Stanko's Stance

“The saga of the Eternals, a race of immortal beings who lived on Earth and shaped its history and civilizations.“

Director: Chloé Zhao
Writer: Chloé Zhao, Patrick Burleigh, Ryan Firpo, Kaz Firpo, Jack Kirby
Staring: Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie, Kit Harrington, Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Brian Tyree Henry, Barry Keoghan, Kumail Nanjiani
Release Date: November 5, 2021

I am here for Chloé Zhao and Chloé Zhao alone.

The latest trailer for Eternals dropped around 3 AM ET on Thursday and so all the Marvel fans are hyped up. The kickoff to a new era with new stars and new expectations. How will the massive universe of Marvel take the talents of Chloé Zhao and put them to good use? how will Zhao work within the functionality of a ginormous corporation? These are questions that I have for Eternals.

The trailer begins with (Ajak) Salma Hayek interacting with Ikaris (Richard Madden) and together they are discussing Thanos. Immediately they begin touching on the question as to why these immortal beings didn’t help the humans during their biggest struggle. Ajak notes that with the humans succeeding and bringing back half of the human population, it opened the doors for the emergence to begin. Ikaris knows what that means (even though the audience doesn’t) and Ajak says they only have seven days.

Just within the first 30 seconds of the trailer we have some of the Zhao magic. She is going back to her Nomadland (2020) tone with rural, grassy plains and a character who wants to be left alone.

Some exposition for the Eternals are that they came to earth 7,000 years ago to protect humans from The Deviants…AKA the things coming now because of the emergence? Probably.

So the Eternals are not to interfere with human conflict unless The Deviants are involved, no matter what. But a question is who is telling them to do that? Who is instructing them to obey that one rule? At the 1:16 mark we get the War Of The Worlds (2005) horn blare and a spooky red menacing figure in space. Is this being a Celestial? Probably. They are the most likely culprit to be the next big bad guys.

The second half of the trailer is a get the gang back together type of vibe. Old friends who have not spoken or seen each other in hundreds of years. Thena, played by Angelina Jolie, looks the most surprised of those asked to rejoin the crew…and with a lot of people to meet her at her remote location, it makes me think she is a ring leader.

We some apprations (I see you Harry Potter fans) and character pieces as the trailer rolls on. For example, Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) doesn’t appreciate sassiness.

With a melodramatic voiceover from Thena about protecting the things you love, the trailer continues with the Eternals fonding over Humans and protecting them from various dangers. Smiling over the thing they are sworn to care for and protect. But the next voice we hear is a Celestial and it has Thena in his grasps. He is staying how no one can protect the humans, and how the Eternals can not protect any of them.

The last 20 seconds of the trailer are all on Ikaris and his Cyclops abilities. He is battling a Deviant and is in a tough spot before the title rolls across the screen. Then he makes a fool of himself smashing a wood table thinking its Vibranium and Phastos is not pleased.

I am going to be honest. I am not that excited for this movie. I am not a Marvel shrill and I don’t see this movie being a launching pad that the original Marvel phase one stuff was. I think it is dangerous that Eternals is using a team-up movie to push into the next phase and not an individual story. I know that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) is coming out in a couple weeks, but again I do not particularity care. God I am tired of comic book movies. Would love to be pleasantly surprised, but Marvel movies haven’t done that for me in a long time.

Eternals is releasing in theaters only on November 5, 2021.

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