the first time, and her superhuman speed is wonderfully illustrated in this film with bright streaks and methods of zipping about that I wish other movies that depict incredibly fast superheroes, such as those from the DC universe, would take note of, since their incredibly fast motion appears too blurry to witness.
Salma Hayek plays a contender for my favorite character from the movie in the form of Ajak. She is a great example of inner and outer beauty as a wise, gentle woman who leads with patience and subtle power. Whenever she speaks with another character or shows concern for her humans and family of superheroes, Hayek shines as the heart of the group and as a mother figure determined to show the power of love and wisdom in the face of humanity’s many failings and qualms. What happens to her, later on, plays a huge part in seeing where the events surrounding most of the film lead because of the huge impact and presence that this motherly figure and powerful leader had for the family surrounding her.
Gemma Chan is terrific as Sersi, and I love her character about the same level that I love Ajak. There’s an empathetic demeanor and vulnerability that clearly breathes through how she contemplates what the right action to take is as well as how she should carry her own relationships with certain people from the team surrounding her. I always find the most empathetic heroes to be some of my favorites from fiction.
In my eyes, many of the best MCU films are the ones that place great value on the relationships of the characters. This is not only one of the best example of that but, also, does it a little differently than other installments. While some of the previous MCU movies will focus more on a joke or a quippy line to establish the connection between characters, this movie focuses on close-ups of a romantic couple holding hands or taking time to calm someone down from an open rage. There are humorous exchanges to be sure, such as a rather hilarious visual joke with Gilgamesh that is done quite well with another’s powers. Yet, more often than not, the movie will take time to let heroes openly say that they feel strongly for each other or have an actual discussion about whether the humans that they’re guarding for so long even deserve their protection in the first place. The romance between Sersi and Ikaris as played by Richard Madden is very believable and passionate, and they gaze upon each other and hold one another with the sense that they also want to be there through the best and worst of times in their existence.
It’s worth noting, too, that the cinematography in this movie is amazing. Such a wide scope of establishing shots of different countries or even heroes trading lasers or punches with each other across deserted beaches look incredible. Some of these shots honestly remind me of the type that one would find from an epic biographical film from the 60’s or 70’s, and they help establish more of the epic feeling that this movie tends to have, in general. The scenes in outer space are just massive, and you can practically reach for the stars with how open and vast they look.
I’ll just say it here: If you have a chance to see this movie in IMAX, do so. This is another of those movies that makes me so happy to know that theatrical films are making a comeback because, while it’s still great to watch from home, it truly becomes an experience on the big screen.
Chloe Zhao, who did “Nomadland” directed this film, and she brings the same level of humanity and intelligence that made that other movie wonderful to watch. I especially admire her for continuing to utilize her talents to let a serious moment sink in or, again, allow her characters to discuss their emotions or thoughts on their duties and themselves trying to grapple with their own inner dilemmas. Thanks, partly to her direction, there’s a bit more seriousness in this movie than previous MCU installments as well, which I welcome with open arms and would truthfully love to see more of in future movies from this universe.
In terms of what can make the movie stumble, I never felt the movie’s vast length (157 minutes), but I did notice how long it was taking with the team trying to find each other and assemble before the big climax took place, and I didn’t always know how the structure of the film was supposed to flow. We might spend one moment in the present day but, then, cut back to one period of time from centuries ago and do the same thing again, later on, in a way that feels somewhat choppy.
Also, as much as I heavily admire many of these characters and appreciate how this movie will take time to stay with them and let their personalities shine, there are some that I could take or leave, such as Sprite or Kingo. None of them is acted badly by any means. There just seem to be some characters that don’t have more of a chance to allow their personalities to shine more than others.
The fight scenes work great, too, with longer, wider shots of heroes tackling giant monsters or each other, but, by the time that the climax rolled around, I was invested only enough, due to how much time was being taken from before and a twist that seemed to come out of nowhere towards the end. More instances, such as these, kept it from being one of the great MCU movies. As much as I had a great time with watching this movie, I feel that, with better pacing and more of a structured feeling to its narrative, this could’ve been epic all the way through from start to finish. “Shang-Chi” came out not too long ago, which I absolutely loved (And, you can look up my review for more of my thoughts about that film’s awesomeness.), and it felt more to me like an amazing MCU movie in terms of how much I loved pretty much every one of the characters and how it knew where to let the story and interactions either take time to shine more or allow an action scene to happen in a way that felt earned and how it mostly felt like a truly great tale from start to finish.
Putting that aside, “Eternals” is a thoroughly good movie that I recommend for others to see and, in my view, doesn’t really deserve all the hate that it’s getting. Some may not find this entry to be their cup of tea, which is understandable, but, I’ve seen for myself what a truly bad MCU movie is like in the form of “Thor 2” and the “Iron Man” sequels. And, additionally, as someone who heavily enjoys a more serious superhero movie done well and places more of a focus on relationships and exploration of great characters as opposed to using quippy comebacks or lines a bit much, this movie was just right for me, warts and all.
Even if this movie doesn’t sit as well with you as you’d like it to, it deserves a watch because it’s probably one of the most ambitious MCU titles to date. And, this movie wears its ambition with pride, intelligence, and humanity above all else.
Grade: B+