Hold onto your hats and prepare for the superhero film event of a lifetime; because Marvel Studios is back with their newest blockbuster, the 26th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel’s Eternals.
Directed by Academy Award-winning director Chloé Zhao, best credited for 2020’s Nomadland, this new odyssey on the MCU takes us farther into the orchestrated history of the world fans around the world have come to love, bringing forth a new group of powerful heroes who have lived on the planet Earth for 7000 years, battling against powerful and terrifying monsters called the Deviants, who mean to bring nothing but chaos and destruction everywhere they go.
After the success that came out of Avengers: Endgame, released in 2019, this cinematic masterpiece is part of many new projects that Marvel Studios is bringing to the viewing public, along with several televisions shows streaming now on Disney+, and more to be released in a matter of time.
The cast of this production really help bring the characters alive, each one with their own set of powers and moral views on how they should help the human race, but with the struggles of doing their best not to intervene too much.
The Eternals are played by great performers all around; Gemma Chan as the empathetic Sersi, Richard Madden as the powerful Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as the playful Kingo, Lia McHugh as the youthful Sprite, Brian Tyree Henry as the technological Phastos, Lauren Ridloff as the super fast Makkari, Barry Keoghan as the mindful Druig, Don Lee as the strong Gilgamesh, Angelina Jolie as the warrior-like Thena, and Salma Hayek as the spiritual leader and healer Ajak.
With supporting roles like Kit Harrington—formerly Jon Snow from HBO’s Game of Thrones—playing Sersi’s love interest Dane Whitman, there are plenty of familiar faces.
These actors are given the roles of a lifetime to help orchestrate a new beginning in the MCU, helping to shape new stories already being made or in the works, as well as increase the fanbase Marvel has accumulated with their previous productions, especially in a time like now with the pandemic, where I believe we all need a little escape to look at the heroes on the big screen and feel more excitement and hope for the future.
This film isn’t the only thing that Marvel Studios has cooked up that really expands the franchise, other movies like Black Widow and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings have introduced new backstories of beloved characters many fans already know, and brings forth new heroes and villains in the changing universe of ideas and stories the MCU is cooking.
Producers and directors alike have been creating new content since the very beginning, but included with the movies of the MCU’s proposed Phase Four (phases being how they separate the content they create) are the several new shows they bring through Disney+, Disney’s attempt to break away from their netflix shows like Daredevil and Jessica Jones, and create something new and exciting, like WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, and What If?, along with many more planned to be released in the coming years.
However, as sometimes happens when slating many films for release, this movie was met with mixed opinions and views on the production quality and the performances of the actors, with some being dazzled by the visual effects and and settings of the film, and some having negative feelings, saying there is no real character development and that the film was way too long.
This film seems to divide Marvel audiences; with some loving the new additions to the MCU, there are still some who don’t have an interest in seeing these characters in any other film or show that Marvel makes, even though this film has already made over 71 million dollars at the box office after being out in theaters for only two days.
I, for one, am obsessed with the film, not just because I myself and a big time fan of Marvel in all her glory, but because this film shows that even after the success of Avengers: Endgame, and the loss of certain characters fans have come to love and admire, producer and head man of Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige is showing the fans around the world that nothing can stop the growth and creativity of the MCU.
The film may have some things that fans disagree with, but keep in mind that the true nature of making entertainment is not to tell the same story over and over again, but to open the mind set in our brains and allow new ideas to flow and help create new ways to tell stories, ones that will excite the future generations of this planet to do the very same thing, especially in a time when hope and enjoyment are in constant need with what you hear on the news. This film is merely just the beginning of the Eternals’ stories, individually and together, and I am sure that up above, Stan Lee is looking down at the people who carry on his legacy and hopes that we continue to climb ever upwards to greater glory. Or in his own words, “Excelsior!
