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''Eternals'' is a 2021 American superhero film based on the
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...
race of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, formerly known as Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Inc. until 2007, is an American film distribution studio within the Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. It h ...
, it is the 26th film in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published ...
(MCU). The film is directed by
Chloé Zhao Chloé Zhao, born Zhao Ting (, born 31 March 1982), is a Chinese filmmaker, known primarily for her work on independent films. Zhao's debut feature film, '' Songs My Brothers Taught Me'' (2015), premiered at Sundance Film Festival to critical a ...
, who wrote the screenplay with Patrick Burleigh, Ryan Firpo, and Kaz Firpo. It stars an ensemble cast including
Gemma Chan Gemma Chan (born 29 November 1982) is an English actress. Born and raised in London, Chan attended the Newstead Wood School for Girls and studied law at Worcester College, Oxford before choosing to pursue a career in acting instead, enrolling at ...
, Richard Madden,
Kumail Nanjiani Kumail Ali Nanjiani (; ur, کمیل علی ننجیانی, ; born May 2, 1978) is a Pakistani-American actor, comedian and screenwriter. He is known for his role as Dinesh in the HBO comedy series ''Silicon Valley'' (2014–2019) and for co-wri ...
, Lia McHugh,
Brian Tyree Henry Brian Tyree Henry (born March 31, 1982) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Alfred "Paper Boi" Miles in the FX comedy-drama series ''Atlanta'' (2016–2022), for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstan ...
, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Don Lee, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, and Angelina Jolie. In the film, the Eternals, immortal alien beings, emerge from hiding after thousands of years to protect Earth from their ancient counterparts, the Deviants. In April 2018, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced that a film based on the Eternals had begun development, with Ryan and Kaz Firpo hired to write the script in May. Zhao was set to direct the film by late September, and was given significant creative freedom with the film, which resulted in filming on location more than previous MCU films. Zhao rewrote the screenplay, to which Burleigh was later reported to have also contributed.
Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as ...
took place from July 2019 to February 2020, at Pinewood Studios as well as on location in London and
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, England, and in the
Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, :es:Canarias, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to ...
. ''Eternals'' premiered in Los Angeles on October 18, 2021, and was released in the United States on November 5, as part of Phase Four of the MCU. The film grossed $402 million worldwide. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its themes and visuals, but criticized its screenplay, pacing, runtime, and character development.


Plot

In
5000 BC The 5th millennium BC spanned the years 5000 BC to 4001 BC (c. 7 ka to c. 6 ka). It is impossible to precisely date events that happened around the time of this millennium and all dates mentioned here are estimates mostly based on geological an ...
, ten superpowered Eternals
Ajak Ajak is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, Ajak first appeared in '' The Eternals'' #2 (August 1976), he was created by Jack Kirby. The character is usually depicted as a me ...
, Sersi, Ikaris, Kingo, Sprite,
Phastos Phastos is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Peter B. Gillis and Sal Buscema, the character first appeared in '' The Eternals'' (vol. 2) #1 (October 1985). He is a member of the Ete ...
, Makkari, Druig,
Gilgamesh sux, , label=none , image = Hero lion Dur-Sharrukin Louvre AO19862.jpg , alt = , caption = Possible representation of Gilgamesh as Master of Animals, grasping a lion in his left arm and snake in his right hand, in an Assy ...
, and Thena—are sent by the Celestial Arishem to Earth on their starship, the '' Domo'', to exterminate the invasive Deviants. The last Deviants are apparently killed in 1521, when the group's opinions differ over their continued relationship with humankind. Over the next five hundred years they mostly live apart, waiting for Arishem's orders. In the present day, Sersi and Sprite live together in London. After Sersi's partner Ikaris left her centuries earlier, she is now in a relationship with human Dane Whitman who works at the Natural History Museum. When the trio are attacked by the Deviant
Kro KRO, or (Catholic Radio Broadcasting), was a Dutch public broadcasting organization founded on 23 April 1925. Broadly Catholic in its spiritual outlook, KRO broadcast the bulk of its television output on the NPO 1 channel. KRO was also responsi ...
, Ikaris arrives and chases the creature away. The three Eternals travel to South Dakota to reunite with their leader, Ajak, only to find her dead. Sersi is posthumously chosen by Ajak as her successor, granting her the ability to communicate with Arishem. Sersi learns that the mission of the Eternals was actually to prepare Earth for the Emergence. Arishem explains that, for millions of years, he has been planting the seeds of Celestials inside planets where the energy from large populations allows new Celestials to be born. The Deviants were sent to destroy the apex predators of each planet to ensure the development of intelligent life, but when the Deviants evolved and began hunting the planets' native populations, Arishem created the Eternals to counter them. With the reversal of the Blip, Earth has reached the necessary population for the birth of the Celestial Tiamut, which will result in Earth's destruction. Hoping to delay the Emergence, the Eternals reconvene. At Druig's residence in the Amazon rainforest, they are attacked by the Deviants. They kill them all except for Kro, who kills Gilgamesh before fleeing. Phastos proposes the Uni-Mind, a connection between all the Eternals that would give Druig enough power to put Tiamut to sleep with his mind-control powers. However, Ikaris reveals that Ajak told him of the Emergence centuries before. When Ajak told him she wishes to stop the Emergence, he led her to the Deviants who killed her. Sprite joins Ikaris due to her unrequited love for him while Kingo chooses to leave. Makkari locates the place of the Emergence, an
active volcano An active volcano is a volcano which is either erupting or is likely to erupt in the future. An active volcano which is not currently erupting is known as a dormant volcano. Overview Tlocene Epoch. Most volcanoes are situated on the Pacific ...
in the
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...
, where Ikaris and Sprite attempt to stop them. Druig knocks out Sprite, and Phastos restrains Ikaris. Kro arrives and is killed by Thena. Druig is unable to put Tiamut to sleep and Sersi instead attempts to turn him into marble. Ikaris breaks free of his restraints and goes to kill Sersi, but finds himself unable to due to his love for her. Both he and Sprite join with the others in the Uni-Mind and Sersi gains enough power to turn Tiamut into marble. Guilt-ridden, Ikaris flies into the Sun. At Sprite's request, Sersi uses the remaining energy from the Uni-Mind to turn Sprite into a human, ending her permanent childlike state. Thena, Druig, and Makkari depart on the ''Domo'' to find Eternals on other planets and warn them of the Emergences while Sersi, Phastos, and Kingo remain on Earth. Dane professes his love for Sersi and is about to reveal a secret about his family history when she, Phastos, and Kingo are lifted into space by Arishem. Displeased with their treason, Arishem says he will spare humanity if the Eternals' memories show that humans are worthy of living. Vowing to return for judgment, he takes the trio with him into a singularity. In a mid-credits scene, Thena, Makkari, and Druig meet the Eternal Eros,
Thanos Thanos is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, and first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 ( cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Deviant warl ...
's brother, and his assistant Pip the Troll, who offer their help. In a post-credits scene, Dane opens a case containing the
Ebony Blade The Black Knight is the alias of several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first is a medieval knight created by writer Stan Lee and artist Joe Maneely, who made his first appearance in ''Bl ...
and an unseen person questions whether he is ready for it.


