The Power of an Earthly Feminine: Reviewing Eternals (2021) ---
Eternals (2021) is a Marvel Studios film directed by Chloé Zhao, who wrote the
screenplay alongside Patrick Burleigh, Ryan Firpo, and Kaz Firpo. It features a large ensemble
cast of stars 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. It is adapted from the race of the same name featured in Marvel Comics, and has
a longer run time that reaches two and a half hours. The story follows a team of Eternals, who
are immortal beings that are tasked by a higher power, the Celestials, to protect Earth and
humanity from monsters known as Deviants. Faced with unexpected tragedy, they are forced to
come out of hiding and rejoin forces.
The way that the film takes a step back from the archetypical superhero movie
particularly drew my interest; we follow a complicated and large ensemble of equally powerful
characters led by a soft-spoken female hero named Sersi, while examining the complexities of
moral values, purpose and relationships. The film received largely mixed reviews from the
typical Marvel audience, lamented as slow and convoluted, but for me Eternals is elegantly
subversive; it is ultimately more human than supernatural, and the story is told with emotion and
complemented by action — a rare twist with a feminine nature.
Though we are reminded that the Eternals are completely nonhuman, it is easy to forget
as we watch them interact with civilization, their human partners, and themselves; from this,
Zhao humanizes their motivations and struggles. As a director, she specializes in capturing
human connection with the camera, and watching the special bonds between pairs of characters
brings them all to life. Eternals was released during a back-to-theaters push, past the height of
the COVID-19 pandemic and within a climate of activism from Black Lives Matter discourse; it
then took the opportunity to bring authentic diversity to a Marvel film. On paper, the Eternals
roster seems to check a suspicious number of boxes — Phastos, a Black engineer and the first
openly gay hero, Makkari, a deaf sprinter, Kingo, a muscular Bollywood star, and the leader
Sersi, an educated Asian woman. However, by setting the focus on their personalities, flaws, and
chemistry instead of their identifying characteristics, Zhao makes their differences feel
beautifully complementary rather than forced.
Zhao additionally makes several modifications to the source material in the film. Firstly,
the Deviants are largely simplified from sentient, complex beings themselves to primal
antagonists. Additionally, Sersi’s troubled love interest, Ikaris, is changed to be detached from
humans, contrasting from a more caring nature in the comics. These edits serve to further
accentuate the Eternals team and draw out the fractures in their dynamics, particularly to help
Sersi shine.
Diving into the cinematic world of Eternals, rather than exploring multiverses and
magical planets, we are grounded in an extremely earthly atmosphere, from Alaskan snow to a
Pacific volcano. The costumes of the Eternals are similarly elemental, with geometric patterns
and subdued shades of green, blue and red. The environment becomes the mood, and a narrator
in our story; it makes sense, as we are watching a story of Earth and human society itself, from
Mesopotamia to London. For instance, the setting sun is a recurring symbol of love, connection
and new beginnings, especially as displayed by Sersi. Her first gift to a human child is backlit by
a golden glow; we see it again when she first kisses Ikaris, and when she first communicates with
the Celestial Arishem. The sun’s warmth in these scenes provides stark contrast to the dark and
stormy exposure we see in more tumultuous sequences during the movie, such as the evening
battle with the Deviants in the shadows of the Amazon; these visual cues are raw and
sentimental, complementing the overarching theme of the clash between light and darkness
within the Eternals.
Expanding on the idea of eternal turmoil, the characters themselves are delicately
balanced in unexpected ways, which brings underrepresented dynamics to light. First, Sersi
represents a feminine compassion and love for life. Ikaris, on the other hand, serves as her foil:
masculine, purpose-driven, and largely unforgiving. What’s unconventional is how Sersi is
ultimately given the power to lead. In this genre, we are used to that privilege falling neatly into
the hands of a vengeful man, but Sersi sets herself apart with her strong will to protect; she
doubts her competence, but the other Eternals don’t. Her morals of the ends not justifying the
means resemble those of other heroes, yet they do not become her weakness, as seen in common
tropes of women sacrificing themselves for their cause (Black Widow in Avengers: Endgame) or
sparing their tormentor on moral high ground (Katara in Avatar: The Last Airbender). Instead,
Zhao offers the subversion of it being Ikaris who suffers the fatal weakness — of loving her.
Sersi can be seen as representing the feminine Mother Earth, whether from her green suit, her
power to transform physical matter, or in her tender, nuanced relationships with her human
boyfriend and the other Eternals. Her devotion is poignantly illustrated by the Eternal Thena,
goddess of war, when she consoles Sersi in her decision to defend humanity: “When you love
something, you protect it. It’s the most natural thing in the world” (1:52:19).
Eternals is not perfect; it takes on an imposing number of themes, and there are
occasional moments that feel shallow because they are told, rather than felt. However, its
distinctly ethereal, naturalistic style and unconventional storylines marks the film as one to
remember. Its heroine puts gentle nature at the helm of victory, and it challenges the superhero
formula, distinct from the “strong, independent woman” rehash that is too reminiscent of male
narratives in different “girl power” packaging. The Eternals are a breath of fresh air; they are
maternal and feminine in their care for humanity, and they derive power from their duty of
protection and nurture, not from conquering and destruction. All of this doesn’t take away from
the breathtaking action sequences, which only add to the grandeur of earthly power that Zhao
expertly crafts. Eternals is chaotic, serene, beautifully touching and entirely unpredictable — just
like its muse, planet Earth.