Eternals (2021)

Title: Eternals

Year: 2021

Genre: Action | Adventure | Fantasy |

Runtime: 157 min

Director:  Chloé Zhao

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Barry Keoghan

6,9/10

Following the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), an unexpected tragedy forces the Eternals, ancient aliens who have been living on Earth in secret for thousands of years, out of the shadows to reunite against mankind’s most ancient enemy, the Deviants.

A POINT-LESS HISTORY LESSON CRAMPED WITH EMOTIONLESS CHARACTERS AND VISUAL EFFECTS

Considering the massive hype and destruction that Avenger: Endgame gave at the box office 2,5 years ago, Marvel Studios has struggled to keep the interest afloat just and keep their most devoted fanbase. Not much effort is it done to keep the stories aligned. A desperate, asphyxiated approach to fill their check boxes. The pure ambition for storytelling seems to die with Iron Man and Captain America, two iconic heroes in their arsenal. It died at the same time as the final chapter of the Infinity Saga. As it seems, even with the pandemic crashing their own plans, the immersive universe that they’re building are shifting forward something that doesn’t coherent with the familiar formula. Like many films produced in the nest of Hollywood, they struggle with the original told story. Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings were although an original story of a character, it balanced the protagonist on to deliver empathic and comedic lines in the right accorded direction.  Like Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Eternals deliver a cringe and ambivalent occurrence in the shared universe. It’s a lot of character to keep track of. It tries to be funny when it’s not. It tries to behave the familiar, cosy atmospheric structure that has been a solid base since 2008 with Robert Downey Jr debuting the massive franchise. It has some parts with sensible action sequences but it never ever lived up to the low expectations. There’s a Bollywood actor trying to keep his famous status intact, a gay couple with a kid and a deaf hero who doesn’t have much background explained. Most of these characters, part of the ensemble gives an interest flaw or capacity, that gives them a unique trait in telling the story and plot further. They’re all given unique powers, the reason why is not explained. There’s neither the main character in this massive visual cramped movie. No emotional connection alludes to the aspect of these characters.

Once getting to know these characters and separating them well enough in the third act, the final fight- the massive conclusion of a hyped battle doesn’t exist. Characters changes attitudes between scenes and things unexplainable happen.  Maybe it’s the script issue that’s present here or if it’s the way, it’s directed by a lot of the dialogue lines that comes of force, like an unrehearsed theatre play.

The runtime is prolonged, the back and forth as a history lesson is fairly annoying but the visual and technical aspect is accepted. Mostly because it’s done the wizards behind Star Wars. Other than that, it doesn’t deliver what the audience either needed or wanted. It doesn’t have the adventure sense and collaboration that Guardians of the Galaxy or Avengers-film has ever had. This is another check-point film in the collection of films in a variety of quality of mis-match Marvel Studios films. If the story doesn’t sell to the audience, then what’s the purpose of the rest? Then it doesn’t matter if this film reaches the $1 billion mark if the plot is worthless.