ETERNALS (12A)
REVIEWS BY DAMON SMITH
THE repercussions of the Avengers’ decision to reverse The Snap continue to ripple through the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in this origin story for a new supergroup of otherworldly protectors.
Set after Bruce Banner wields the Infinity Gauntlet in Avengers: Endgame and snaps his fingers to restore beings in the universe eliminated by Thanos, Eternals initiates a seven-day countdown to a cataclysmic event called the Emergence, which will render humanity obsolete.
An opening crawl, a la Star Wars, succinctly distils a new mythology that dismisses the Big Bang Theory and introduces an ancient race of beings known as Celestials, led by the mighty Arishem, which have shaped our universe for millennia.
When monstrous entities called Deviants infest the Earth in 5000 BC Mesopotamia, Arishem fashions humanity’s superpowered protectors, the Eternals.
For more than 7,000 years, this band of near-immortal saviours have lived among us, in plain sight but unseen.
They are instructed not to interfere in human conflicts unless Deviants are involved, and watch with dismay as humans resolve differences with bloodshed.
But when the Emergence triggers the return of the deadly foe, Eternals risk everything – including their sworn allegiance to Arishem – to determine mankind’s fate.
They are led by Ajak (Salma Hayek), who possesses the power of healing, and her dutiful acolytes include Ikaris (Richard Madden), Sersi (Gemma Chan), Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), Sprite (Lia Mchugh), Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), Makkari (Lauren Ridloff ), Druig (Barry Keoghan), Gilgamesh (Don Lee) and Thena (Angelina Jolie). Deaf actress Ridloff communicates with her fellow Eternals in American Sign Language, Henry portrays one half of the franchise’s first openly gay relationship and the ranks are filled with strong, powerful women. By shifting the focus away from special effects-laden action set-pieces and on to character arcs and storytelling, Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao bloats the running time to twoand-a-half hours and delivers arguably the least adrenaline-pumping Marvel escapade to date. It’s a brave new world and she reduces dramatic momentum with copious flashbacks to 575 BC Babylon, 400 AD in the Gupta Empire and 1521 AD Tenochtitlan to illustrate bonds between the Eternals. This is the most emotionally intimate Marvel story yet, and while it’s an ambitious adaptation of the comic books in many respects, including an artfully composed al fresco sex scene, some conventions remain, including tantalising scenes embedded in the end credits. Flecks of humour, courtesy of Nanjiani and Henry, are extremely welcome. “Eternals will return...” promises a final title card before the screen fades to black. Hopefully that will include Zhao behind the camera to further enrich this fantastical microcosm of the Marvel universe.
■ In cinemas from Friday