After watching Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland, I was curious about how she would bring her landscape-driven visual style to the Marvel world. As part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 4 expansion, Eternals introduces the eponymous ensemble of “god-like” characters, who themselves follow the bidding of the “supergod-like” Celestial Arishem. Told through both historical episodes and present-day drama, Eternals adds diversity to the MCU storytelling library in more ways than one. I would definitely say it is worth a visit to the cinema.

There are two main elements that make Eternals an enjoyable movie: the characters and the settings.

The MCU has done movies with ensemble casts before – the Avengers is an obvious one, as is the Guardians of the Galaxy, but the Eternals is probably the biggest crew to hit the big screen. Casting was interesting with Hollywood stalwarts Salma Hayek and Angelina Jolie playing more “mature” roles, and up-and-coming stars Richard Madden, Gemma Chan and even Kumail Nanjiani bringing freshness to the genre. Beyond skin-colour diversity, I actually enjoyed the variety in how each character maintained a strong identity core, likely linked to the characteristic of their powers. Sprite, as one of my favourite examples, is able to create illusions but can never appear permanently as the person she actually wants to be – an adult version of herself able to participate in wider society. The great characters go beyond the main superheroes to even supporting character Karun, played by Harish Patel, who brings a human sense of groundedness and yet hope to the movie. Personally, I enjoyed seeing the inclusion of Indian characters in the MCU, especially because I could see there was an effort to bring in Karun’s culture and perspectives as an Indian. Eternals was therefore faithful in honouring the stories of its characters.

Since the Eternals have been around since the time of the Mesotopomians, we get to see snapshots of how they interacted with humans across time. The scenes of Babylon, the Gupta Empire and even Teotihuacan are breathtaking, and when interacted with the epic battle sequences between the Eternals and the Deviants, they pop out on screen even better. This is Chloe Zhao’s speciality: bringing the background to life and letting it serve the story. Even in outer space, where Arishem sits, there is a sense of grandiose that feels authentic.

The one issue I had with the Eternals was the story felt slightly underwhelming. Major antagonists had disappointing desserts and the big twist tactic that caused the win felt more like an accident than anything meaningful. Some major characters were not even in the final battle and till now I cannot rationalise why they were left out. If you have already watched the movie and you know what I am talking about, perhaps this article may soothe you, although I will admit that I was not satisfied.

All in all, do not let the online debate about whether the Eternals is a good movie influence you too much. When a movie is controversial like that, it is often best to make your own judgement. I am glad I did just that because the movie was to my liking.

Here are my ratings for the movie:

Cinematography: 5/5

Screenwriting: 4/5

Musical Score: 4/5

Acting/ Performance: 4/5

Overall: 4.25/5