Eternals: A New Perspective outside of the Avengers
A New Direction with the Upcoming Phase
9/10
Although I am late to the media coverage party for Eternals it’s still a great piece of hero film to talk about. Although with time and a good amount of articles being out we can clearly see that most of the critics and audiences lean towards this film not being favorable, that isn’t the case for this article. Now, this isn’t biased writing on the contrary I like to speak on other qualities than the industry’s way of working. As you the reader know, I don’t like to talk about whether the film is a film in the likes of comparing it to a pre-aged sense of the field, I write with pure intentions of mentioning whether a film is good in its storytelling and whether it’s a film to be enjoyed by all.
With that being said, Eternals matches everything one can look for in a film, it’s entertaining, has its classic Marvel comedy bits, action, and does an outstanding job at telling a story!
Overview
With most MCU films we can see a repetitive structure that they use in their films and although it’s repetitive it’s still loved by many, which is why many still come back for more; not to mention how it’s world-building and connecting its films piece by piece. Now, Eternals takes a different approach, taking into account that its main cast is filled with diverse characters some being in the LGBTQ+ community, different ethnicities, including a hearing-impaired heroine, and having its lead be an Asian woman, one would be perceptive to say that some of the criticisms in articles are made from biased perspectives. The story told goes above and beyond and its pacing is well made having the film’s run time of 2 hrs and 37 mins feel nothing short of an hour and 30 mins at most. The incredible cast brings their characters to life and honestly one leaves not only having a favorite of the 10 but also wanting to see more. It’s a highly enjoyable watch and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to look for a Friday night watch.
REview
A Quick Word for “Eternals”
When the first trailer came out back near mid-September, we obtained only a handful of trailers, teasers, or articles on the MCU project. Although it wasn’t marketed as much as other major films, the pieces and glimpses we got were enough to amaze me as well as others who watched the trailers. And after viewing it on the first release, it didn’t disappoint!
Having such a range of actors was definitely a beauty to see having Gemma Chan, who played Sersi, be the main protagonist and she killed her performance, although having seen her in Crazy Rich Asians I’d expect nothing more than incredible acting. Not to mention her amazing co-stars, having a deaf actress on-screen was phenomenal and Lauren Ridloff, who played Makkari, was a star in her own hitting great comedy and romantic notes all while doing ASL and simple mannerisms. We also have Lia McHugh, who although only has a handful of films in her portfolio, plays Sprite amazingly well and held her own bringing the audience’s emotions to turnover, which I’d say is always a win when playing characters who are supposed to make the audience have a certain grudge for their actions. We also bring our attention to Don Lee, who plays Gilgamesh, who is also making his debut in American made films (i.e Hollywood). Not to say he isn’t a star on his own, as he’s been in many great films, his most recognizable for American audiences would be his role in Train to Busan. Now I’m not forgetting the amazing talent that is Angelina Jolie, Kumeil Nanjiani, Salma Hayek, Brian Tyree Henry, and Richard Madden.
They’re all doing wonderful and emotional performances and if I wasn’t against writing 10pg school papers, I would include my love for each character and how their talent brought them to life on the big screen in Eternals. But to save time and your attention I’ll move on to my last points.
I know for many people they were expecting a typical MCU film when sitting in their theater seats, but that wasn’t the case for how this film played out. Chloé Zhao, who directed this film, does an out-of-the-norm move for Marvel and makes this film have a little more depth, having every character have a deeper story than just their powers or coolness. Chloé does an amazing job at showcasing the characters of the film and overall story, going beyond the hero’s journey route. Having especially Gemma Chan’s character, Sersi, ask questions about our own values, self-worth, and capabilities while asking philosophical questions about “God” and free will. Now, I know this isn’t the take that everyone got when watching but it sure is something I picked up, as well as it amplified my experience.
There are controversies that floated around articles, even some having clear biased opinions on the film based on prejudices of their beliefs, but this isn’t the article for that.
Now to wrap it up, this film is a great piece to watch and keeps its viewers entertained even if it isn’t their first watch. Its action, story, and talent performance is all to die for and my respect for Chloé Zhao increased by going out of the box with how she chose to direct this film. Now, I’m not saying there aren’t negatives, at the very least the inclusion of the evolved Deviant not having much use to the overall story, that is unless they continue it in future works. Aside from that, I give this film a solid 9/10, but don’t just take my word for it watch it yourself as “Eternals” comes out on Dec 24th, 2021. Give it another watch and let me know what you think. Till next time, peace.
The Nerd Corps 