Cast

*
Gemma Chan Gemma Chan (born 29 November 1982) is an English actress. Born and raised in London, Chan attended the Newstead Wood School for Girls and studied law at Worcester College, Oxford before choosing to pursue a career in acting instead, enrolling at ...
as Sersi:
An empathetic
Eternal Eternal(s) or The Eternal may refer to: * Eternity, an infinite amount of time, or a timeless state * Immortality or eternal life * God, the supreme being, creator deity, and principal object of faith in monotheism Comics, film and television * ...
with a strong connection to humans and the Earth, who can manipulate and transform matter through physical contact. Sersi has been in love with Ikaris for centuries and has a strong connection with Sprite. In the present day, she is a museum curator on Earth and dating Dane Whitman. Producer Kevin Feige described Sersi as the lead of the film. Director
Chloé Zhao Chloé Zhao, born Zhao Ting (, born 31 March 1982), is a Chinese filmmaker, known primarily for her work on independent films. Zhao's debut feature film, '' Songs My Brothers Taught Me'' (2015), premiered at Sundance Film Festival to critical a ...
said she and Chan were interested in creating "a nuanced female superhero that is rarely seen in this genre". Zhao added that Chan "brought a beautiful sense of gentleness, compassion and vulnerability" to the character that would "invite viewers to rethink what it means to be heroic". Chan called Sersi "grounded... nda little bit of a free spirit". Chan previously portrayed
Minn-Erva Doctor Minerva (Minn-Erva) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She first appeared in '' Captain Marvel'' #50 (May 1977), created by writer Scott Edelman and artist Al Milgrom. Doctor Minerva is a ...
in the MCU film '' Captain Marvel'' (2019). * Richard Madden as Ikaris:
An Eternal who can fly and project cosmic energy beams from his eyes, and is determined to fulfill his purpose. Speaking to the relationship between Ikaris and Sersi, Madden said that they have "a deep level of romance", and "are two opposing sides of how they connect with the world", since Sersi has compassion for humans while Ikaris is more disconnected given the Eternals' long life span. Madden worked to find a way to portray Ikaris in a way that he would not come across as "bored of everything". Zhao's take on Ikaris was influenced by director Zack Snyder's
interpretation Interpretation may refer to: Culture * Aesthetic interpretation, an explanation of the meaning of a work of art * Allegorical interpretation, an approach that assumes a text should not be interpreted literally * Dramatic Interpretation, an event ...
of
Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...
in '' Man of Steel'' (2013), which "left a strong impression" on her for its "authentic and very real" approach. *
Kumail Nanjiani Kumail Ali Nanjiani (; ur, کمیل علی ننجیانی, ; born May 2, 1978) is a Pakistani-American actor, comedian and screenwriter. He is known for his role as Dinesh in the HBO comedy series ''Silicon Valley'' (2014–2019) and for co-wri ...
as Kingo:
An Eternal who can project cosmic energy projectiles from his hands. Enamored with fame, Kingo becomes a popular
Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" ...
film star to blend in on Earth. Nanjiani wanted his performance to combine the wisecracking attitude of John McClane from the ''Die Hard'' film series with the look of Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan. He studied Errol Flynn films and some of the original ''Zorro'' films to prepare for the role. Nanjiani, who is not a dancer, found learning the Bollywood dances challenging. * Lia McHugh as Sprite:
An Eternal who can project life-like illusions. Sprite has the physical appearance of a young girl, with McHugh calling her an "old soul" dissatisfied with humanity. Described as "the Tinker Bell to karis's Peter Pan", McHugh was primarily inspired by Neil Gaiman's 2006 run on the character. *
Brian Tyree Henry Brian Tyree Henry (born March 31, 1982) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Alfred "Paper Boi" Miles in the FX comedy-drama series ''Atlanta'' (2016–2022), for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstan ...
as
Phastos Phastos is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Peter B. Gillis and Sal Buscema, the character first appeared in '' The Eternals'' (vol. 2) #1 (October 1985). He is a member of the Ete ...
: An Eternal and an intelligent weapons and technology inventor. He is the first superhero to be depicted as gay in an MCU film. * Lauren Ridloff as Makkari:
An Eternal who can move at superhuman speed. The character is the first deaf superhero in the MCU. After starting to run more in anticipation of the role, she shifted to muscle building in order to have "the symmetry of somebody who looks like a sprinter". * Barry Keoghan as Druig: An aloof Eternal who becomes frustrated with the inaction of the other Eternals in human affairs. He can manipulate the minds of others. * Don Lee as
Gilgamesh sux, , label=none , image = Hero lion Dur-Sharrukin Louvre AO19862.jpg , alt = , caption = Possible representation of Gilgamesh as Master of Animals, grasping a lion in his left arm and snake in his right hand, in an Assy ...
:
The strongest Eternal, with a deep connection to Thena. Lee pursued the role in order to be an inspiration to the younger generation as the first Korean superhero, and was able to utilize his boxing training for the role. * Kit Harington as Dane Whitman: A human who works at the Natural History Museum in London as a history professor and is dating Sersi. * Salma Hayek as
Ajak Ajak is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, Ajak first appeared in '' The Eternals'' #2 (August 1976), he was created by Jack Kirby. The character is usually depicted as a me ...
:
The wise and spiritual leader of the Eternals, who has the ability to heal and is the "bridge" between the Eternals and the
Celestials The Celestials are fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Depicted as cosmic beings, the characters debuted in the Bronze Age of Comic Books and have reappeared on numerous occasions. The Celestials ...
. Changing the character from a man in the comics allowed Hayek to lean into Ajak's femininity and make her the "mother figure" of the Eternals. Hayek was initially hesitant to work with Marvel, assuming she would have a supporting or "grandmother" role. * Angelina Jolie as Thena:
An elite warrior Eternal who can form any weapon out of cosmic energy and develops a close bond with Gilgamesh over the centuries. She also suffers from a psychological condition called Mahd Wy'ry. Jolie trained with various swords, spears, and staffs for the role, as well as taking ballet. Additionally, the Deviant
Kro KRO, or (Catholic Radio Broadcasting), was a Dutch public broadcasting organization founded on 23 April 1925. Broadly Catholic in its spiritual outlook, KRO broadcast the bulk of its television output on the NPO 1 channel. KRO was also responsi ...
is voiced by Bill Skarsgård, while David Kaye voices the Celestial Arishem. Harish Patel appears as Karun, Kingo's human valet. Haaz Sleiman and Esai Daniel Cross portray Ben and Jack, Phastos' husband and son, respectively; and
Zain Al Rafeea Zain Al Rafeea ( ar, زين الرافعي, born 10 October 2004) is a Syrian-born Norwegian actor. He is best known for his starring role in the 2018 Lebanese film ''Capernaum'', which won the Jury Prize at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. Life a ...
portrays a villager who comes across the Eternals upon their arrival on Earth. Harry Styles appears in the film's mid-credits scene as Eros / Starfox, the brother of
Thanos Thanos is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, and first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 ( cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Deviant warl ...
, while
Patton Oswalt Patton Peter Oswalt (born January 27, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer. He is known as Spence Olchin in the sitcom '' The King of Queens'' (1998–2007) and for narrating the sitcom '' The Goldbergs'' (2013–present) as ...
voices his assistant Pip the Troll. Mahershala Ali has an uncredited voice
cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...
as Blade in the post-credits scene, ahead of starring in his own film.


