Clare Sellers
Long awaited Marvel movie ‘Eternals’ finally hit cinemas on 5th November 2021, and while it had all the prominent aspects of a hit Marvel movie, this star studded spectacular may have just missed the mark.
Unlike most of its friends in the MCU, the ‘Eternals’ plot unravels slowly, dragging the viewer along for a large duration of the movie before the action begins. It feels slow at times, perhaps taking too much time building up and not enough carrying out.
The story follows a group of immortal beings with superhuman powers who have been secretly living on Earth for thousands of years, as they reunite to fight the evil deviants and save the planet from destruction.
Having secured an all star cast, including Angelina Jolie and Richard Madden, the film had astronomical potential that the actors themselves were mainly responsible for. Each cast member was phenomenal in the roles they portrayed, especially Gemma Chan who won the hearts of every viewer as main character Sersi as she battled to save the only home she’d ever known.
Speaking of exceptional characters, Makkari (played by Lauren Ridloff), stars in ‘Eternals’ as the first ever deaf superhero in the MCU, a huge leap in representation for the franchise. Since then, Disney+ series ‘Hawkeye’ has been released and also includes deaf characters and the use of sign language, proving that the first push ‘Eternals’ made has been significant.
Exploring much darker and more mature themes than its predecessors, the film takes a different tone than is usual for Marvel. Weighing up moral conflicts and ethical dilemmas, these heroes struggle to decide what is right and what is wrong, and how they can save the planet without risking the next. It feels heavy, and the audience carries the burden of this overwhelming choice just as much as the characters.
With plenty of twists and turns towards the end of the movie, it manages to save itself from its slow beginning with simple shock factor. An action-packed fight scene between characters creates the Marvel energy that we know and love, proving that these heroes are not to be messed with.
But it’s not all fighting and burdens, as the core themes throughout the movie are friendship and love. In fact, love may be the main underlying problem for these characters, as Sersi and Ikaris’ love story is a huge cause for controversy in the film- so much so that the fate of Earth rests on it.
A more subtle but blossoming romance between Makkari and Druig has seen audiences fall in love with the pair; the powerful connection between the two offered the viewers some heart-warming moments.
As is true with all marvel movies, the cinematography in ‘Eternals’ leaves audiences breathless. Colours, settings and composition set this movie up for the success that it wanted so badly, but can’t make up for some unfortunate cuts and transitions that too often attempted to ruin the beauty of it all.
Ending the film on a tantalising cliff-hanger meant that we could rest assured there would be more of the ‘Eternals’ on our screens, before the iconic ‘will return’ phrase had even appeared.
Whilst the movie had its downfalls, there is a solid story to be told. There is no doubt that a second movie would do incredibly well, as we all want to know what happened to our immortal heroes after the screen went black.
Featured image courtesy of Gabriela Braga on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes have been made to this image.
claresellers
I am a 20-year-old multimedia journalism student in my final year studying at the University of Salford