Eternals Review

WARNING: Minor spoilers ahead!

Outside of expanding the multiverse, the MCU has also expanded with more powerful characters. Entities such as the TVA are just the tip of the iceberg, as more powerful characters get added. With the introduction of the Eternals, the scope of the MCU is increased even further. In a similar case to the Asgardian gods of the MCU, the film needs to create a more convincing conflict to challenge these characters. Fortunately, the struggles within the group help to raise the stakes and make things interesting.

With a large cast of characters, it’s a miracle that most of the characters made an impact. As a lead, Sersi works as a compelling and sympathetic character despite being a run-of-the-mill protagonist. Ikaris, on the other hand, is an engaging and complex character that benefits from a lack of humanity. A first for the MCU, Ikaris is the type of character the believes he’s doing good but ends up doing more harm. The leader of the Eternals, Ajak, is also compelling and caring despite a lack of screen time. Kingo is a standout comic relief character, while Sprite is a clever mix between Loki and Peter Pan. Surpassing Sersi in their passion for humanity is Phastos, as he manages to showcase his helpfulness through his powers and empathy towards others. Thena works well as a fierce warrior with emotional battle scars, with Gilgamesh complimenting her as a loveable brute. Makkari is another standout as she gets out a lot of emotion through facial expressions and sign language. She also has plenty of chemistry with Druig, despite him having a detached personality and emotional turmoil. Despite not having too much screen time, Dane Whitman is a compassionate boyfriend towards Sersi. While the longer runtime for the film may deter some viewers, it’s worth it for these characters and fleshing out many of their personalities.

Unlike the rest of the MCU, this film has certain character decisions and plot elements that aren’t entirely straightforward. The Deviants are another set of lifeless CGI monsters (despite attempts at humanizing the main Deviant), but they’re not the main point of antagonism. Fortunately, the conflicts among the Eternals are the main focus, and their developed personalities make their disagreements deeply interesting. It’s a nice change of pace for the Eternals to not be unanimous in thought, but each member does have some compassion towards humans. The value of life is pushed to its limits while questioning the value of humanity. In addition, the scope of the conflict makes it hard to ignore, and hopefully, the rest of the MCU becomes involved with the problems of the Eternals. One notable suggestion that could have improved this film and the characters is having Dane join the Eternals on their quest. Outside of fleshing out Dane, it would have added to the conflict and created an engaging love triangle between Dane, Ikaris, and Sersi.

There’s plenty of admiration for the creativity of the visuals and action scenes. The costumes are a mix of simplistic and futuristic, even if they’re not always present. In a similar vein to Doctor Strange, the powers of the titular characters are visually impressive and distinct. This creativity is also reflected in the action scenes, with plenty of visual marvels and providing a new take on well-established superhero powers. The vast scope of the Earth and the larger universe are portrayed fascinatingly, with the Celestials being larger than life creatures. With their globe-trotting adventures, each location in their travels is visually distinct and pleasing natural eye candy.

Overall, Eternals stands out from the rest of the MCU due to its scope and complex characters. Most of the cast can stand out on their own, with the visuals to back their personalities. There are more stakes than usual, thanks to the complexity and character choices. While the film could be improved with some alterations, the final product is still engaging. As the MCU continues to expand on a larger scale, there will be more larger-scale stories.

SCORE: 8/10