Production


Development

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said in April 2018 that the studio was actively developing a film based on the
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...
series '' Eternals'', created by Jack Kirby, to be released as part of their Phase Four slate of films. Marvel Studios had met with multiple screenwriters, and was believed to be focusing on the character Sersi in the film. Marvel set Ryan and Kaz Firpo to write the script a month later, with their outline including a love story between the characters Sersi and Ikaris. In June, Feige said Marvel was interested in exploring the "ancient aliens kind of sci-fi trope" by having the Eternals be the inspiration for myths and legends throughout the history of the
Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published ...
(MCU). During late August, Marvel's director search for ''Eternals'' narrowed to a shortlist that included
Chloé Zhao Chloé Zhao, born Zhao Ting (, born 31 March 1982), is a Chinese filmmaker, known primarily for her work on independent films. Zhao's debut feature film, '' Songs My Brothers Taught Me'' (2015), premiered at Sundance Film Festival to critical a ...
—who had also been in the running to direct Marvel's '' Black Widow'' (2021)— Nicole Kassell, Travis Knight, and the pair of Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra. Zhao approached Marvel Studios about making the film as she had been a fan of the MCU. She wanted to work with the studio to bring her own take and world-building to the franchise, and impressed them with a presentation that Feige described as fascinating, with "reams of visuals". Zhao worked with producer
Nate Moore Nathan Gregory Moore (born April 8, 1983) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional from 2006 until 2013, he competed for Strikeforce. Background Born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, Moore was a two-time state wrestling c ...
to develop her pitch. The presentation left Marvel concerned that she might take on a different big-studio project instead of ''Eternals'', forcing them to move quickly to secure her, and Zhao was hired as director in September. Zhao hoped to push the scope of the film further than Marvel's '' Avengers: Endgame'' (2019), but also wanted it to have intimacy. Zhao described the film as a melting pot of influences, from Kirby's original work, Neil Gaiman's 2006 run, previous MCU projects, Zhao's fandom of the MCU, and her love of science fiction and fantasy films and manga. Speaking specifically to her love of manga, she hoped those influences would create a "marriage of East and West". Zhao cited the TV series ''
Ancient Aliens ''Ancient Aliens'' is an American television series that explores the pseudohistorical and pseudoarchaeological ancient astronauts hypothesis, past human- extraterrestrial contact, UFOs, government conspiracies and related pseudoscientific topi ...
'', the ''
Final Fantasy is a Japanese science fantasy anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and developed and owned by Square Enix (formerly Square). The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science fantasy role-playing video games. The ...
'' video game series, the concepts from
Yuval Noah Harari Yuval Noah Harari ( he, יובל נח הררי ; born 1976) is an Israeli historian and professor in the Department of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is the author of the popular science bestsellers '' Sapiens: A Brief History ...
's book '' Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind'', and the films of
Terrence Malick Terrence Frederick Malick (born November 30, 1943) is an American filmmaker. His films include ''Days of Heaven'' (1978), '' The Thin Red Line'' (1998), for which he received Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay ...
as her inspirations for the film. Marvel considered ''Eternals'' to be a perfect transition into its next phase of films along with projects such as '' Captain Marvel'' (2019), allowing the studio to cast a diverse group of actors to portray the various Eternals. Moore's initial planning documents for the project including the swapping of genders, sexualities, and ethnicities of some characters from the comic books, with Zhao further advocating for this approach. In February 2019, Feige reiterated that Marvel was interested in the Eternals due to Kirby's epic, century-spanning story, with the film version spanning 7,000 years and exploring humanity's place in the cosmos. Zhao noted that the Eternals "have lived among us for so long, hey havethe same struggles like identity, purpose, faith, personal freedom versus greater good — all the duality and flaws that make us human". When trying to develop a story that spanned so many years, Marvel realized that the characters would likely be a family unit, with friendship that would "turn into frenemies, and then turn into enemies, and then come back to friendship". Zhao also looked to the Earth as an eleventh character in the film, chronicling its journey alongside the Eternal characters. Marvel also wanted to create more ensemble films that were not crossover films, like '' Guardians of the Galaxy'' (2014), while introducing relatively unknown characters to audiences as they did with that film's title characters and the Avengers.


