Film Review: “Eternals” (2021)

Doesn’t quite stick the landing on earth.

Ever since 2008, The Marvel Cinematic Universe has dominated the global box office and captivated audiences everywhere. Films like “Iron Man”, “Thor”, “Marvel’s The Avengers”, and “Black Panther” have not only taken the film landscape by storm but, have ushered in legions of fans both old and young. While I, myself, have enjoyed a lot of what the MCU has offered, I have always had the same issues with many of their films: the main character is often overshadowed by supporting characters, Villains with no personality, or better yet, overdependence on the same ‘ol Marvel formula. The best of the MCU, such as 2014’s “Winter Soldier”, 2018’s “Infinity War”, and 2019’s “Endgame”, managed to improve upon these issues. Still, even with their recent offerings, these same issues continue to repeat.

However, with “Eternals”, Academy Award-winning director, Chloe Zhao has decided to take a bold approach with her MCU debut. Her approach is said to be so bold that she even managed to get acclaimed Director, Denis Villeneuve, an outspoken critic of the MCU, enthusiastic about the film. Will Chloe Zhao bring in a fresh, new perspective to the 13-year-old franchise, or will it be just the same formula with a different director?