Although the Eternals are an even more unheard-of Marvel property than the Guardians of the Galaxy were pre-MCU, news of them heading to the big screen gave them the potential to be something special. We’ve seen plenty of once considered “D-List” heroes thrive in the spotlight because of the MCU and there were a lot of reasons to be excited for Eternals. Early concept images that wowed fans, the diverse and star-studded cast, and director Chloe Zhao being attached — hot off her Oscar-winning trek with Nomadland — only added to the potential for Eternals to be a breakout force within the MCU. With all this great talent and potential behind it, Eternals manages to be a different vision for the franchise—even if you wouldn’t know it at first.
For the first act or so, Eternals plays it pretty safe and straightforward as an MCU flick in its style and storytelling. Fans are introduced to the titular group of super-powered aliens sent to Earth by a towering god-like Celestial known as Arishem (voiced by David Kaye) to protect humans from the Deviants, a horrifying alien force that feeds on people for power. The chemistry between the cast is great from the start and transitions well as we see the influence of the Eternals throughout time. Old romantic history between Sersi (Gemma Chan) and Ikaris (Richard Madden) bleeds into the present as they reunite when the Deviants unexpectedly return. That then leads to some awkward moments since Sersi is seeing a new guy named Dane (Kit Harrington).
That awkward reconnection essentially kicks off a reunion tour that sees them traveling the world to check in on what everyone’s been up to since the band broke up and talk them into coming back together for one more gig. Even flashbacks into the Eternals influence throughout human history isn’t all that unique and it generally feels like the film only goes back in time suddenly to explain something they’re talking about in the present.
Frankly, the first moments of Eternals don’t really impress, but the more I think on it, the more it feels like almost an intentional choice. The conflicting styles and tones might not exactly be intended, but using reunited team tropes does feel like a deliberate choice meant to comfort viewers into thinking things are heading in a predictable direction. However, Eternals is anything but predictable, as it completely subverts expectations through its incredible amount of depth.
After one discovery is made about the Eternals’ leader Ajak (Salma Hayek), literally everything changes, and it leads to some of the most emotionally rich and surprising moments of the MCU. The entire perspective on the fight between the Eternals and Deviants changes and the main purpose of their mission takes a dramatic, shocking turn that blurs moral lines and forces a lot of great questioning. There are some great twists and turns that changes your views on certain characters and never make you feel like anything is a sure thing. The themes in Eternals surrounding questioning your purpose and evolution have strong personal ties to each character that give them their own unique arcs and depth.
Sprite’s (Lia McHugh) understandable frustration and anger towards her creator for making her unable to enjoy life the same way as her fellow Eternals because she’s stuck being a kid is very compelling and the end of her arc touches on the beauty of life in a moving way. The dangers of the Eternals impact on humanity and design of their purpose are excellently explored through Druig’s (Barry Keoghan) destructive desires to save humanity from themselves and Phastos’s (Brian Tyree Henry) disgust with how humanity uses the technology he gives them.
The discussions within the group about intervening so they can save humanity are easily some of the most thought-provoking and emotionally impactful dialogue in the entire MCU, really touching on what being a hero means. A hero is always defined by the choices they make and the choice here of either stopping the Celestials’ plans so they can save the people they’ve grown to love or sticking to their designed purpose and letting humanity fall so that other life can spawn is a gripping moral debate that’s excellently dissected through these characters.
Zhao’s very humane and realistic approach to Eternals allows this moral dilemma to have real heart and adds more personal stakes to the dilemma as a whole. Phastos’s present life on Earth is depicted in a deeply relatable way that emphasizes family and is absolutely tear-jerking thanks to Henry’s performance. Others have deeply personal motivations that tug at your heart and add more complexity to their purpose and decisions. Even the sense of loyalty some show to their purpose has some fair logic behind it, as stopping the plan means stopping emerging life within the universe. No one is really made a villain or a hero in Eternals and the differing ideology makes for compelling arguments about life, progress, and evolution.
The depth of these arguments adds deeper personal stakes to the final battle and makes you more invested in a unique way. The fights in Eternals don’t solely evoke the vibes of a special effects showcase or a brutal display of a power struggle between good and evil. They are certainly visually stunning and carry a more dire and deeply appreciated mature tone in their brutality, but they have stakes that are deeper than just saving the world or not. The actions of everyone fighting for their beliefs have real meaning behind them and consequences that strike at your heart because of how likeable and relatable this group is—both in terms of characters and performances. Never has the end of an MCU film left you as shook and wide-eyed as Eternals, simply because of its striking definitiveness and the way that Arishem comes into the final moments.
Also, if you want great MCU post-credit scenes that instantly pique your interest, then you’re in luck because Eternals has two that make the future of the MCU incredibly interesting. One sees the possible future of the Eternals dealing with a new friend/foe that’s played by a familiar face. It’s an amazing introduction that’s one for the ages and the second scene signifies that a dark, sword-wielding force is soon to be coming and anyone that had questions about Harrington’s Dane’s significance from the comics will leave with a big smile on their face.
It may not show it from the start, but Eternals is a bold entry in the MCU that carries some of the strongest themes of the franchise—or superhero movies in general for that matter. Zhao’s confident and striking vision leads an excellently engaging cast and emotionally captivating story into a brave new era of the MCU.