Pre-production

Angelina Jolie joined the cast in March 2019, reportedly as Sersi, with
Kumail Nanjiani Kumail Ali Nanjiani (; ur, کمیل علی ننجیانی, ; born May 2, 1978) is a Pakistani-American actor, comedian and screenwriter. He is known for his role as Dinesh in the HBO comedy series ''Silicon Valley'' (2014–2019) and for co-wri ...
and Don Lee cast in undisclosed roles the next month. At that time, the film was expected to feature Marvel Studios' first gay superhero. In May, Richard Madden entered negotiations for the role of Ikaris, and Salma Hayek had entered early negotiations for an undisclosed role the following month. In July, '' Variety'' reported that the cast included Jolie, Madden, and Millie Bobby Brown, but Brown denied that she had been cast. At the 2019
San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is ...
, Feige officially announced ''The Eternals'' with a release date of November 6, 2020. He officially announced the casting of Jolie as Thena, Nanjiani as Kingo, Lee as
Gilgamesh sux, , label=none , image = Hero lion Dur-Sharrukin Louvre AO19862.jpg , alt = , caption = Possible representation of Gilgamesh as Master of Animals, grasping a lion in his left arm and snake in his right hand, in an Assy ...
, Madden as Ikaris, and Hayek as
Ajak Ajak is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, Ajak first appeared in '' The Eternals'' #2 (August 1976), he was created by Jack Kirby. The character is usually depicted as a me ...
, along with Lauren Ridloff as Makkari,
Brian Tyree Henry Brian Tyree Henry (born March 31, 1982) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Alfred "Paper Boi" Miles in the FX comedy-drama series ''Atlanta'' (2016–2022), for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstan ...
as
Phastos Phastos is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Peter B. Gillis and Sal Buscema, the character first appeared in '' The Eternals'' (vol. 2) #1 (October 1985). He is a member of the Ete ...
, and Lia McHugh as Sprite. Zhao looked for actors for each role that could "find a bit of themselves in their character". Feige added that one of these actors was portraying an LGBTQ character, with actor Haaz Sleiman later revealing that Phastos is depicted as gay in the film. Sleiman portrays the character's husband, and the pair have a child in the film. Sleiman felt it was important to depict "how loving and beautiful a queer family can be" rather than the "sexual or rebellious" depiction in some previous media. Feige said the relationship was "always sort of inherent in the story" and he felt it was "extremely well done" in the film, while Sleiman said it was a "thoughtful" depiction. ''Eternals'' is set around eight months after the events of ''Avengers: Endgame'', and addresses why the Eternals did not interfere in any past conflicts in the MCU. Both Feige and Moore said the film would have "major ripple effects" on the future of the MCU, and at times, it was "a challenge" to balance the grounded nature of the MCU with the "mythic grandeur" of the Eternals property.


Filming

By the film's official announcement in July 2019,
principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as ...
had begun at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England. Ben Davis served as director of photography, after doing so on several previous MCU films. Zhao said Marvel Studios allowed her creative freedom to shoot the film on location, "exactly the way hewanted to shoot" it. She was able to use a similar style to her previous films, including 360° shots and working with the same camera and rigs as were used for her film ''
Nomadland ''Nomadland'' is a 2020 American drama film written, produced, edited and directed by Chloé Zhao. Based on the 2017 nonfiction book '' Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century'' by Jessica Bruder, it stars Frances McDormand a ...
'' (2020), which Zhao was set to complete back-to-back with ''The Eternals''. Zhao felt that she "got lucky in that Marvel wants to take risks and do something different." Zhao cited '' The Revenant'' (2015) as a primary influence when composing the film's action sequences.
Gemma Chan Gemma Chan (born 29 November 1982) is an English actress. Born and raised in London, Chan attended the Newstead Wood School for Girls and studied law at Worcester College, Oxford before choosing to pursue a career in acting instead, enrolling at ...
and Barry Keoghan were in talks to join the cast in August 2019. Chan previously portrayed
Minn-Erva Doctor Minerva (Minn-Erva) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She first appeared in '' Captain Marvel'' #50 (May 1977), created by writer Scott Edelman and artist Al Milgrom. Doctor Minerva is a ...
in ''Captain Marvel'', but reports noted that she was potentially being looked at by Marvel to play a separate character in this film. Since Minn-Erva dies in that film, Chan had felt that it was unlikely she would return to the MCU, but after working on the film she was told by Feige that the studio wanted to "make better use" of her in a future project. This led to Chan auditioning for Sersi, one of the last actresses to be considered for the role. Chan later described Sersi as the most difficult role for the film to cast. Chan and Keoghan were confirmed to be cast in the film at the D23 Expo in August, in the roles of Sersi and Druig, respectively, along with Kit Harington as Dane Whitman. Chan said she and Marvel Studios were surprised by how soon after ''Captain Marvel'' her new MCU role came, with both assuming that it would have been a project further in the future. Harish Patel was cast at the end of August as Karun, Kingo's manager, and filmed his role from September 2019 until January 2020. By early November, filming took place in the
Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, :es:Canarias, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to ...
. The filming cast and crew, including Jolie and Madden, had to be evacuated from a shooting location on the island of Fuerteventura when an explosive device was found there. The device was thought to be a remnant armament from a Nazi base. Later that month,
Zain Al Rafeea Zain Al Rafeea ( ar, زين الرافعي, born 10 October 2004) is a Syrian-born Norwegian actor. He is best known for his starring role in the 2018 Lebanese film ''Capernaum'', which won the Jury Prize at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. Life a ...
joined the cast. In early January 2020, filming took place outside the Oxford University Museum of Natural History in
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, England, as well as Hampstead Heath and in Camden in London, under the working title ''Sack Lunch''. Chan said the filming process felt very different from what she experienced on ''Captain Marvel'', explaining that ''Eternals'' shot more on location and utilized natural light while ''Captain Marvel'' had more studio work and bluescreen. Filming wrapped on February 4, 2020.


