With the conclusion of the “Avengers” series, Marvel fans, including myself, have waited in anticipation for what new super powered cast of characters will be brought to the big screen next. The wait is over, and I’m glad to say “Eternals” did not disappoint. Staying true to its Marvel roots, the film’s story line is what is expected from the studio, but it includes multidimensional characters and world-building mechanics, which set this film apart from what has been shown previously in the MC universe. 

The essentials of the film’s plot are made clear fairly early on in the film. Since the dawn of time, the Eternals, a race of powerful immortal beings created by a celestial named Arishem, were deployed to destroy a ravenous alien species known as the Deviants. It is eventually revealed that the Eternals’ real purpose is to preserve human life from the Deviants so that another being may consume earth’s life energy for its own. This presents a moral dilemma for our heroes, one that presents a difficult choice that they must battle out as the ever present Deviant threat grows stronger. 

Saying the film is constricted feels very much like an understatement to say the least. The film makes a clear and albeit interesting attempt at compiling thousands of years of lore, backstories, character arcs and relationships into one film, which does leave many avenues not fully explored. But what is explored is absolutely fantastic, and I really enjoyed watching both the fleshing out of the characters themselves and the intense conflict faced before them. It was refreshing to see how creative Marvel could get with their world building, and I’m relieved they did not stick too close to archetypes when creating the film. 

Another factor worth mentioning is  the glorious CGI, and provided action-packed fight scenes that actually felt satisfying to watch;  not just quick thirty second intervals where they obliterate a few Deviants then move on to the next. As for the plot, it was certainly a different route than what I was expecting from the trailers which kept me intrigued, mostly. However once again, due to the fact that the film is doing the equivalent of stuffing a lot of information into an overpacked suitcase, you can imagine there are going to be some pieces poking out. 

While the film did a great job serving as the opener for a possible new series of heroes, I still feel there were many possibilities and dynamics that could have been explored, despite the film’s two and a half hour run time. Still, I applaud how the studio gave us a glimpse into the direction Marvel is heading with their films and gave us new heroes worthy of sitting alongside our fan favorites. Overall, I would give this film a four out of five for its complex characters and fresh story line. I recommend it to anyone looking for something new in the action packed MC universe, but maybe steer clear if you are not a fan of more fantasy-like plot lines.