With “The Eternals”, Marvel puts the human at the heart of its universe saturated with superheroes

Do you feel a little lost among all these films, these series and this multitude of Marvel heroes all more powerful than the others? So bnew one: The Eternals, 26th feature film in the long saga initiated by Iron man in 2008, can be seen without having diligently followed the latest events of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), which rebooted with a bang in 2021 after a hiatus of almost a year and a half. So no need to have seen Black widow Where Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, released in the cinema, or the four series broadcast on Disney + in recent months. Just will it be necessary to know that the intrigue takes place after Avengers: Endgame and the return to life of half of the Earth’s population, which had been wiped out by the evil Thanos.

Yet the film opens with a spectacular introductory scene that takes place 7,000 BC. At the dawn of civilization, a group of ten heroes with miraculous and complementary powers land on Earth to protect the first Men from Deviants, wild creatures who devastate everything in their path. Laser beams fired from the eyes, superpersonic speed, Herculean strength, telekinesis … the Eternals have the full panoply of superheroes and easily manage to eliminate these monsters. Until their reappearance in London, in our time.

The ten heroes, scattered all over the planet, have not aged a bit. Normal, they are not human. They are immortal synthetic beings, originating in the distant planet Olympia. They are commissioned by their masters and creators, the Celestials (a race of titanic builders at the origin of worlds) to protect humanity. The sudden reappearance of these predators named Deviants and their new powers of regeneration will force the Eternals to meet and unite to stem the threat.

So far, we can legitimately fear that the 2h37 of the film is just a succession of fights between enième heroes with colorful combinations and giant beasts made realistic with great blows of special effects. But fortunately, cThe almost cliché scenario will gradually give way to a welcome complexity, which will give relief to the characters created.Created by the legendary comic artist Jack Kirby in 1976. Through a journey through several eras to the four corners of the world, the past of the Eternals will be revealed and their destiny will switch to a quest far more spiritual than expected.

While exploring weaknesses isn’t a groundbreaking story arc for Marvel characters, the film does take the time to dwell on the vulnerability of those once thought to be indestructible, to the point of making them more human than ever. other more popular heroes of the MCU. Their attachment to these mortals and to their way of life that they have defended for millennia is even reflected in the unprecedented risk-taking of Chinese director Chloé Zhao (Nomadland). We are thus witnessing the first “sex scene” of the Marvel universe (nothing shocking, however, the film remains classified “all audiences” in France), but also the appearance of the first openly gay protagonist, in addition to 13 years of adventures brought to the screen.

Over the revelations, we find ourselves touched by these extraterrestrials in the grip of their emotions, which could be compared to a festival of good feelings but which ultimately send us back to very contemporary, even personal questions. And if certain sequences of battles come regularly to remind the codes so specific to Marvel, we appreciate all the more the freedoms taken in the longest of the 26 films of the franchise. Especially in terms of humor, with these multiple references to the “competitor” universe DC Comics (owned by Warner), which will delight Superman and Batman fans and will no doubt fuel speculation around a possible crossover between the two universes.

Against a backdrop of revisited mythology, we will also salute the performances of female heroines, who easily steal the show from men in front of Chloé Zhao’s camera. We find with pleasure Salma Hayek (Ajak) as a spiritual guide of the Eternals, Gemma Chan in the skin of a Sersi ready to sacrifice everything to preserve her memories, but especially Angelina Jolie in the tailor-made role of Thena, a powerful and tortured warrior which is reminiscent of the charismatic Maleficent. In the end, what could have been the film too many in a busy year in Marvel (end of December, Spider-Man: No Way Home will be the fourth in 2021) is undoubtedly one of the deepest on the list. And opens up the MCU even more to new horizons.

Kind : Science fiction, fantasy
Director : Chloe Zhao
Actors : Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie
Country : United States
Duration : 2h37
Exit : November 3, 2021
Distributer : Marvel studios

Synopsis : Since the dawn of humanity, the Eternals, a group of heroes from the far reaches of the universe, have been protecting the Earth. When the Deviants, monstrous creatures thought to be long gone, mysteriously reappear, the Eternals are once again forced to come together in defense of humanity.