Post-production

In March 2020, Scanline VFX, one of the companies working on the film's visual effects, confirmed that they would be working remotely due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. Industrial Light & Magic, Luma Pictures,
RISE Rise or RISE may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * '' Rise: The Vieneo Province'', an internet-based virtual world * Rise FM, a fictional radio station in the video game ''Grand Theft Auto 3'' * Rise Kujikawa, a vide ...
, and Weta Digital also worked on the film's visual effects. In early April, Disney shifted much of their Phase Four slate of films due to the pandemic, moving ''The Eternals'' release date to February 12, 2021. In August, the film's title was officially shortened from ''The Eternals'' to ''Eternals'', and the next month, the release date was pushed back to November 5, 2021. Reshoots had taken place by mid-November 2020. In January 2021, Zhao revealed that she was also a writer on the film, with Patrick Burleigh soon revealed to have worked on the script as well. Additional filming occurred in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
in early February, also under the working title ''Sack Lunch''.
Dylan Tichenor Dylan Tichenor'', A.C.E.'' (born 1968) is an American film editor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a Critics' Choice Movie Award, a Hollywood Film Award and a Satellite Award, and has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Awa ...
and Craig Wood serve as co-editors of the film. Tichenor said Zhao usually edits her own films and has "strong opinions", but on ''Eternals'' she was relying on Tichenor and Wood due to the size of the production and the ongoing awards season for ''Nomadland''. Tichenor added that Zhao respected the pair's editing experience and point of view, and they made their first cut of the film without much input from her. They began adjusting the film based on Zhao's feedback, and were still working on the editing in April 2021. At the end of the month, Zhao said editing for the film was in its "final stretch", and Jashaun St. John was revealed to appear in the film, after previously starring in Zhao's film ''
Songs My Brothers Taught Me ''Songs My Brothers Taught Me'' is a 2015 American independent coming-of-age Native American drama tragedy film written and directed by Chloé Zhao in her feature film directorial debut, and produced by Zhao and Forest Whitaker. Developed at t ...
'' (2015). At the end of May 2021, with the release of the first teaser trailer and poster for the film, the official writing credits were revealed: Zhao was credited as the screenwriter, both as a solo contributor and as part of a writing team with Burleigh, while Ryan and Kaz Firpo received story credit. Additionally, Gil Birmingham was revealed to have been cast in the film, although he was absent in the final film. In July 2021, Writers Guild of America West presented the film's final writing credits, awarding Ryan and Kaz Firpo screenplay credit along with Zhao and the team of Zhao and Burleigh, in addition to their story credit. Moore believed the studio had "bit off as much as we could chew" with the film, creating one that "felt urgent and present and had fastpace, but also took time to reflect back over the centuries". At the film's world premiere, Matt Donnelly of '' Variety'' tweeted that Harry Styles made an appearance in a post-credits scene as Eros,
Thanos Thanos is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, and first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 ( cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Deviant warl ...
' brother in the comics, which was not shown in early press screenings of the film. Zhao later revealed that she "kept tabs on tyles since his appearance in '' Dunkirk'' (2017), believing that he "makes me think of Eros as a character". WWE wrestler Becky Lynch had a role in the film for a planned post-credits scene that was intended to set up a future project. The scene was removed for being reportedly "too depressing".


Music

Ramin Djawadi composed the score for the film, after previously doing so for Marvel's '' Iron Man'' (2008). Two songs from the film's soundtrack, "Across the Oceans of Time" and "Eternals Theme", were released as
singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...
on October 22, 2021, while the full album was released on November 3.


