Written by Cameron Geiser

The latest film from Marvel Studios in their never-ending movie universe was uniquely exciting at the onset of all the trailers and marketing. Going into this film, I knew next to nothing about the characters, general story, or any plot relevance other than your general assumptions going into a superhero movie in the 21st century. Mainly that there's probably going to be some CGI spectacle, a few snarky jokes, and a big battle in the third act. While that's mostly true in this latest effort, Eternals does give us the most unique film aesthetic and tone out of their gargantuan library of films to date.

There's an extremely large amount of backstory and character unpacking that has to be done with this one, it's a huge ensemble cast of characters whose story takes place over roughly seven thousand years, give or take a few decades. At a little over two and a half hours, the film is a long one, but I personally felt the pacing was adequate enough to abate any boredom. This is mostly due to the macro-universal scale of the storytelling on display here. After brief glimpses and whispers in other Marvel movies, namely the Guardians of the Galaxy films, we’re finally properly introduced to the colossal space gods known as the Celestials.

As it turns out they function like galactic gardeners, prodding and pruning various star systems and planets, giving and taking life as they see fit. To further their billion year goals, these colorful space gods send out Eternals, immortal beings strategically placed on planets they're observing to protect the natural intelligent life of said planet from the Deviants, ever present monstrous beings that pursue intelligence, no matter the cost. That's just the tip of the storytelling iceberg, friends. The Eternals were sent to Earth around 5000 BC, each with their own specific set of super-powered skills. The general idea is that our old myths are mostly inspired by these beings. There's Gilgamesh, Thena, Ikaris, Phastos- you get the idea. Each one has their own personalities and interests that work in tandem with their skillsets. Phastos is the resident machine mind, constantly pushing humanity to craft better technology to help them live better lives. Ikaris is the superman equivalent, laser-beams emitting from his eyes paired with the power of flight. Sprite is the illusionist of the bunch. Gilgamesh is the heavy hitter, while Thena is a master of combat. Again, there's a lot to unpack.

*Eternals* stands out as a singular Marvel film experience.

As a Marvel film, this one does feel unique. It's got a heady sci-fi tone with a huge ensemble cast that has many inner relationships that evolve, with revelations over the course of the film. In fact, I'd say that's the most interesting part of the story. The group as a whole, how they split apart and have to track each other down hundreds of years later, who loves who- and why. It's all good character work. I've heard some say that the performances were “too somber”, but if we're considering that these characters have been alive for thousands of years, doesn't it feel appropriate to have them be moved only by extremely important, or dangerous, unraveling of events? That critique just doesn't land for me as a critic given the context of the film.

The cast breakdown is a mixed bunch, nothing particularly bad, but I'll note them all from the standouts to the par-for-the-course performances. Gemma Chan as Sersi was surprisingly involved, a lot of the emotional weight of the film rests with her. Bryan Tyree Henri as Phastos and Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo brought the comic relief and executed it quite well in my opinion, especially with Bryan Tyree Henri's subtle approach. I also really appreciated Don Lee's Gilgamesh, a reliable and noble warrior type. Richard Madden's Ikaris, Angelina Jolie's Thena, and Salma Hayek's Ajak were all fine, but indeed very stoic by nature. Barry Keoghan's Druig, Lauren Ridloff's Makkari, and Lia McHugh's Sprite all had their moments at times, but they simply had less to do and with a cast this big- not everyone can get an equal amount of screen time. I have to note however that this cast has to be the most diverse across all boundaries and categories of representation in any MCU movie- but also possibly any superhero movie, and this feat should be noted. Your experience with Marvel's Eternals may vary. With a cosmic scale, some decent humor, and a long runtime packed with expository scenes and various action beats it's a bit of a jumble, but a fun ride nonetheless.

Cameron Geiser is an avid consumer of films and books about filmmakers. He'll watch any film at least once, and can usually be spotted at the annual Traverse City Film Festival in Northern Michigan. He also writes about film over at www.spacecortezwrites.com.