NON SPOILER SECTION

So I watched this movie alone and I’m mad that I did. I would have enjoyed watching this with someone else. There were so many parts where I wanted to talk to someone or to just have someone to gasp to.

It is a different pace for a Marvel film and that threw me at first but then I got into it.

It is slower and has less action than the typical superhero film however that works for Eternals because we know nothing about them and there is a lot of lore.

Oh yes, I went in to watch this blind. I didn’t research anything.

So there’s a lot of lore but they don’t overload you with it. It’s given piece by piece and when you think you have all the pieces, boom! Plot twist!

I honestly did not see that plot twist coming. It was so good. In fact, I did not see many plot points coming, so they were nice surprises and kept the film interesting.

The film also made me think. There are many questions that are raised as you watch the film and it had me asking philosophical questions. Another reason I wish I’d watched it with someone so I would have had someone to discuss those questions with after the film.

The film has been praised for being diverse and I believe it deserves that praise. There is diversity in the ethnicities of the actors which I loved. We also had actors of different ages. We also have Makkari played by Lauren Ridloff who is deaf and so we have her character and the eternals using sign language throughout the film whenever she is present. We also have Phastos as an LGBT character.

For me it’s not just that that I liked but also how diverse they were as people. Their storylines and motivations. To put it simply without giving spoilers I loved how different their powers were and how that reflected who they were as people (to put it really simply).

I also liked that for the most part, they are morally grey. It makes for an interesting film.

So overall I would recommend watching it for yourself to make your own opinion. The movie was complex and if you enjoy quieter Marvel films with action sprinkled in and high stakes then you’ll enjoy this one.

Now for some SPOILERS!!!

Stop reading if you don’t want to be spoiled.

So, continuing my point from earlier, I really like the direction they took some characters’ storylines.

When Angelina Jolie was announced to be Thena and I saw her in the trailer I thought she was going to be her typical action hero self. However, I was surprised to find that for most of the film she suffers from PTSD. They don’t call it PTSD but that is what her symptoms reminded me off.

It was so much more interesting to see her play such a character and how she overcomes that. She doesn’t really… if you think about it and I like that. Something like PTSD is not easily overcome. It can take years and requires professional help.

In the end it was Gilgamesh who saved her (with his words) and I was so sad… so sad that he died!

I was so mad as well. They couldn’t have left them alone? Ikaris knew he was never going to let them awaken the giant, he couldn’t have left them alone in the desert living happily together?!

That scene got to me and it still gets to me.

It made me so sad that Thena had to see it too.

Oh man, still mad Gilgamesh is gone. The realest one.

Perhaps Ikaris let him die because he knew if push came to shove Gilgamesh would slap him around like Hulk did Loki.

Because, I’m sorry how is Ikaris the strongest one when Gilgamesh exists? When Thena exists? So he can fly, big whoop! His lasers don’t kill in one hit.

Cyclops could take him.

Now, I love, LOVE, Richard Madden but why does he insist on playing characters that I either hate or that expire quickly?

Ikaris falls into the latter category. Yes, I love Gilgamesh more (so much more) but Ikaris was an interesting character. I enjoyed his whole arc. He made some good points and honestly what did Ajak expect? He was just going to go against all he believed for one planet?

The others had lost their memories and so were attached to Earth but Ikaris wasn’t. He knew the mission from jump. If they all knew as he did…would they have reacted the same way they did?

Because the reason they get Mahd Wy’ry (the PTSD like condition)  is because of the burden of the memories. We assume it’s because they live so long but no it’s because of the countless planet destructions they’ve witnessed and caused. Thena saw into an old memory and she was traumatised.

So, does that mean that happened with them all? Was there a version of Ikaris who was against Arishem?

How did Ajak avoid that? Was it because of her healing powers?

I do like that they had Kingo deciding not to join and help them because he also made a good point (although how awkward would the ride home with Karun be?).

That was the biggest question of the movie. Would you have saved Earth or let Tiamut emerge?

I see the benefit of saving Earth but Tiamut’s birth would birth millions of galaxies and so much more life.  Also Tiamut is a being and they were talking about killing him in the end (not at first but we all knew that was the only way to stop him).