Marketing

The first footage of the film was released in May 2021 as part of a promotional video from Marvel Studios celebrating their films and a return to movie theaters. Though the footage was limited and "vague", Hoai-Tran Bui at '' /Film'' still felt it was "very exciting". Chaim Gartenberg of '' The Verge'' felt one of the biggest moments of the footage was seeing Jolie wielding a sword made of light. He was also encouraged that ''Eternals'' appeared to be one of Marvel's first films to "deliver on heiryears-long promise of creating films with more diverse casts". '' Nerdist'' Michael Arbeiter said the footage was quick, but felt that it "manages an air of wonderment". The first teaser for the film was released on May 24, 2021. Gartenberg felt the teaser was light on plot elements, with it instead focusing on the "civilization-spanning scope of the superhero team and its members throughout human history". He also believed the film was "a big swing" from Marvel Studios to entice audiences with a lesser-known comics property, but believed that it would succeed due to its diverse cast of well-known actors and Zhao's status as "one of the most exciting directors around". '' io9'' Charlies Pulliam-Moore felt the trailer was a "multiple millennia-spanning recap of Earth's history", and said it was unclear how much the larger MCU would impact on the film outside of a brief reference to the Avengers at the end of the trailer. Writing for ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...
'', Nick Romano felt the teaser was a combination of "thrilling, goosebump-inducing moments" and some jokes. Erik Adams of '' The A.V. Club'' felt the spot teased some fresh angles for the MCU in a similar way to '' Thor: Ragnarok'' (2017) and ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' (2014), and he enjoyed the images of Kingo's Bollywood dance, Sprite performing karaoke, and the end scene of the Eternals eating together and joking about the Avengers. After seeing the teaser, ''Variety'' Adam B. Vary described the film as "unquestionably a Chloé Zhao movie", but wished more action set pieces were featured in the teaser to see how Zhao would approach them in the film. Adele Ankers of '' IGN'' discussed the poster that was released at the same time as the trailer, highlighting how the Eternals appear in silhouette against a sunlit background which she described as "another taste of Chloé Zhao's signature filming style and the use of natural light to illuminate a frame" that would be seen in the film. Upon release, the teaser quickly became the number one trending video on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
and amassed 77 million global views in its first 24 hours. Disney's president of marketing Asad Ayaz said the teaser was designed to just be an introduction to the characters and tone and not give much of the film away, adding the marketing team would be "very judicious" on when more material would be revealed, while also using the releases of ''Black Widow'' and '' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'' before ''Eternals'' to help expose audiences to the characters. The final trailer was released in August 2021, with Ethan Shanfeld and Manori Ravindran of ''Variety'' feeling it was "more serious in tone" than the teaser with the Eternals "grappling with the prospect of emerging after centuries living apart in order to help humans". ''Entertainment Weekly'' Devan Coggan felt that the trailer was the "best glimpse yet" of the film and gave a "sense of the vast scale and scope of the film", while answering "one important question" about the absence of the Eternals during the conflict against
Thanos Thanos is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, and first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 ( cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Deviant warl ...
in ''Avengers: Infinity War'' and ''Avengers: Endgame''. Aaron Couch at ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...
'' said the trailer "reveals much of
he film's He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
plot as well as its characters' powers, teasing the answers to key questions about who the Eternals answer to, their relationship to Earth and why they ultimately didn't intervene" in the conflict against Thanos. In October 2021, Lexus released a commercial promoting the film and its Lexus IS 500 sports sedan starring Nanjiani as Kingo, with frequent MCU directors
Joe and Anthony Russo Anthony Russo (born February 3, 1970) and Joseph Russo (born July 18, 1971), collectively known as the Russo brothers (), are American directors, producers, and screenwriters. They direct most of their work together. They are best known for dir ...
guiding its development and
Framestore Framestore is a British animation, visual effects company and creative studio based on Chancery Lane in London. Formed in 1986, it acquired (and subsequently merged with) the Computer Film Company in 1997. It works on feature films and telev ...
working on the visual effects. Lexus created ten concept cars based on the ten Eternals characters from the film. The LS 500h and NX are featured in the film. Beginning on November 20, 2021, select costumes from the film were part of the ''Futures'' exhibit at the
Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Found ...
's Arts and Industries Building, which will run through July 2022. Behind-the-scenes content looking at the evolution of the film's visuals as well as an augmented reality experience were also included in the exhibit.


Release


Theatrical

''Eternals'' had its world premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on October 18, 2021, and was screened at the Rome Film Festival on October 24. The film was released theatrically in many European countries on November 3, and in the United States and the United Kingdom on November 5 in RealD 3D and 4DX. In September 2021, Disney announced that the film would have an exclusive theatrical release for a minimum of 45 days. ''Eternals'' was previously set for release on November 6, 2020, before it was shifted to February 12, 2021, and then to the November 2021 date, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is part of Phase Four of the MCU.


Censorship

In May 2021, a Chinese state media report excluded ''Eternals'', as well as ''Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'', from its list of upcoming MCU films releasing, which ''Variety'' noted "added to rumors" that the films would not be released in China, especially since Zhao had become "an unexpected '' persona non grata''" in the country after she was scrutinized by Chinese
netizens The term netizen is a portmanteau of the English words '' internet'' and ''citizen'', as in a "citizen of the net" or "net citizen". It describes a person actively involved in online communities or the Internet in general.< ...
over her remarks in a 2013 interview with '' Filmmaker'' magazine in which she described China as "a place where there are lies everywhere". By September 2021, ''
Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, wi ...
'' reported it remained "an open question" if the Chinese government or Zhao would attempt to "rehabilitate" the situation, but it "seems likely" the film would not be released in China following the country's response to ''Nomadland'' as well as ''Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'' likely not being released in the country either following backlash to comments made by star Simu Liu in 2017. The film was not released in
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...
,
Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Ku ...
,
Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
,
Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and a ...
and
Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...
due to the depiction of a gay couple. Theaters in the
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (Middle East, The Middle East). It is ...
,
Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
,
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...
and
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...
were set to show an edited version of the film which is missing all the love scenes. Angelina Jolie criticized the countries' decision to ban the film, saying: "I'm sad for hose audiences And I'm proud of Marvel for refusing to cut those scenes out. I still don't understand how we live in a world today where there's still eople whowould not see the family Phastos has and the beauty of that relationship and that love. How anybody is angry about it, threatened by it, doesn't approve or appreciate it is ignorant." Lebanese actor Haaz Sleiman, who played Phastos' husband Ben in the film, also voiced the same reaction towards the matter: "They stood their ground and said, 'Nope, we are not going to compromise the integrity of our film.' It made these Arab countries looks so ignorant and pathetic. I have no respect for those governments. They have displayed to the world that they are not only a disgrace to humanity, but to God. Hopefully this will inspire the Saudi people, the Kuwaiti people and the people in Qatar to fight back." Marvel later agreed to cut any kind of love scenes, including the gay couple kiss for the film's release in
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...
, which received praise by the Indonesian Film Censorship Board (LSF).


