Superheroes
WEIRDO Reviews: Marvel Studios’ Eternals *No Spoilers*
So, Celestials, huh?
“Wow.”
That was the word I gasped most often throughout my viewing of the 26th movie in the everlasting MCU. Everything from the mind-bending visuals to the outstanding acting grabbed and held my attention in ways that certain efforts from the Disney juggernaut haven’t so far. Not only is it action-packed and appropriately comedic, but it’s philosophical at its core and makes the viewer question what it really means to be alive.
Side note: I know it’s been out for a week and some change now, but I’ve been a little busy lately with…life. Anyway, I finally got the chance, and boy was I happy I saw it in theaters rather than on the Fire TV Stick. A movie like this was meant to be seen in a physically larger format, so I would definitely make the trip if I was you, especially if you’re an MCU fan.
Eternals is a comic book extravaganza revolving around ten godly beings who are at some point in the film dubbed the “original superheroes” of Earth, helping history along the way for thousands of years with their unique abilities. It also attempts to explain why these godly beings decided not to interfere when Thanos snapped half of the universe away in Phase 3. If you don’t think about it too much, it kind of makes sense. Kind of.
Shoddy explanations aside, the visuals from beginning to end made my jaw drop more than once, not only when the Eternals displayed their mind-boggling powers, but also whenever a Celestial physically took up the whole screen! These giant “gods” are pretty much the creators of the MCU’s world, and they deserve the title. They are HUGE, and when you see one compared to the size of a planet, it makes you wish you took a couple less ‘shrooms before the movie.
The MCU is notorious for slacking in the villain department, so you could imagine how nice the change in pace was for this one when you realize that there’s no clear villain throughout. Everyone, even the villainous Deviants — the so-called enemies of the film — are right about the philosophy of life in their own ways. I don’t want to spoil it for you, but just don’t get attached to any one character. You may hate them by the movie’s end, or you may love them even more. Either way, leave room for multiple favorites.
The biggest appeal about the flick, for me at least, was how much it made me think about life and our overall purpose in it. The ideas and themes they present really had my mind blown, leaving me scratching my brain more than a few times. It almost didn’t feel like a superhero movie in certain parts, but more a study on the core of human nature. It has a thoughtfulness I honestly wouldn’t have expected from a Marvel movie. Kudos.
After the climax of the film, which includes an EPIC battle between godlike figures, we are treated to a tease of what’s to come for the promising future of this eponymous team of heroes, namely the “normal” character in the film, Dane Whitman, played by Game of Thrones alum Kit Harington. I won’t say much more than that, but if you know your comic books, you know my boy is going to do some crazy s*** next time around. Stay tuned till after the credits roll.
Furthermore, the MCU seems to be heating up with Phase 4, so here’s hoping Kevin Feige and company lay all the chess pieces down for a proper checkmate when the next big event comes around.
Be sure to check out Marvel Studios’ Eternals. Don’t listen to the haters either. The movie is dope.
