Eternals goes back to the big bang of Marvel Cinematic Universe with a splatter of matter

By Katherine Monk

Why are we here? What’s the meaning of human life? Why are we capable of abstract thought yet unable to reconcile the spiritual and physical realms within ourselves? These are the big questions that have defined the human quest since we started scribbling symbols onto surfaces.

Every civilization has constructed various stories, fables, and divine folklore in a bid to fasten a sense of purpose to our spinning rock spiraling through the universe. Just about every one of them offers a story of a being greater than ourselves, an omnipotent entity that can forge the destiny of men in a celestial furnace. In scripture, we call the force God. In the contemporary Bible called the Marvel Cinematic Universe, however, this all-powerful entity is called Arishem.

Arishem (voiced by David Kaye) is giant red being that lives in outer space and creates galaxies with its cosmic hands. This glowing god-like presence created human beings and fashioned them after his own appearance. But he also presented humans with a series of complicated challenges in order to survive, each designed to increase his mental function and capacity. Arishem needs humans to be intelligent in order to fulfill their ultimate destiny, but before you ask what that destiny may be, re-calibrate your current reality to the post-Thanos apocalypse.

Celestial Being: Its called Arishem, and he creates worlds, but he bears a remarkable resemblance to The Iron Giant. Courtesy of Marvel Studios.

For those who don’t have a clue who Thanos is or what the MCU stands for, stop reading now. You won’t have a clue about what’s happening in the new movie Eternals, and chances are, you won’t even care about the fate of humanity because so much of what takes place in Chloe Zhao’s new movie is tailored to fit the initiated — the comic book sages who’ve digested reams of inked panels and half a dozen Avengers movies and carefully slotted each character and alter-ego into a sacred timeline.

For those who don’t have a clue who Thanos is or what the MCU stands for, stop reading now. You won’t have a clue about what’s happening in the new movie Eternals, and chances are, you won’t even care about the fate of humanity….

These people know Thanos (Josh Brolin) eliminated half the human population, including a swath of Marvel superheroes in the jaw-dropping finale of Avengers: Endgame. Now humans know they are fragile and existence is random, but instead of coming together, they suspect one another. Making things worse, creepy ancient creatures with glowing eyes and toxic tentacles called “Deviants” are cruising across the planet and consuming everything in their path, instilling terror and increasing distrust.

The only ones capable of stopping Deviants are called Eternals, and they’ve been around as long as Earth became habitable — perhaps even longer. Eternals were forged by Arishem to protect humanity, but when we meet them in the present day, they’re still getting over personality conflicts that cropped up when the hanging gardens of Babylon were all the rage.

Their de facto leader Ajak (Salma Hayek) has been trying to settle the disputes with some back door diplomacy, but one of the strongest members Ikaris (Richard Madden), seems determined to defy the team spirit and act as a lone agent.

That doesn’t mean he won’t fight the Deviants alongside his fellow Eternals, it just means there’s a hint of distrust that clings to the Eternals when they are forced to reassemble to defend humanity one more time. Given these beings are considered immortal, there’s a lot of baggage to sort through, and it’s where Zhao and the screenwriters spend most of their time.

Given these beings are considered immortal, there’s a lot of baggage to sort through, and it’s where Zhao and the screenwriters spend most of their time.

For instance, there’s a romantic through line to the relationship between Ikaris (Richard Madden) and Sirsi (Gemma Chan), a friendship story between Gilgamesh (Don Lee) and Thena (Angelina Jolie), and a mega-dose of comic relief care of Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani) and his human sidekick, Karun (Harish Patel). You see, each of the Eternals has assumed a mortal human identity in order to fit in — but some have bigger ego needs than others. Kingo has become a Bollywood megastar, but an eternal named Druig (Barry Keoghan) has shed all ego to become a folksy monk in the woods — preaching love and peace.

It seems over the millennia of needlessly tragic, gory and altogether violent human history, the Eternals have become a little jaded about us. Sure, they know they’re bound by duty to protect us, but they wonder if our dirty, selfish little species is worth it. All we do is destroy beauty and damage what the great clock maker in the sky created. Dissent simmers in the Eternal ranks, but thanks to an Eternal named Sprite (Lia McHugh), they still have stories — and these legends that echo Greek myth and Biblical narrative hold them together as part of the same chapter.

Zhao clearly gravitates to the storytelling side of her own story, finding some much needed dimension in the very urge to narrate. As a result, Sprite emerges as one the most compelling and complex characters in the mix because she brings order and purpose to action through story, through emotional connections.

Zhao clearly gravitates to the storytelling side of her own story, finding some much needed dimension in the very urge to narrate. As a result, Sprite emerges as one the most compelling and complex characters in the mix because she brings order and purpose to action through story, through emotional connections.

The only problem with the approach is the sheer volume of threads that need weaving. There are so many characters in this movie, each with their own particular relationships with one another, that creating a cohesive fabric is almost impossible. Only overarching theme and a careful design can overcome the chaos, and Zhao delivers on both scores.

Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani) shows his power-laden balls to a Deviant. Courtesy of Marvel Studios.

First, she isolates the central spindle of good versus evil on a grand scale and dedicates the first half of the film to the noble cause of the Eternals: Protecting humanity from dark forces and encouraging enlightenment through invention and creativity. To make us believe in this comic book reality, she references mythology and images of the ancients. This is a world of golden architecture, glittering armour, and weapons fashioned from pulsing light.

Then, she reduces all this romantic grandeur down to the level of modern humanity, and what appear to be our own selfish, petty needs to assert our individual egos. Even the Eternals struggle with their own level of agency. They wonder why they have incredible power to help humanity, yet were prevented from interfering with Thanos, not to mention millennia filled by human warfare and preventable suffering.

They are all valid beefs, especially for all-potent entities, to ponder. Yet the Eternals, like us, don’t have all the answers. Only Arishem and the other Celestials — who all bear a remarkable resemblance to the Iron Giant — hold the keys to the universe.

Zhao essentially creates a narrative through a nesting doll design, showing us how one potent species is enveloped and dwarfed by another, offering us a place in the world — but also stripping us of personal power, and making us feel small.

For some Eternal characters, the trade-off is more a matter of duty than sacrifice. It makes them feel bigger by association. For others, there’s a deep love for the flawed humans they were assigned to protect, and they believe every person on Earth has the right to self-determination — even if that means contradicting the Godlike Celestials.

Zhao essentially creates a narrative through a nesting doll design, showing us how one potent species is enveloped and dwarfed by another, offering us a place in the world — but also stripping us of personal power, and making us feel small.

With such big questions in its oversized hands, it’s no wonder Eternals lives up to its name in running time. It’s a long sit, but in the blur of battle scenes and vivid resurrections of ancient wonders, Zhao still leaves a deep impression because she’s always focused on the human faces before us. From Angelina Jolie’s ability to create tension with little more than a moment of asymmetry passing across her perfect features, to the quiet ache for experience reflected in Sprite’s (xx) pixie gaze, she trains our attention on what really matters.

It’s not Celestials, Eternals or even the wee, perpetually weak humans. It’s about how we cope in the current moment, and the importance of original thinking when confronted with timeless dilemmas that continue to challenge our better angels.

@katherinemonk 

To read more of Katherine’s reviews, check out the Ex-Press archives, or visit the vault at Rotten Tomatoes.

THE EX-PRESS, November 5, 2021

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