Home media

''Eternals'' began streaming on
Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...
on January 12, 2022, with the option to view the theatrical version of the film or an IMAX Enhanced version. Audio commentary and additional bonus features for the film were added to Disney+ in March 2022. It was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray,
Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...
, and DVD on February 15. The home media includes audio commentary, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and various behind-the-scenes featurettes. According to Samba TV, ''Eternals'' was watched by 2 million U.S. households during its first five days on Disney+. ''Eternals'' was also the top streaming film for viewers in the United States for the week ending January 16, 2022, according to Whip Media's TV Time.


Reception


Box office

''Eternals'' grossed $164.9million in the United States and Canada, and $237.2million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $402.1million. The film's opening weekend earned $162 million globally, which was the second-largest worldwide opening weekend in the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
for a Hollywood film, of which IMAX contributed to over $13.6 million.


Pre-sale tickets and projections

Advanced ticket sales for ''Eternals'' were estimated to be $2.6 million in its first 24 hours, outpacing those for ''Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'' ($1.4 million) and ''Black Widow'' ($2 million) during the same time frame, while AMC Theatres had the largest first day sales of 2021 for the film. In November, Fandango reported that pre-sales for ''Eternals'' were second-largest of 2021, behind ''Black Widow''. In October, ''
Boxoffice Pro ''Boxoffice Pro'' is a film industry magazine dedicated to the movie theatre business published by BoxOffice Media LP. History It started in 1920 as ''The Reel Journal'', taking the name ''Boxoffice'' in 1931 and still publishes today, wit ...
'' initially projected that the film would earn $82–102 million within its opening weekend, and around $210–280 million in total domestic box office. At the end of the month, ''Boxoffice Pro'' modified their projections to $67–92 million for the film's opening weekend, and around $165–215 million in total domestic box office, due to mixed early critical reception. According to ''
Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, wi ...
'', ''Eternals'' was expected to earn $75 million within its domestic opening weekend, and around $150 million globally.


Performance

In the United States and Canada, ''Eternals'' earned $30.7 million in its opening day, which included $9.5 million from Thursday night previews, marking the third-largest opening day of the pandemic, behind ''Black Widow'' and '' Venom: Let There Be Carnage''. Its opening weekend earned $71.3 million from 5.5 million theater admissions, making it the top film of the weekend. IMAX accounted for over $7.6 million of the weekend. This marked the fourth-largest opening weekend of the pandemic. The domestic opening weekend gross was lower than various pre-release projections. ''Deadline'' attributed this to the film's overall mixed reception from critics and audiences. In its second weekend, ''Eternals'' remained the top film, grossing over $27.5 million. In its third weekend, the film earned $10.8 million, finishing second behind '' Ghostbusters: Afterlife''. In its fourth weekend, ''Eternals'' was fourth, with $11.5 million earned over the five-day Thanksgiving weekend. ''Eternals'' became the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2021 in the United States. Outside of North America, ''Eternals'' earned over $90.7 million within its opening weekend from 46 markets. It was number-one in nearly all of these markets. The international opening weekend gross had exceeded various pre-release projections. IMAX contributed to $6 million of the opening gross, from 58 countries. The film scored the largest opening of the pandemic in Italy, Brazil, and Hong Kong. In South Korea, ''Eternals'' earned $14.4 million, marking the largest debut for a Hollywood film amid the pandemic. In Russia, the film earned an opening of $5.4 million through six days. In its second weekend, ''Eternals'' earned $48 million from 49 markets, a drop of 49%. It remained number one in many of these territories. The following weekend, the film earned $22.7 million. It was the top film of the weekend internationally, remaining the top film in many territories, including all markets across Latin America, except for Mexico. In the film's fourth weekend, ''Eternals'' accumulated $10.2 million, while surpassing '' No Time to Die'' to become the highest-grossing film of the pandemic in Italy. As of November 28, 2021, the film's largest markets are South Korea ($26.4 million), the United Kingdom ($18.7 million), France ($14.9 million), Mexico ($14.3 million), and Brazil ($11.1 million).