Just once, JUST ONCE, I want some intergalactic heroes to come and decide not to save Earth. Every time they’re like, Earth is great, humans have a great capacity for love… do we? Do we?

I mean we do but it’s weird that every alien that comes to Earth falls in love with Earth for the same reasons when in reality they would face the worst discrimination and be subject to lots of tests and be at the receiving end of intense hostility.

So I don’t buy it.

Second question: Do you think Tiamut knew they were trying to kill him and helped them anyway? I looked into his character briefly after the film, he’s called the dreaming celestial in the comics. His storyline is interesting even in the comics it seems. It’s just, imagine people think it’s a stone statue but it’s a being. He connected them… Is the rest of his body curled up in Earth’s core?

Side note: it’s also funny to think the Earth would have ended in seconds with no one being able to do anything about it if it weren’t for the eternals. Thanos who? They’re the ones who would have successfully obliterated Earth.

Back to who would beat Ikaris in a fight, wouldn’t Sersi? She had the most OP power of them all but it was underutilised. They didn’t realise her potential.

However, I do like that her power was not based on destruction. That all their powers represented different things and that they weren’t all the same.

Phastos was intelligent and creative. It did get a little cliché with the whole aliens gave us technology bit but I liked that his intelligence is what saved the day and that he was the binding glue and almost beat Ikaris.

The power I liked the least was probably Kingo’s spirit gun. He needs to train with Genkai some more.

I liked Sprite’s storyline and Druig’s. I knew one of them was going to snap at least once. Also, it must suck to be a child forever. But why did Arishem make her that way? Was it just so she could relate to children? Did he not see the pit falls in that plan for an eternal being?

One thing I did not like, the romance. The romance between Ikaris and Sersi fell flat. I just didn’t feel it. They were supposed to have this deep connection but we meet them at the end of the story and so I couldn’t care less.

Also, during the desert love scene all I had going on in my head was Anakin’s sand monologue. Sand just looks like the worst place to have sex.

I felt more for Gilgamesh and Thena and I’m not sure they were a romantic couple. I felt more for Phastos and Ben, Mikkari and Druig as well, I loved their relationship a lot actually. I look forward to seeing more.  So yeah that was the only negative. I could have done without their scenes.

That bit at the end when Arishem shows up though! How trippy would that be for humans? Honestly, I kind of just want to see reactions of the Avengers and that because *mind blown*!

Side note: does this happen before or after Spiderman and his timeline warping?

Another thing I did not like was the Deviant storyline. They could have expanded that more. It was very interesting how they were created and were gaining intelligence from the eternals and how they have the capacity to evolve and the eternals don’t.

Why is it the aliens we’re supposed to root for are always humanoid or “cute” in some way? And the “bad” ones are the ones who actually look like aliens, beings from another planet?

I  thought it would have been a good idea if the Deviant Kro actually teamed up with them to beat Ikaris’ ass because clearly he could take him. Why waste effort on Thena?

They have a common goal, stop the stone giant from rising!

I thought it would have been more interesting if he became nicer after absorbing Gilgamesh. However, Thena would never let him live so alas… it was not meant to be.

I understand why she wouldn’t and honestly… same. It was still fresh and all so yeah… but I just would have liked more from the Deviants.

Interesting that they’re called deviants, as they deviated from their path.

The film did leave some unanswered questions. They may think it’s unimportant but I am very interested. Ok, I’m mainly interested in Makkari. What was she looking for? What tablet? Did she just stay inside all those years? Why did she care about humans when she barely interacted with them?

Did Druig keep his cult under his mind control all those years? Or did he only do it when they got out of line and tried to kill each other? How come he couldn’t just control Ikaris? Are eternals minds cut off from him?

So what would you do? Would you save Earth or Tiamut who would create billions more life?

The plot twist of them being robots reminded me of that one TV version of Wizard of Oz that was very weird but I was into… Emerald I think.

 

Featured image from Wiki Commons and also: https://www.marvel.com/articles/movies/2020-the-eternals-arrival-marvel-cinematic-universe