Note: I wrote this review listening to MIIA’s “Dynasty” so I’m literally all feels right now. This song just captures the feeling I have about Thena and Gilgamesh (in a platonic way). I'm also too tired to translate today, so I'll add the translation some time later.
Watched the (controversial opinion here) AMAZING Eternals film today. There will be major spoilers in this review because, first of all, my favorite characters have this whole huge spoiler moment, so… Read on with caution.
So, to begin with, I want to get some of the big and more global impacts of this film out of the way. I know that there will always be people out there being like “this film is diverse for no reason, why did they have to change the white male character into a latino woman character” blah blah blah. And honestly, there are two reasons why I think the cast and the representation of this film deserves to be encouraged and not bullied.
First of all, this is a Marvel film. I don’t really think I need to detail the extent and magnitude of influence Marvel wields; it should be a given given how much their movies rake in at the theater. And when such an influential and well-loved franchise pushes forward a movie that encourages diversity, that has a group of people who can represent almost everyone in the audience on the screen, that’s progress. That’s showing the world, telling the world, that everyone can be represented and that is setting an example for how things could and should be. This impact of this film goes beyond whether or not this was a good film. This its Marvel helping to lead in a new era of cinema where all people can feel represented, where everyone will be able to see some glimpse of themselves on the big screen.
This may not seem like a big deal to a lot of people, but this was a superhero film, and there are rarely superheroes like Gilgamesh (I love this man so much) or Sersi or Kingo or Makkari or Ajak represented in the superhero industry. But as a young person and a person who loves superhero films, and even just as a human, superheroes mean and symbolize so much to me. I mean, everyone knows who Batman is, everyone knows Iron Man, everyone knows Wonder Woman, these are characters who create resonance and lend strength to everyone around the world. So to have superheroes who look like they would represent my human experience better… That is a monumental thing to those of us who don’t traditionally see ourselves on screen.
Secondly, I think the reason why the cast is so diverse actually makes sense in terms of the story. The Eternals are immortals here to protect the humans, and in order to do so, they have to be able to blend in with nearly any group of people they come across, and, in order to protect humans, have to have some sort of representation for everyone. Think about it. The reason why America even wanted independence is because it wasn’t represented. The Eternals protect all of humankind, so they should represent all of us. Any age, any race, any gender, any condition, so that humans know they are all, unequivocally and completely, protected.
Now that all of the heavy stuff is out of the way, the fun stuff.
I actually really enjoyed the film, even though the critics and Rotten Tomatoes hated it. I think that might be because I personally enjoy world-building stories and movies, and this movies does that in a magnitude I don’t think I’ve seen Marvel attempt yet. There are so many main characters, so many storylines, so many years of history, so it must have been challenging to create a coherent storyline. I think the film creators did an alright job here. It wasn’t the best film I’ve ever seen by a long shot, but it also wasn’t even the worst I’ve seen in the past year.
There are a few things that I don’t understand, like the point of Kit Harington’s character, because he just felt extra (I am aware he might play some big part in the next film, but I’m just saying his romance with Sersi just felt forced and unneeded). I also didn’t understand why the most powerful Eternal was Ikaris instead of the women who could literally wield cosmic energy to create various weapons AND was advertised as the warrior of the Eternals.
I did like the foreshadowing of Ikaris’ betrayal of Ajak, which I think was done well, and I did like the relationship and beautiful chemistry between Makkari and Druig. I also loved the CGI, which I thought was pretty cool, and of course, the golden veins on Angelina Jolie’s face every time her character was about to go all Mahd W’yry on the group was amazing and super cool. (For normal people, that just means PTSD, severe PTSD, as in hallucinations and fighting and violence PTSD.) I also love how Thena and Gilgamesh were completely platonic. Seriously, I think it’s high time our society recognizes that relationships that are platonic can be just as heartbreaking and impactful as romantic ones, and that a woman and a man can literally just be FRIENDS instead of lovers.
BUT! BUT! BUT! There is something that I just have to say. I just have to get this off my chest.
(Deep breath here.)
WHY WOULD YOU KILL OFF GILGAMESH?? WHY?? WHY?? I JUST CAN’T UNDERSTAND THIS. HAS THENA NOT SUFFERED ENOUGH? HAS DON LEE NOT BEEN ADORABLE ENOUGH FOR Y’ALL? HAS ANGELINA JOLIE AND DON LEE’S CHEMISTRY JUST GONE COMPLETELY UNNOTICED BY Y’ALL?
For context: Angelina Jolie plays Thena, who is protected by her best friend and platonic soulmate Gilgamesh, played by Don Lee. Both of them have such a magnetic presence onscreen, and the two of them have chemistry that I haven’t seen in a superhero movie since Selina Kyle and Bruce Wayne in Batman Returns. But these two were both characters who were sidetracked for most of the film. Instead, we focused on Gemma Chan’s character Sersi and Richard Madden’s Ikaris. I won’t lie, I love both of these characters as well, but come on. The amount of storyline we could have created with the friendship of Thena and Gilgamesh would have been unparalleled by any duo in the MCU, by sheer magnitude of time and complexity.
They have this almost lover feeling of love and care for one and other, and both of them were just such amazing characters. Why weren’t they utilized more? WHY, MARVEL? WHY?
Anyway, I have rewatched the film a few times if only because Thena and Gilgamesh are the best duo I have seen in a Marvel film for a long time (and I’m not forgetting about Thor and the Hulk or Natasha and Hawkeye), and because Thena is such an interesting character (Honestly, the woman is a fighter, struggles because she remembers everything from their past lives, AND is the strongest fighter. Who could NOT be curious about her life), and also for the sheer magnitude of the story and the brave step Marvel is taking in creating a whole new universe, adding a whole new layer of meaning to the MCU as we know it.
Anyway,
Loved the film. See it before you judge it.
Happy Monday! (WILL FORTE JUST HOSTED SNL I'M SO PUMPED AND KRISTEN WIIG SHOWED UP OMG!!!!!)
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