My review of the newest entry in the MCU from director Chloé Zhao “ETERNALS” starring Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, Barry Keoghan, and Ma Dong-seok.
Marvel Studios presents “Eternals,” the 25th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and an all-new adventure introducing 10 Super Heroes never seen before on screen.
“Eternals” follows a group of heroes from beyond the stars who had protected the Earth since the dawn of man. When monstrous creatures called the Deviants, long thought lost to history, mysteriously return, the Eternals are forced to reunite in order to defend humanity once again.
Marvel Studios’ “Eternals” stars Gemma Chan (Marvel Studios’ “Captain Marvel,” “Crazy Rich Asians”), Richard Madden (“Rocketman,” “The Bodyguard”), Kumail Nanjiani (“Silicon Valley,” “The Big Sick”), Lia McHugh (“The Lodge”), Brian Tyree Henry (“Atlanta,” “Widows”), Lauren Ridloff (“The Walking Dead,” “Wonderstruck”), Barry Keoghan (“American Animals,” “Dunkirk”), Don Lee (Ma Dong-Seok) (“The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil,” “Train to Busan), ”) with Kit Harington (“Game of Thrones,” “Gunpowder”), with Salma Hayek (“Like a Boss,” “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard”), and Academy Award®–winner Angelina Jolie (“Those Who Wish Me Dead,” “Maleficent”).
The film is produced by Kevin Feige and Nate Moore, and directed by Chloé Zhao, who won this year’s best director Academy Award® for “Nomadland.” Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso and Kevin de la Noy are the executive producers. The screenplay is written by Chloé Zhao and Chloé Zhao & Patrick Burleigh and Ryan Firpo & Kaz Firpo, from a screen story by Ryan Firpo & Kaz Firpo.
Director Zhao’s creative team includes director of photography Ben Davis (Marvel Studios’ “Captain Marvel,” “Doctor Strange”), production designer Eve Stewart (“The Danish Girl,” “Les Misérables”), costume designer Sammy Sheldon Differ (Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man,” “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”), hair and makeup designer Frances Hannon (“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel”), editors Dylan Tichenor, ACE (“There Will Be Blood,” “Zero Dark Thirty”) and Craig Wood, ACE (“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,”
Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man and The Wasp”), visual effects supervisor Stephane Ceretti (Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man and The Wasp,” “Doctor Strange”), special effects supervisor Neil Corbould (“Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”) and composer Ramin Djawadi (“Game of Thrones,” Marvel Studios’ “Iron Man”).
WHO ARE THE ETERNALS?
Jack Kirby’s original “Eternals” Marvel comic books, which were first published in 1976, provided the inspiration for the film. His stories presented a unique opportunity to explore uncharted time periods and diverse characters, and to delve into the rich history of the Eternals.
The Eternals are a race of immortal aliens from the distant planet Olympia who arrived on Earth thousands of years ago to protect humanity from a race of alien predators called the Deviants. The Eternals were alerted to the Deviant threat by the Celestials, a race of cosmic builders who were first glimpsed in Marvel Studios’ “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
The Eternals on Earth are a diverse and powerful group—a combination of thinkers and fighters, sharing the same cosmic energy, which manifests itself in different powers within each individual. When they work together these powers complement each other. When they are off-duty, they act like any other dysfunctional family group, supporting one another and squabbling in equal measures.
The story takes place across two time periods. One storyline is set in the past when they operated as a formidable team and a close family unit. The second storyline is in the present, when the group has fractured and split apart, content to live among humans, hiding in plain sight. The prevailing threat of the Deviants, which once again threatens the existence of mankind, means the Eternals need to put their differences aside and regroup.
Nate Moore, producer of “Eternals” along with Kevin Feige, elaborates on the decision to introduce these fascinating new characters to the MCU. “We want audiences to discover a corner of the Marvel universe they’ve never seen before,” he says. “We want them to discover a mythology that is a challenging sci-fi movie but also has a human heart. And we want them to meet ten heroes who they hopefully can relate to.”
