Eternals

Eternals
Original title:Eternals
Director:ChloƩ Zhao
Release:Cinema
Running time:157 minutes
Release date:05 november 0202
Rating:
Since the dawn of mankind, the Eternals, a group of heroes from the far reaches of the universe, have been protecting the Earth. When the Deviants, monstrous creatures long thought to be extinct, mysteriously reappear, the Eternals are once again forced to come together to defend humanity...

Mulder's Review

The Marvel cinematographic universe never ceases to offer us great entertainments, as much loaded with highly effective action scenes as with emotionally charged scenes. After Avengers: Endgame (2019), a real Homeric peplum, and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), we wondered how Marvel Studios was going to embark on its fourth phase. While the overkill seemed to be the order of the day in phase three, phase four finds a more human dimension and moves towards new fields of exploration, whether it be a spy movie (Black Widow (2021),), a muscular Asian-style action movie (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), but above all the most awaited one, The Eternals. 

Carried by a sumptuous cast including Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Harish Patel, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek and Angelina Jolie, Eternals lays a solid foundation to not only hold our attention but also offers a different approach to the superhero myth. Director Chloe Zhao, who made a name for herself in independent cinema with The Rider (2017) and Nomadland (2020), easily succeeds in her passage behind the camera to propose a powerful blockbuster and taking risks skilfully mastered as proposing the first mute superhero Makkari (Lauren Ridloff) and the first gay superhero Gilgamesh (Ma Dong-seok). The great strength of Eternals is that it deliberately blows up the formatted superhero universe while paying homage to DC Entertainment films like Superman, whose character Ikaris (Richard Madden) is a thinly disguised revisited version. 

Eternals is also a precursor in its willingness to propose a film taking place in different periods and showing how this team of extraterrestrial superheroes had an important influence on the scientific evolution of the human race thanks to the importance of Gilgamesh a visionary engineer.  The story thus begins 5000 BC, Ajak (Salma Hayek), Druig (Barry Keoghan), Gilgamesh (Ma Dong-seok), Ikaris (Richard Madden), Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), Sersi (Gemma Chan) Sprite (Lia McHugh) and Thena (Angelina Jolie) are Eternals sent to Earth by the Celestial Arishem to fight against supernatural creatures, the Deviants, and are not allowed to interfere in wars between humans.  For more than five hundred years, this group lives separately and incognito. However, when the deviant Kro reappears, the group is forced to reunite and learn to do without the presence of their leader Ajak, who was found dead and killed by this deviant. What follows is a real road movie in which the Eternals will reform and learn to face a danger that is beyond their comprehension but also the fact that one of them is a traitor who wishes to carry out a titanic suicide mission. 

Eternals is not a simple blockbuster with an ultra fast cutting and which would have as only will to put full the eyes to the spectators. The film with its duration of more than two and a half hours really takes its time to put the main elements in place and to give each of the people a real personality and to show us how they use their powers to become either a star of the Indian cinema or professors in history or even to look for their own way. This rhythm, which could appear to be disjointed for some, gives the film a very special tone and shows us that it is still possible to find new ways to approach the place of superheroes in our current society. This real journey through time, through religion and the place of real all-powerful gods shows that the Marvel universe is as complex as it is exciting.

It is also interesting to see that this movie is the one subjected to different controversies or even to be banned in some countries to address current issues and showing that a blockbuster can be accompanied by a real author's vision. Clearly more dramatic than other films of the Marvel universe, Eternals proves to be as successful as audacious and shows that where the DC universe struggles to convince in general, Marvel continues to know how to create a universe as concrete as innovative and entertaining.  Finally, as in every movie of the Marvel cinematographic universe, we advise you to stay until the end of the credits to discover new characters with a strong potential to come.

Eternals
Directed by Chloé Zhao
Screenplay by Chloé Zhao, Patrick Burleigh, Ryan Firpo, Kaz Firpo
Story by Ryan Firpo, Kaz Firpo
Based on Eternals by Jack Kirby
Produced by Kevin Feige, Nate Moore
Starring Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Don Lee, Harish Patel, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie
Cinematography : Ben Davis
Edited by Craig Wood, Dylan Tichenor
Music by Ramin Djawadi
Production company : Marvel Studios
Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release date : October 18, 2021 (Dolby Theatre), November 3, 2021 (France), November 5, 2021 (United States), 
Running time : 157 minutes

Seen on November 04, 2021 at Gaumont Disney Village, IMAX Room place E22

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