Eternals (2021) (Movie Review)

Eternals (2021) There’s something beautiful and different about this film. It’s not your typical Marvel. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it. It’s the film I saw on the plane when I went to the USA this summer. And as I’d never been across the Atlantic, this film will remain special for me.

The worst of the Marvel films, they say? To each his own. Twenty-sixth film in the MCU, ‘The Eternals’ arrives with the onerous task of making up for the rather sluggish start to Phase 4. Difficult, you might say, because I don’t think ‘Black Widow’ or ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ were incredibly successful.

The most positive review I’ve seen of this film said: ‘Excellent film that succeeds on all levels: excellent actors, captivating story, top picture and sound quality. Would recommend to anyone who wants to see a truly opulent fantasy adventure. Top!’

The most negative said:

1) ‘Genius to the point of nausea.

It’s unbearable, it’s pure cancellation and culture, it’s disgusting, Hollywood is perverse!’

Cancellation in relation to ‘Cancel Culture’, if ever!

Or: 2) ‘I’m definitely sick of superheroes in ridiculous costumes saving the world. I’ve had a hard time getting hooked on them, I’ve probably already had too much of this children’s nonsense. I’m going to go back to real films that have something left when you strip away the special effects.
But if you like it, no problem!’

So there you have it!
Yes, it’s a question of choice or saturation.
If you watch all the films in a genre, you’re bound to end up with an overdose. If you select the ones you really want to see, it’s a different matter.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, superheroes are undoubtedly for children, but let’s not forget that they were also created in times of war to give hope to the people and morale to the troops.
Whether it’s good or bad, whether you like it or not, that’s the way it is!

What’s more, these stories are modern mythology. What strikes you straight away is the unprecedented gigantism of the story of the Eternals, which takes place in a precisely mythological dimension where almost all the other superheroes have done nothing more than evolve into simple ants until now.

And if you’ve only seen the beginning of a film, there’s no point in writing a review. Nobody can take it seriously!

It’s amazing how much Richard Madden looks like Sebastian Stan!
Otherwise, I was happy to see Salma Hayek & Angelina Jolie again.

So… yes, the opening scene disappoints from the outset, as it’s a sort of express and muscular presentation of the Eternals and the Deviants, but without any panache or stakes. The film has barely begun when you get the strong impression that superheroes we already know well (like Superman or Flash) have just changed bodies. The most disturbing aspect of the film is the casting: actors of varying degrees of talent, but above all they form an overly heterogeneous group within which we don’t really feel a sense of osmosis. Secondly, the script is built around the present and flashbacks: it’s tedious, too explanatory and too talkative.

Arishem is said to be the creator of the Universe, and therefore also the creator of Thanos, Thor and so on. So it’s hardly surprising that he hasn’t made the Eternals (or the Deviants, for that matter!) more powerful or more impressive than any other superhero! What’s more, the rule would be not to intervene in wars between humans, which makes the Eternals’ inaction against Thanos and/or Loki completely incomprehensible!

In short… Chloé Zhao’s attempt to make a more or less ‘auteurist’ superhero film is a bit of a rip-off, but I’ll be lenient for the reasons I explained at the beginning.

My Rating