Summary
An ambitious vehicle designed to open up new corners of the Marvel Cinematic Universe spends far too little time on character development and far too much on foreshadowing the future of the franchise.
Back in 2014, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was confident enough to try out a bold experiment of going completely cosmic. The gamble paid off and the Guardians of the Galaxy, a hitherto fan-favourite corner of the comic book empire, became household names. As the studio forges ahead with its fourth phase, they once again roll the dice on a new set of intergalactic heroes, albeit with less endearing results.
Based on the characters created by Jack Kirby in the 1970s, director Chloé Zhao — along with screenwriters Patrick Burleigh, Ryan Firpo, and Kaz Firpo — has crafted a non-linear narrative across seven millennia. Opening in 5,000 BC, we witness the arrival of the Eternals on Earth, commissioned by the godlike Celestials to protect humans from monsters they call Deviants.
Cut to the modern day, where two of the Eternals, Sersei (Gemma Chan) and Sprite (Lia McHugh), are living in London. Despite having been apparently wiped out, an unusual Deviant attacks the city. After they fight it off with the help of fellow Eternal Ikaris (Richard Madden), they head out to see out the help of leader Ajak (Salma Hayek). The group soon discovers that their destiny is not what they thought.
There’s always a little trepidation when there’s an large amount of explanatory text at the top of the film. One tends to get the sense someone’s lost faith in the film’s ability to tell its story. It’s easy to see why there was some hesitation in this particular format, one that leaps back and forth between time zones like it’s changing rooms. It’s an ambitious approach, one that tries to break free of the formulaic bonds of superhero origin stories. Yet in constantly reiterating the core exposition at any opportunity, it falls back into these tropes more often than not — even if it’s contained in a beautifully shot package.
The Academy Award-winning Zhao, fresh off the back of the sublime Nomadland, still manages to bring much of her charm to the photography, at least by way of regular Marvel cinematographer Ben Davis (Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel). There are shots that look like they’ve stepped straight out of Zhao’s The Rider, especially those set in Ajak’s ranch, but at other times it’s a lifeless series of CG shots featuring digital people fighting monsters.
It’s easy to see why Zhao was chosen though, as her filmography has always lent itself to character-driven vehicles. Despite this well-meaning director, ETERNALS doesn’t allow us any time to soak up the nuance of this intriguing ensemble. The most expensive cast members — namely Hayek and Angelina Jolie’s Thena — are kept off-screen for large chunks of time. To everyone’s credit, there’s some really interesting casting in Ma Dong-Seok (aka Don Lee) as Gilgamesh, Marvel’s first openly gay hero Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) and deaf actor Lauren Ridloff as speedster Makkari. Yet none of them are given more than a handful of scenes apiece, even in a two-and-half-hour film. If I hadn’t been handed ten collectible character cards on the way into the cinema (another ill omen), I may have forgotten half their names by the time I walked out the door.
All of this is emblematic of this film’s core problem of not really being a standalone film. Marvel tries to have its cake and eat it too, crafting a new origin story that introduces a whole new element but never giving it time to breathe. The stakes keep shifting, good guys become bad (and vice versa), and the only real way of knowing the current goal is to see what foe is being punched at that particular moment. Indeed, one can’t help but wonder if the entire film was an extended trailer for future films.
Case in point are the trademark post-credits sequences, with the mid-credits scene in particular feeling like Marvel simply lopped off the last three minutes of the film and stuck in the credits. Without it, the film kind of just stops abruptly, leaving the 150-plus minute build-up on an ambiguous and unsatisfactory ending. Yes, there’s even more teasers of things to come, including a couple of well-discussed cameos, but here’s hoping that Marvel hasn’t structured too much of their future around these heroes.
2021 | USA | DIRECTOR: Chloé Zhao | WRITER: Chloé Zhao, Patrick Burleigh, Ryan Firpo, Kaz Firpo | CAST: Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Ma Dong-seok, Harish Patel, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie | DISTRIBUTOR: Disney | RUNNING TIME: 157 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 4 November 2021 (AUS), 5 November 2021 (AUS)
