Eternals (film)
Eternals is a 2021 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics race of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 26th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Chloé Zhao, who wrote the screenplay with Patrick Burleigh, Ryan Firpo, and Kaz Firpo. It stars an ensemble cast including Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, 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.
"The Eternals (film)" redirects here. Not to be confused with The Eternal (film) or Eternal (film).Eternals
- Chloé Zhao[a]
- Patrick Burleigh
- Ryan Firpo
- Kaz Firpo
- Ryan Firpo
- Kaz Firpo
- October 18, 2021 (Dolby Theatre)
- November 5, 2021 (United States)
156 minutes[3]
United States
English
$236.2 million[4]
In April 2018, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced that a film based on the Eternals was in development and would explore the group as ancient aliens living throughout human history. Ryan and Kaz Firpo were hired to write the script, and Zhao was set to direct in September. She was given significant creative freedom to rewrite the script, taking especial inspiration from Terrence Malick's films, and to use more locations and natural lighting than previous MCU films had. Casting began in early 2019 and Burleigh joined to work on the script ahead of principal photography, which took place from July 2019 to February 2020 at Pinewood Studios and on location in England and the Canary Islands.
Eternals premiered at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, 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 and received some awards and nominations, but it also became the first MCU film to not receive generally positive reviews. Particular criticism went to the screenplay and pacing, with commentators feeling it did not live up to Zhao's previous work or to previous MCU films. It received some praise for its themes and visuals.
Plot[edit]
In 5000 BC, ten superpowered beings known as Eternals—Ajak, Sersi, Ikaris, Kingo, Sprite, Phastos, Makkari, Druig, Gilgamesh, and Thena—are sent to Earth by Arishem, a Celestial, on the starship Domo. They are charged with exterminating invasive entities known as the Deviants. The last Deviant is killed in 1521 when the group's opinions differ over their continued relationship with humankind. Over the next 500 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 without explanation centuries earlier, she is now in a relationship with human Dane Whitman who works at the Natural History Museum. When the trio is attacked by the Deviant Kro, 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 Eternals' mission was actually to prepare Earth for the Emergence of a new Celestial. Arishem explains that, for millions of years, he has been planting Celestial seeds 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 they evolved and began hunting the planets' native populations, Arishem created the Eternals to counter them. With the recent end of the Blip restoring Earth's population,[b] humankind has reached the necessary size to allow the Celestial Tiamut to be born, which will result in Earth's destruction.
Hoping to delay the Emergence, the Eternals reunite. 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 they use the Uni-Mind, a connection between all the Eternals that would give Druig enough power to put Tiamut to sleep with his mind-control abilities. However, Ikaris is loyal to Arishem and refuses to help stop the Emergence. He reveals that Ajak wanted to stop the Emergence and save humanity, so he led her to the Deviants and allowed them to kill 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 in the Indian Ocean, 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 is 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. Sersi uses the remaining Uni-Mind energy to turn Sprite into a human, ending her permanent childlike state.
Thena, Druig, and Makkari depart on the Domo to warn Eternals on other planets of the Emergences. Whitman 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. He vows to return for judgment and takes the trio into a singularity.
In a mid-credits scene, Thena, Makkari, and Druig meet the Eternal Eros and his assistant Pip the Troll. In a post-credits scene, an unseen person[c] questions whether Whitman is ready to wield the Ebony Blade.
Additionally, Bill Skarsgård provides the voice of Kro, one of the Deviants,[21] and David Kaye voices the Celestial Arishem.[22] Harish Patel appears as Karun Patel, Kingo's human valet;[23] Haaz Sleiman and Esai Daniel Cross respectively portray Phastos's husband Ben and son Jack;[24] and Zain Al Rafeea plays a villager who comes across the Eternals when they first arrive on Earth.[25] Harry Styles appears in the mid-credits scene as Eros / Starfox, the brother of MCU character Thanos, while Patton Oswalt voices Eros's assistant Pip the Troll.[26] Mahershala Ali has an uncredited voice-only cameo as Blade in the post-credits scene ahead of starring in his own film.[7]
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
In April 2015, Marvel Television was working with screenwriter John Ridley to craft a new television series for ABC, "reinventing" an existing Marvel character or property,[27] which was revealed years later to be the Eternals.[28] Through its development, which ultimately had eventually been abandoned during the folding of Marvel Television in December 2019,[29][28] Ridley stated that he was trying to make a superhero television series that viewers had not necessarily seen before, with hopes that it could occupy "a space that [was] not currently being filled" by Marvel.[30] His approach to the characters would have been "a really weird story", though he stated the characters are "a really hard property" to adapt while conceding that while he believed his series would have been good it may not have been entertaining for everyone.[28]
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said in April 2018 that the studio was actively developing a film based on the Marvel Comics 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.[31] Marvel set Ryan and Kaz Firpo to write the script a month later,[32] with their outline including a love story between the characters Sersi and Ikaris.[33] 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 (MCU).[34]
Release[edit]
Theatrical[edit]
Eternals had its world premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on October 18, 2021,[105] and was screened at the Rome Film Festival on October 24.[106] 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.[106] In September 2021, Disney announced that the film would have an exclusive theatrical release for a minimum of 45 days.[107] Eternals was previously set for release on November 6, 2020,[108] before it was shifted to February 12, 2021,[74] and then to the November 2021 date, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[76] It is part of Phase Four of the MCU.[109]
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
Eternals grossed $164.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $237.2 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $402.1 million.[5][6] The film's opening weekend earned $162 million globally, which was the second-largest worldwide opening weekend in the COVID-19 pandemic for a Hollywood film, of which IMAX contributed to over $13.6 million.[123]
Future[edit]
In October 2021, Zhao said she was open to making a sequel.[175] The next month, Kaz and Ryan Firpo expressed interest in making a prequel series for Disney+ that would focus on one Eternal in a different time period each episode, such as an episode about Thena in Ancient Greece and one about Kingo in 1890s Mumbai where he balances his life as a film star with Mahatma Gandhi's campaign for India's independence from British rule. They also felt there were opportunities to continue the film's story by further exploring Dane Whitman and showing the Eternals confronting the Celestials.[176] Chan said in January 2022 that she would reprise the role of Sersi in the future.[177] 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.[178] A month later, Oswalt said a sequel had been confirmed by Marvel Studios and Zhao was returning to direct. He hoped it would further explore Eros and Pip, and expressed interest in a spin-off film for the characters.[179] In October, Moore said Marvel intended to bring back the Eternals characters in the future of the MCU.[180] 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.[181] Don Lee's talent agency indicated in December that he would reprise his role as Gilgamesh in an Eternals sequel.[182] Oswalt clarified his statements in February 2023, saying a sequel was not in development at that time and that he had been misled.[183]
