When everyone is represented, when everyone is celebrated, when diversity is acknowledged rather than homogenized in a movie, the result is a stellar cast with excellent performance and story. Eternals was received with mixed and confusing reviews when it was released in theatres. Maybe that did deter many from watching this movie. But don’t get swayed by mixed reviews. Eternals is now on Hotstar; give it a try. But here’s what I thought of the movie.
Breaking the Typical Marvel Stereotype
The Avengers dominate Marvel Cinematic Universe. To say, the hype with the Avengers is sometimes surreal. Such that movies like Eternals go unappreciated. Chloe Zhao, the first woman of color to direct a Marvel movie, did an excellent job of bringing together a cast that represented not only people from the spectrum but ethnic, gender, and racial diversity. The chemistry set between the characters was palpable and distinct.
The fact that movies from the Marvel universe are shifting towards the inclusion of other characters – more diverse characters. From the beginning till the end, the movie spun a story built on ties that reflected ‘familial ties,’ Surprisingly, this movie did not have any guest appearance of typical Marvel characters, like it did in Shangi-Chi.
This is a welcoming move as, to any degree, the characters did not have to display the common practice of showing that somehow all of these characters are tied and connected. This is a breath of fresh air in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The Plot
No spoilers is a prerogative. Period. I will refrain from delving into itsy-bitsy details about the movie. The baseline story is that a group of ten celestials or Eternals were sent to earth millions of years ago. The film is about their journey throughout the years as they battle out cosmic dangers to the planet that appear in Deviants.
However, the story is much more than this. The movie’s starting was a tad bit slow. But the film picked on a perfect pace thereafter and had a justified ending. Eternals, unlike other films, successfully treaded over the waters of exploring dark themes and colorful emotional themes with a more mature storyline.
The movie is embedded with stunning visuals. The actions scenes are simply outstanding. The jokes flowed seamlessly, especially the performances of Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), his assistant Karun (Harish Patel), and Gilgamesh (Don Lee) was noteworthy. The character build-up of Thena (Angelina Jolie) and the portrayal of her platonic relationship with Gilgamesh were beautiful. In all, the movie’s characters came together like a perfect dish.
An Ode to Humanity
Beyond all the supernatural, super-hero, action, and other elements, the themes of humanity –the exploration of themes of love, violence, anger, and so on shines bright in the movie. Much like a diamond! When living amongst humans for so many years, the Eternals have seen through the human eyes and lived through them.
Over the years, they experienced the meaning of life, the purpose of love, and even loss. And living through that came a realization of their existence amongst humans as ‘Gods.’ These themes are beautifully portrayed. This makes Eternals one of the best in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Internet might show you low ratings mixed reviews, but if you keep them aside, you are in for a pleasant ride. The movie Eternals is now available for streaming on Disney+Hotstar, so go ahead and stream the movie.
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