Today’s quick review: Eternals. Seven millennia ago, the Celestial Arishem (David Kaye) sent immortal beings known as the Eternals to protect humanity from the Deviants. In the present, the Eternals have gone their separate ways. But when a worldwide earthquake coincides with the reappearance of the Deviants, Sersi (Gemma Chan), Sprite (Lia McHugh), and Ikaris (Richard Madden) set out to round up their teammates and investigate the new threat.
Eternals is a superhero movie set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Eternals delves into the cosmic side of Marvel, exploring the origins of Earth, the secrets of its history, and the nature of the Celestials themselves. Unlike other superhero movies, Eternals is speculative science fiction on an epic scale. Polished action and interesting ideas make it a promising movie, but a number of missteps keep it from reaching its full potential.
Eternals’ strengths lie with its spectacle, its scope, and its ideas. The special effects are consistently solid, leading to satisfying fights that make creative use of the Eternals’ powers. The visual design is not perfect, failing to establish an iconic look for the Eternals, but it gets the job done. And if nothing else, the story is ambitious, reframing vast swaths of human history as part of a grand cosmic narrative.
Eternals also has moments of brilliance with its characters. Nowhere is this better seen than with Sprite, an Eternal trapped in the unaging body of a teenage girl. Perpetually treated like a child, Sprite is torn between her affection for her teammates and her frustration at the hand she has been dealt. Lia McHugh’s performance is excellent, and Sprite’s character arc is one of the few to actually explore the ramifications of immortality.
But for every point Eternals scores, it loses one shortly after. The size of the cast is a prime exmaple. Juggling ten Eternals—each with his or her own powers, personality, and opinions—proves to be a formidable challenge. The plot becomes bloated and unwieldy as Sersi tracks down the others one by one, then brings them up to speed on what has happened. Managing ten individual character arcs slows the movie down even more.
Eternals also does a poor job of managing its conflicts. The Deviants make for subpar villains, generic monsters who are only as powerful as the plot needs them to be at a given moment. The same variability in power applies to the Eternals, whose limitations are never properly defined. Meanwhile, the main conflict shows a similar lack of finesse, driven by lumps of exposition and plot twists that are not as shocking as the movie wants them to be.
The characters are a mixed bag as well. Sersi makes for a lukewarm protagonist, blandly competent but a poor fit for the leadership position staked out for her. Ikaris has some interesting moments but never tips over into being a compelling character. The supporting cast receives a fair amount of development, but they lack chemistry as a group. Despite some fun interactions, they never click the way the Avengers or the Justice League do.
Finally, the story is an awkward fit for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The movie has to bend over backwards to explain why the Eternals did not intervene in the events of the previous films, and the sweeping exposition about the Celestials undermines the careful drip of information Marvel had practiced to date. Apart from a few forced references to the Avengers, Eternals might as well take place in its own continuity.
Eternals is a movie that aims high but falls short of its goals. Fans who are just in it for the spectacle and humor will get what they want, although the film’s lengthy run time and large cast dilute the experience. But critical viewers will find a lot to pick apart, from the hit-or-miss characters to a plot that struggles to find its rhythm. Eternals has a lot to offer, but its virtues come at a price. Approach with caution.
For a superhero movie about powerful aliens whose history is interwoven with humanity’s, check out Thor. For a superhero fantasy movie with more creative visuals and a more distinct flavor, try Doctor Strange. For another superhero movie about a secret protector of humanity, try Wonder Woman. For another look at the cosmic side of Marvel, try Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain Marvel, or Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
[6.8 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9032400/). I give it a 7.0 for bold ambitions with mixed execution.