Critical response

The
review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...
reports an approval rating of 47% based on 403 reviews, with an average rating of 5.60/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "An ambitious superhero epic that soars as often as it strains, ''Eternals'' takes the MCU in intriguing—and occasionally confounding—new directions." On
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, the film has a weighted average score of 52 out of 100, based on 62 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". It is the lowest-rated MCU film on both websites and the first installment to be classified as "rotten" on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, the lowest grade for an MCU film, and PostTrak reported 78% of audience members gave it a positive score, with 60% saying they would definitely recommend it. Charlotte O'Sullivan of the ''
Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...
'' described the film as "lavish" and "ambitious", and praised the fight sequences as "astounding, beautifully paced and crammed with detail". Robert Abele of ''
TheWrap ''TheWrap'' is an American online news website covering the business of entertainment and media via digital, print and live events. It was founded by journalist Sharon Waxman in 2009. Awards ''TheWrap'' has won awards for its journalism, incl ...
'' commended the cinematography and felt "an earnestness to the operatic stakes". Oliver Jones of the '' Observer'' called it "full of wonder and romance and fueled by an agenda and audacity all its own". Owen Gleiberman was disappointed over Zhao's missing filmmaking style that shaped her films '' The Rider'' (2017) and ''
Nomadland ''Nomadland'' is a 2020 American drama film written, produced, edited and directed by Chloé Zhao. Based on the 2017 nonfiction book '' Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century'' by Jessica Bruder, it stars Frances McDormand a ...
'' (2020) to "embrace the straight-up expository conventionality of Marvel filmmaking", but felt that the film was a "squarely fun and gratifying watch". Moira Macdonald of ''
The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington ...
'' thought "it's got some pretty slow spots midfilm and it's desperately in need of a bit more wit ... what it does have is a palpable, artful mood; this is a movie full of superheroes who spend time thinking and feeling, and of special effects that aren't just zippy but often delicately elegant". Linda Marric of '' The Jewish Chronicle'' described it as "a mishmash of well-meaning, yet jarringly verbose and bafflingly incoherent nonsense which is only just about saved by some half decent performances"; Nicholas Barber of '' BBC Culture'' called Zhao's direction "workmanlike"; and Clarisse Loughrey of ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'' said that it "strives for the same expansive soulfulness" as ''Nomadland'' "but discovers there's room enough only for the occasional burst of it". Brian Truitt of ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'' praised Zhao's "penchant for naturalistic environments", but wrote that the narrative "struggles to juggle its many subplots and tries to do too much". Mark Kennedy of the
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...
criticized the dialogue and fight scenes, but praised the visual effects and Nanjiani's performance. Shirley Li of ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'' felt that "Zhao's delicate examination of her characters outshines ''Eternals'' duller and more convoluted moments".
Robbie Collin Robbie Collin is a British film critic. Collin studied aesthetics and the philosophy of film at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. He edited the university's student newspaper, '' The Saint''. Collin has been the chief film critic at ''The D ...
wrote the film was "constantly engaged in a kind of grit-toothed authenticity theatre, going out of its way to show you it's doing all the things proper cinema does, even though none of them bring any discernible benefit";
Kevin Maher Kevin Andrew Maher (born 17 October 1976) is a former professional footballer and coach who played as a midfielder. He is head coach of National League side Southend United. Born in England, he represented the Republic of Ireland internationall ...
felt "a strange self-sabotaging energy at the heart"; and Steve Rose of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
'' missed "the breezy wit of Marvel's best movies ... like coming into '' Avengers: Endgame'' cold without having seen any of the preceding installments". K. Austin Collins of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' felt that the film was "good at telling us where to look, at impressing us with its manufactured sense of grandeur", but lacked "any credible sense of what's actually worth seeing".
Justin Chang Justin Choigee Chang (born January 3, 1983) is an American film critic and columnist for the ''Los Angeles Times''. He previously worked for ''Variety''. Early life Justin Chang graduated from the University of Southern California in 2004. Chan ...
of the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
'' had a "depressing realization that you've just seen one of the more interesting movies Marvel will ever make, and hopefully the least interesting one Chloé Zhao will ever make". Brian Lowry of CNN thought "the movie's structural flaws offset its stunning visuals and strong performances". Kyle Smith of '' National Review'' was harsher, describing it as "one of the dumbest, cheesiest, most trite, and least human" of the MCU films. The mixed reception surprised some commentators, given the MCU's positive track record and the acclaim of Zhao's previous work. Richard Newby of ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...
'' wrote that "much of the criticism of Kirby's work", which was divisive for its subject matter and relationship to the wider Marvel Universe, "has followed Zhao in her adaptation." He compared the divisive response to that of Zack Snyder's DC Extended Universe films ''Man of Steel'' and '' Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'' (2016), writing that they and ''Eternals'' share "a deconstructive approach to superheroes and force them to question their purpose in the world, through meditative and melancholy narrative beats, and a tragic yet hopeful ending." This approach, he felt, subverted critics and audiences' expectations, which made them review the film more harshly. Zhao addressed some of the criticisms of the film, believing some of the divisiveness came from everyone "having an existential crisis" because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the film being an "existential crisis, both for humanity and God". She also felt the reactions to how the film incorporated her filmmaking sensibilities with Marvel's were "a testament to how much we had merged with each other; how uncomfortable that might make people feel".


Accolades

The film was given the Seal of Authentic Representation from the Ruderman Family Foundation for Ridloff's role as Makkari. The seal is given to films and series that feature actors with disabilities who have at least five lines of dialogue. ''Eternals'' was also one of 28 films that received
the ReFrame Stamp The ReFrame Stamp for Gender-Balanced Production certification is awarded by ReFrame to corporations and media that show progress toward gender equality and greater representation of women in key roles. History On June 8, 2018, the ReFrame Stam ...
for 2021, awarded by the gender equity coalition ReFrame for films that are proven to have gender-balanced hiring.


Documentary special

In February 2021, the documentary series ''Marvel Studios: Assembled'' was announced. The special on this film, ''Assembled: The Making of Eternals'', was released on Disney+ on February 16, 2022.


Future

In October 2021, Zhao said she was open to making a sequel. The next month, Kaz and Ryan Firpo expressed interest in a prequel series for Disney+ that would follow an Eternal in a different time period each episode, such as an episode about Thena in Greece and one about Kingo "in 1890s Mumbai where he is juggling his life as a movie star, dealing with Gandhi's peaceful dissolution of the British empire in India". They also felt there were opportunities to continue the film's story by exploring Dane Whitman and showing the Eternals confronting the Celestials. Chan said in January 2022 that she would reprise the role of Sersi in the future. Feige was asked about Styles's future in the MCU that July and said Marvel Studios was excited to further explore the characters Eros and Pip as part of the MCU's more cosmic stories. A month later, Oswalt said a sequel had been confirmed by Marvel Studios and Zhao was returning to direct. In October, Moore said that the Eternals characters were intended to return in the future of the MCU. Nanjiani said the following month that he was unaware of a sequel and believed Oswalt was mistaken, but expressed interest in reprising his role as Kingo. Don Lee's talent agency indicated in December that he would reprise his role as Gilgamesh in an ''Eternals'' sequel.


See also

* List of films featuring the deaf and hard of hearing


Notes


References


External links

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