Our Take On... Eternals
Following from the conclusion of the “Infinity Saga” with “Avengers: Endgame”, we’re introduced to another Marvel team in the form of the Eternals. Unlike the Avengers though, the Eternals have been kicking around on Earth for a long time. We’re talking literally thousands of years. The Eternals are a race of beings who look human, but each possesses a unique ability, and they also don’t age and are pretty much immortal. Their job is to protect the Earth from Deviants, a separate race of beings who travel from planet to planet to wreak as much havoc as possible.
I say “pretty much immortal”, because the thing that brings the Eternals back together after so many years apart is the death of one of the team. This takes two of our main characters in Sersi (Gemma Chan) and Ikaris (Richard Madden) on a kind of “getting the band back together” trip to reunite the team and protect the world once more from the Deviants.
While there are a lot of familiar Marvel elements, such as the film’s sense of humour, it’s the way the film is shot that makes it stand out from typical blockbusters. Director Chloe Zhao (who won the Oscar for best director for last year’s “Nomadland”) shoots as much of the film as possible in real locations, and focuses the story more on the characters than the action. Each character is given a very distinct personality and story, and it makes you care about them more as a result. It’s a little thing, but the fact that most of the actors speak in their own accent adds a lot to their characters. Each character is entertaining in their own way, but the standout for me was Barry Keoghan as Druig. He brings such a different vibe to this than you would usually see in Marvel films, or even superhero films in general.
Even though I said that it was more character focused than action driven, the action is still pretty spectacular when it does happen. Each of the Eternals get to show off their abilities in really unique ways, and they all bring something different and fun to the table.
All in all, it’s yet another winner from Marvel. A celebration of diversity and storytelling where each character feels fully fleshed out despite the fact that this is only our first time meeting them. It also doesn’t rely too heavily on prior knowledge of the Marvel series either, which is always a bonus.
“Eternals” will be released on the 15th of February and is available for pre-order now.
