They have lived incognito on Earth for millennia. They are called the Eternals. Acting under the aegis of a cosmic entity belonging to the Celestial race, their mission is to protect humanity from monsters called Deviants. They are ten and have distinct powers. From comics Marvel, they do in Eternals (Eternals), by Chloé Zhao, their debut on the big screen, thus joining the ranks of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (UCM).
For the record, this 26e film is part of phase 4 of said universe. As of the announcement of the start ofEternals, the choice to hold the helm of Chloé Zhao, Oscar winner for best film and best director for Nomadland, caught the attention. The UCM has always retained the services of competent or downright gifted filmmakers, but never to this extent.
However, as the president of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, indicated at a press conference, Eternals is supposed to mark a milestone, a new and “daring” step in the long-term saga. This is reflected in the film by: a first sex scene (chaste), a first kiss between spouses of the same sex (bis), an ever so varied cast in terms of cultural heritage and age, a first deaf superheroine … Three male Eternals in the comics also became feminine in the film.
In short, the concern for diversity – cultural, sexual, bodily, generational, “experiential” – is admirable.
Conventional narrative
Unfortunately, the story is different. For if the desire to allow more people to recognize themselves through a more diverse representation arouses enthusiasm, the lack of innovation in the narrative is frustrating. We remain in the well-known narrative schemes, such as this last-hour betrayal that we see coming from the first, and this ultimate stake relating for the umpteenth time to the survival or annihilation of humanity. Salvation, of course, will come through solidarity.
However, the conventional nature of the message and the outline is not the main pitfall. The fundamental problem with the film is that it is overcrowded. Since there is too much to deal with, the characters are, for the most part, only sketched.
Wisely, Chloé Zhao, who co-signs the screenplay with Patrick Burleigh, Ryan Firpo and Kaz Firpo (that’s a lot of people), favors Sersi (Gemma Chan, correct) as the protagonist. With the possible exception of Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry, moving), the other characters are entitled, more or less, to only one scene meant to explain who they really are. For example: this passage in which Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani, funny) points out to Sprite (Lia McHugh, invested) that she is like the Tinkerbell in Peter Pan.
The rest of the time, the characters get lost in the whole spouting confused explanatory dialogue. It’s particularly frustrating for Thena, who Angelina Jolie embodies with conviction. The potential of this character is rich, but largely untapped.
Bland love triangle
Conversely, too much importance is given to one of the blandest love triangle we have seen. Between Ikaris (Richard Madden, dull), a tormented Eternal, and Dane (Kit Harington, without relief), an understanding human to the point of nausea, Sersi’s heart swings. This as she tries to take on a leadership role that she doesn’t feel prepared for. This “initiatory story” dimension is more interesting, but hardly, the endless procrastination imposed on Sersi by the film eventually boring.
It is that with its 157 minutes, Eternals sometimes seems interminable. It is all the more paradoxical that, taking into account the number of characters precisely, more time would have been required. In fact, previous Marvel superheroes, from Iron Man to Black Panther to Captain America, Ant-Man, Captain Marvel and Doctor Strange, had an introductory solo adventure before being dropped into the pots. superheroic rotten that are the movies Avengers.
Perhaps this is in part due to the success of WandaVision, of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and of Loki, but the fact remains that the miniseries format would undoubtedly have been more appropriate for the gang of ten at the heart ofEternals.
Uneven effects
Tech Note: Usually a force in these blockbusters, the special effects turn out to be patchy. The scenes filmed in front of green screens then replaced by various panoramas are the worst, with often very apparent halos around the actors. Nothing to promote immersion.
Most disappointing, however, is that Chloe Zhao’s immense talent has been swallowed up in the Marvel machine. There are snippets of the poetic realism that characterizes his cinema in the scenes shot in South Dakota, but even there, the chopped editing kills the lyricism. A big disappointment.