Marvel has one of the greatest franchises, having turned their characters and their stories from comic book pages to the cinema screen. Most notably, Marvel has released recent hit blockbusters that concluded a saga of no other caliber, which featured a series of household name superheroes spanning more than 20 films across nearly two decades. When it finished, everyone asked what would Phase four of the franchise bring to the collective Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Marvel unveiled in 2019 their upcoming films and series for the next few years, which included the introduction of unknown and/or unheard-of characters, such as Shang-Chi and the Eternals, to MCU fans, with only those who had extensive comic book knowledge being able to interpret from the get-go what was to come. Many people disagreed with the decision, suggesting that the strive for movies on unknown heroes after such an explosive conclusion would bring their franchise down. However, other critics understood that Marvel now saw and knew that people would not just watch the movies in hopes of hearing of their favorite superheroes, but knew that people would stay and watch their content if it meant to be kept informed of the timeline and universe that Marvel had created.
Directed by Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao, the film revolved around a race of immortal beings who have lived on Earth for centuries and how they helped shape humanity’s history. The Eternals were not to interfere in the affairs of man, an explanation for their disappearance in some of the world’s worst moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Starring a multitude of stunning stars, including but not limited to Richard Madden, Gemma Chan, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Ma Dong-Seok, Barry Keoghan, and Kit Harrington, Marvel made sure that this movie of unknown heroes would not be forgotten with this cast to play as them. The Eternals main mission on Earth was to search and destroy Deviants, alien predators who threaten life on a variety of planets, at the order of their great masters, the Celestials. Trouble comes to Earth when Deviants make an appearance again on present day Earth, and the Eternals must come back together in order to resolve and save humanity once again.
I gave the film an 8.5 star rating out of 10, and I must say Marvel was correct in choosing Chloe Zhao as its director. The vibrant cinematic views, the family and romantic relationships, and the raw emotion expressed through the characters in the film are what did the movie for me the most. I would especially like to point out the acting of both Madden and Jolie’s parts as phenomenal. I, however, did knock some points as Marvel did have to introduce all these characters, their motivations, and their conflicts all in one film, which caused an overload of information which can overwhelm an average watcher to process. All I have to say though, I would recommend this movie to anyone who loves these actors and actresses . I also strongly recommend people stay to watch the after credits scene where they may see an extremely special cameo.
