Eternals (Film)

Eternals is a 2021 American superhero, fantasy, action, and science fiction film directed by Academy Award-winning Chloé Zhao, based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name. It is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and tells the epic story of an immortal alien race that has secretly protected Earth since the dawn of human existence. The film features an international cast including Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek, and centers on the millennia-long conflict between the Eternals—created by cosmic beings known as Celestials—and their historical enemies, the Deviants. The American-produced film was released globally on 5 November 2021^【1】.

^{Eternals Film Poster (}IMDB⁾

In 5000 BCE, a group of ten Eternals with extraordinary abilities is sent to Earth by a Celestial named Arishem to protect the planet from wild alien creatures known as Deviants. For centuries, this group guides and safeguards human civilizations from Mesopotamia to Babylon, India to South America, but internal conflicts arise due to moral dilemmas and ideological disagreements about the nature of humanity. After eliminating the last Deviants in Tenochtitlan in 1521, Thena, the group’s fierce warrior, succumbs to a psychological condition called Mahd Wy’ry caused by the weight of her memories, leading to the group’s dispersal and the members living in secret isolation across Earth for hundreds of years.

Avengers: Endgame, following the events of that film, triggers an unexpected cosmic tragedy as the human population returns to Earth. In present-day London, Sersi, who is in a romantic relationship with the human Dane Whitman, is attacked by Kro, a new-generation Deviant, alongside Sprite. With Ikaris’ intervention after centuries, the trio realizes the Deviants have returned and travels to South Dakota to find Ajak, the group’s spiritual leader. They discover Ajak dead, and leadership passes to Sersi. When Sersi communicates with Arishem, she learns the Eternals’ true purpose is not to fight Deviants but to enable the emergence of a new Celestial named Tiamut, embedded within Earth’s core, by ensuring humanity reaches sufficient energy levels. The birth of a new Celestial means the complete destruction of the planet.

^{Scene from Eternals (}IMDB⁾

Deeply devoted to humanity, the Eternals resolve to stop the Emergence. However, it is revealed that Ikaris, one of the group’s most powerful members, betrayed Ajak and deliberately caused her death to remain loyal to Arishem’s plan. After Gilgamesh dies protecting Thena during a Deviant attack in the Amazon rainforest, Sersi and her team gather at the base of an active volcano in the Indian Ocean to halt Tiamut’s awakening. Following a fierce battle against Ikaris, Sersi, Makkari, Thena, and Phastos combine the powers of all Eternals through Phastos’s invention, the Uni-Mind. Sersi transforms Tiamut into stone, saving Earth, while Ikaris, consumed by guilt and despair, flies into the Sun and commits suicide^【2】. At the film’s end, Arishem takes Sersi, Phastos, and Kingo into space to examine their memories and decide whether humanity deserves to live; Thena, Makkari, and Druig encounter Eros (Harry Styles), Thanos’s brother, aboard the spaceship Domo.

The film revolves around ten core Eternal characters and various supporting figures in a millennia-spanning epic.

• Sersi (Gemma Chan): A humanist Eternal with the power to manipulate and transform matter, deeply compassionate toward humanity. She becomes the group’s leader after Ajak.
• Ikaris (Richard Madden): The most powerful tactical member of the group, capable of flight and firing lethal cosmic energy beams from his eyes, and the most loyal to Arishem.
• Thena (Angelina Jolie): An elite warrior who can instantly manifest any close-combat weapon using cosmic energy, burdened by the trauma of Mahd Wy’ry.
• Ajak (Salma Hayek): The wise and spiritual leader of the Eternals, serving as a bridge between the team and the Celestials, with healing abilities.
• Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani): A cheerful Eternal who fires cosmic energy missiles from his hands and now lives as a famous Bollywood film star.
• Makkari (Lauren Ridloff): A deaf Eternal with superhuman speed, using her ability to explore the universe.
• Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry): A brilliant Eternal who secretly guides human technological advancement by inventing all manner of weapons and machinery using cosmic energy.
• Gilgamesh (Don Lee / Ma Dong-seok): The strongest member of the team, who gains superhuman physical strength by using cosmic energy as an external exoskeleton and is Thena’s loyal protector.
• Druig (Barry Keoghan): A detached Eternal who can manipulate human minds, troubled by humanity’s self-destructive tendencies and skeptical of the group’s ideology.
• Sprite (Lia McHugh): An Eternal trapped eternally in the body of a 12-year-old child despite possessing an ancient soul, capable of creating realistic and immersive illusions.
• Dane Whitman (Kit Harington): A human who works at the London Museum of Natural History and Sersi’s boyfriend.
• Kro (Bill Skarsgård): The leader of the Deviants, possessing regenerative abilities and evolving by absorbing the energy of the Eternals.

Produced by Marvel Studios under Kevin Feige, the film is directed by Chloé Zhao, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Patrick Burleigh, Ryan Firpo, and Kaz Firpo. With an estimated budget of $200 million, principal filming locations included Fuerteventura, one of Spain’s Canary Islands. Cinematography was handled by Ben Davis, and editing by Dylan Tichenor. The original score was composed by Joseph Trapanese. In addition to English, the film features multiple languages including American Sign Language (ASL), Spanish, Sumerian, Latin, Sanskrit, Ancient Greek, and Arabic.

^{Scene from Eternals (}IMDB⁾

Eternals earned a total of $402,064,899 worldwide during its theatrical run. Of this, $164,870,234 came from the United States and Canada alone, with an opening weekend gross of $71,297,219 in those two countries.

Distributed in Türkiye by UIP Türkiye, the film premiered on 5 November 2021 and attracted 114,131 viewers during its opening weekend, generating ₺2,924,364 in revenue. Over its seven-week theatrical run, the film reached a total of 379,295 viewers in Türkiye and earned ₺9,172,554 in total income^【3】.

The film received recognition at numerous festivals and award ceremonies for its thematic depth and technical achievements. It won the award for Outstanding Film – Wide Release at the 2022 GLAAD Media Awards^【4】. It was nominated for Best Visual Effects at the Satellite Awards and Best Costume Design at the Saturn Awards due to its visual effects and costume design^【5】. Angelina Jolie was nominated for Favorite Female Movie Star at the Kids’ Choice Awards for her portrayal of Thena and received a nomination from the Visual Effects Society (VES) for Best Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature. The film was also evaluated by some critical platforms; Chloé Zhao received a special award at the Yoga Awards for Official Inadequacy and was nominated for Worst Disappointment of the Year at the Golden Schmoes Awards^【6】.