ETERNALS

3 out of 5 stars

As one of MCU’s more ambitious attempts, there’s a lot to unload in this rumpled and glutted story of Celestials, Deviants, Eternals, and the fate of Earth. Writer-director Chloé Zhao is the precise filmmaker to take the superhero genre and catapult it into an extraordinary direction fans have never experienced before. And what better characters to do that with than the lesser-known but mighty Ajak (Salma Hayek), Thena (Angelina Jolie), Ikaris (Richard Madden), Sersi (Gemma Chan), Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), Sprite (Lia McHugh), Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), Gilgamesh (Don Lee), and Druig (Barry Keoghan). Unfortunately, even with the Uni-Mind power that’s formed from those behind and in front of the camera – Eternals never reaches the heights that it was meant to.

It’s not like it doesn’t have all of the necessary elements to make it happen – they just aren’t capitalized on. Other things dampen the mood like a time-jumping narrative that ends up becoming a momentum killer and action sequences that – when compared to previous MCU efforts – are average. You’re constantly waiting for that wow factor that never comes. So much is so….ordinary. Zhao tries to make it up to us as there’s a ton of beauty to behold, it has plenty of laughs, and the cast is hands down one of the best Marvel has ever assembled. Nanjiani and Henry are my personal favorites. Furthermore, the weighty themes of love, life, and existence are intriguing, yet maybe too much for one movie to handle.

Eternals towers and tumbles throughout, but the excitement in what’s next beyond this imposing introduction sticks around. The possibilities are endless, which is why at times, there’s a feeling of frustration when it seems as though Zhao and company have forgotten that. Let’s have faith they’ll remember by the time the Eternals make their triumphant return.

Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.

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