Directed by: Chloé Zhao
Starring: Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Don Lee, Harish Patel, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie
Distributed by: Walt Disney Studios
Running time: 156 minutes
Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars
There is nothing saying “Eternals” that it is nothing short of epic. The film spans from 5,000 B.C. to Present Day and everything in between…it just doesn’t deliver throughout its already over long 157-minute running time. Chloé Zhao tries to shoot the film as an indie drama but ends up over playing the action scenes, which end up far and few between. I also wanted a bit more of a connection to the MCU. I get it they mention Thanos in the commercials but they really don’t bring everything together fast enough.
There is a lot going on in the “Eternals”. There are no less than 10 main characters, a handful of villains and even Marvel’s first love scenes between two superheroes, hence the PG-13 rating, so parents beware for sure. Even though there is so much packed into this film, there still feels like something is missing. We get to learn a little bit about each of our team of Superheroes but it just doesn’t seem like enough. I wanted more.
Official Premise: Marvel Studios’ Eternals features an exciting new team of Super Heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ancient aliens who have been living on Earth in secret for thousands of years. Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, an unexpected tragedy forces them out of the shadows to reunite against mankind’s most ancient enemy, the Deviants.
The ensemble cast includes Gemma Chan (Crazy Rich Asians) as Sersi, Richard Madden (Game of Thrones) as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley) as Kingo, Lia McHugh (The Lodge) as Sprite, Brian Tyree Henry (Godzilla vs. Kong) as Phastos, Lauren Ridloff (The Walking Dead) as Makkari, Barry Keoghan (Dunkirk) as Druig, Don Lee (Train to Busan) as Gilgamesh, with Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) as Dane Whitman, with Salma Hayek (The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard) as Ajak, and Angelina Jolie (Maleficent) as Thena.
Personally, I have not been aware of actress, Gemma Chan. She was definitely a highlight for the film. I didn’t enjoy her chemistry with Richard Madden though. Kumail Nanjiani is one of my favorite human beings ever and steals every scene he’s in. Brian Tyree Henry gets to break some Marvel ground with the first gay on-screen kiss for a superhero. Love this dude for sure. He is funny as hell. Don Lee kicks some major ass. Where are my Train to Busan fans at?! Salma Hayek is in the movie for a few minutes, which is a shame cause she rules also. Lastly Angelina Jolie tries to fit in as much as she can but she feels like a mom hanging out with her kids friends instead. She doesn’t fit in this movie at all.
The visual effects are impressive, I feel like Marvel out does themselves everything they release a new movie. I had the privilege of watching this film in IMAX and yes it was impressive seeing 26% more of the film on the big screen. If you can see the film on IMAX, I would definitely recommend that for sure. I can’t see this film really wowing anyone on a small phone screen or something like that. I feel like the bigger the better for sure. Be sure to stay through the credits because there are two scenes mid credits and then post credits. I won’t spoil anything but they are fun for Marvel fans but I still was left wanting more from the movie itself.