Eternals
2021
**
Director: Chloé Zhao
Cast: Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Don Lee, Harish Patel, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie
About 7000 years ago, Eternals, immortal superpowered beings, were sent to protect the population of Earth from monsters knowns as Deviants. After 500 years of peace, the Deviants return and the Eternals must regroup. Chloé Zhao earned a deserved Academy Award for her intimate drama Nomadland. Her follow-up is something totally different. This is the 26th Marvel Cinematic Universe release, and one of the weakest in the series, thanks to a messy script, non-existent characterisation, and forgettable special effects. The story drags in many places. Every time I feel the narrative pulls me in, there is another extended flashback or a massive exposition dump that puts me to sleep. The Eternals are a racially, sexually, and physically diverse group of superheroes, so much so that they could've been created by a committee. Their movie is way too long, but not nearly long enough to give adequate screen time to ten individual characters.
