Eternals may have the tone of an MCU film, humour mixed with grand superhero action, but actually it doesn't really feel like an MCU film at all. It's connection to the previous movies is nothing more than a handful of lines of dialogue referencing Infinity War/Endgame, it's plot feels very different to anything we've seen before and visually it's also very different. Though everything Marvel Studios makes is part of the one connected universe, this actually feels like a completely different one.
The premise is that the eternals are immortal beings with super powers who were sent to Earth seven thousand years ago to protect humanity from monsters called deviants. Eventually the deviants were all destroyed and the eternals went their separate lives on Earth until suddenly the deviants start turning up again and appear to be more powerful than ever.
In some ways this is a superhero version of Chloe Zhao's best picture-winning Nomadland. There are actually surprisingly few action sequences for a long Marvel film. Much of the run time is instead a global road trip as Sersi, Sprite and Ikaris seek out the other eternals. I really liked that so much of this film is actually a character study. The eternals may be incredibly powerful aliens but what makes them so interesting is their humanity. The film considers what it would be like witnessing all of human history, seeing the horrible things we do to each and also struggle with the knowledge that you are powerful enough to change things.
There's also a great family dynamic. The group of eternals were once very close but have become separated. Their reunion is complicated as some are more welcoming than others. There's also a romantic conflict at the heart of the film with Sersi having been in a relationship with Ikaris for five thousand years before he left and she eventually fell for human Dane. Once again these are very human emotions that are being explored, albeit through a superhero lens.
Most Marvel films have a very obvious villain and it's a clear battle between good and evil. Eternals is also different in that respect too. The initial threat is the deviants who are mindless monsters but as the film continues and a larger threat is discovered the conflict heads in a surprising direction. Some characters do villainous things but no-one here can be easily defined as evil.
This is probably Marvel's most adult film yet, and not just because it has the studio's first sex scene. It's more dialogue and character heavy than most Marvel outings and there's a heavy load of exposition to get through. It's the complicated themes about being human, relationships and morality which make me think that younger children who usually like Marvel films might not get as much out of this. The young children dressed as Spider-Man and Captain Marvel sat behind me certainly seemed to find it difficult to focus and regularly kicked my chair.
It's great to see Marvel take a big leap forward with diversity here, something it really ought to have done better with. The eternals are a range of races which is great. One of them, Phastos, is Marvel's first gay superhero and it feels like more than a token statement- is relationship with his husband is a key part of who he is. Another eternal is Makkari who is Marvel's first deaf superhero- she communicates through sign language and is also really cool and was my favourite eternal. I really liked that this diversity didn't feel forced or shoved in for publicity (see Joe Russo's character in Endgame) and that the diversity is an important part of who the eternals are.
It's interesting that many critics complain that Marvel always does the same thing and then dislike it when they try something different. That said, I'm suspect this film is quite divisive among audience members too for being so different. Personally, I loved it and enjoyed exploring a completely different corner of the MCU.
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