Marvel

ETERNALS

Published

2 years ago

November 6, 2021

IN THE BEGINNING…

There were Celestials, extremely powerful ancient entities that possess vast matter and energy manipulation, they were present long before the dawn of creation. They’re also capable of building entire galaxies from scratch.

Arishem, the Prime Celestial created the Eternals to descend upon Earth and importantly protect humanity from the deviants. These 10 immortal individuals have been sent from their home planet of Olympia on their spaceship the Domo by their leader and throughout centuries continue to defend growing civilisations from the Deviants. However they are barred by Arishem from interfering with human wars and conflicts in order to allow humanity to evolve naturally.

Thousands of years have passed and unfortunately an unexpected event forces the Eternals who have now been secretly living amongst us for a millennium, out of the shadows and reunite to fight mankind’s oldest enemies, the Deviants.

Marvel Studios’ “Eternals” welcomes an exciting new team of Super Heroes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The outstanding ensemble cast includes Richard Madden as the all-powerful Ikaris, Gemma Chan as humankind-loving Sersi, Kumail Nanjiani as cosmic-powered Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as the super-fast Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as the intelligent inventor Phastos, Salma Hayek as the wise and spiritual leader Ajak, Lia McHugh as the eternally young, old-soul Sprite, Don Lee as the powerful Gilgamesh, Barry Keoghan as aloof loner Druig, and Angelina Jolie as the fierce warrior Thena. Kit Harington plays Dane Whitman.

Chloe Zhao’s Eternals is truly the start of a new era for Marvel Studios. Its roots are immersed in science fiction that it also plays as a character study piece, focusing on the family dynamic, betrayal, and the fight for humanity.

The Academy Award-winning director does a great job brining Zack Kirby’s creations to the big screen, she brings her signature flair and vision to the Eternals’ big screen debut, as the depth of the story is coupled with serene sunsets and sweeping landscapes. This is certainly a Marvel Cinematic Universe film that feels different from anything that has come before. The scale of the film is so immense as is the cinematography and score, as Ramin Djawadi crafted such powerful themes that remind me of gospel choirs.

The film also has such a diverse cast full of impeccable performances, each actor truly inhabit their respective roles. some unfortunately have less screentime but they truly make an impact as vital members of this family.

Most of the story centres around Gemma Chan’s character Sersi. She has the ability to manipulate non-sentient matter. Sersi also has a newfound love and respect for humanity. In present day, she works as a museum curator and dating human Dane Whitman played by Game of Thrones’ Kit Harington. Sersi also had a long romantic relationship with Ikaris played by Richard Madden.

Richard Madden’s Ikaris is one of the most powerful Eternals, with the ability to fly and shoot beams of light from his eyes. his love for Sersi also takes precedent during the film as they’re on and off, as their complicated relationship stretches through centuries.

Unlike many of the Eternals who have stayed undercover through centuries, Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani ) has done the opposite, making a living as a Bollywood star and as an Eternal he has the power to to manipulate energy with his hands. However he must leave all the wealth and success behind to help his family repel the new Deviant threat. Kumail Nanjiani was a great comedic and definitely has an entertaining character.

Sprite is the ambitious storyteller of the Eternals and she may look like a preteen, but in reality and like the other Eternals, she’s actually thousands of years old. Sprite has the ability to use the cosmic energy that powers the Eternals and is able to cast lifelike illusions.

Phastos (Bryan Tyree Henry) is the inventor of the group, he’s helped nudge humanity forward technologically whilst keeping his brilliance hidden. Phastos is also a technopath and is able to create any invention or weapon that is powered by cosmic energy, providing that he has access to the raw materials to disassemble and build. He also possesses a tremendous love for family. in recent years, he started a family with his Husband and son. It’s the first MCU movie to feature a LGBTQ hero and Eternals marks a new path forward for Marvel Studios, expanding the idea that anyone regardless of who they are can be a hero.

Makkari (Lauren Ridloff) is also the first deaf hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a first time that a deaf actress is in a major role. This entry of Phase Four has diversity and fantastic representation. Makkari is the super fast member of the Eternals, she is the fastest woman in the universe as she uses her cosmic powered super-speed to scout planets for the Eternals. and as the only deaf Eternal the sonic boom that accompanies her speedy running doesn’t affect her. She’s also able to read at a superhuman rate.

Another Eternal and one of my favourites from the film was Barry Keoghan’s Druig. He has the ability to control the minds of humans but has grown disgruntled with the way his fellow Eternals are interacting with mankind. Keoghan gives a magnificent performance, its aloof and powerful and it’s hard to determine if he’s a friend or foe. I also loved that he is pacifistic and is willing to go against orders to end all conflicts. His relationships with the other Eternals is also fascinating, he’s sarcastic to Kingo but very flirtatious toward Makkari. I really hope we get to see more of their relationship.

Korean actor Don Lee plays Gilgamesh as extremely powerful and a strong warrior amongst the other Eternals. And though he is physically strong his greatest strength is his kindness. using cosmic energy Gilgamesh is capable of projecting a golden, energy-enhanced exoskeleton which shields his arms and fists, all this enhances his strength and durability during combat. He also has a deep connection with Angelina Jolie’s character Thena.

Speaking of Thena, Jolie is absolutely no stranger to blockbuster movies and in Eternals she is another favourite of mine. Thena is the warrior of the Eternals she’s very stoic but also very calm and collected. she’s also fearless and relentless and relishes her skills in combat against the Deviants. With pure cosmic energy, she wields the power to manifest any handheld weapon she can imagine such as spears, swords, shields, knives, axes, and staffs.

And lastly is Ajak, the Eternals’ stoic and powerful leader. she is the mother figure of the group but also acts as the bridge between Eternals and the Celestials. She is wise and spiritual and with the help of cosmic energy she is able to heal humans and Eternals from injuries and illnesses.

Each Eternal have their own unique powers and they own personal drama within this complicated little family.

Their costumes are also a visual treat, they have a sort of otherworldly effect with the unique materials used and the costume designers truly have elevated the elements of science fiction. heavily inspired by creator Jack kirby, they used lots of circles and bold shapes. Many of the characters costumes are inspired by the elements, nature, minerals and the cosmos to give the impression that they’re made with organic matter.

Zhao takes her time by fleshing out these characters and elaborates the intimate relationships the group have throughout the centuries. It introduces these ten characters with tons of story and Zaho succeeds in making these immortal beings feel human.

Overall Eternals is another great entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe plus it manages to be its own entity in the MCU. It’s very mature and delivers an ambitious take on humanity. It’s very grounded in biblical themes and had great atmosphere.

FILM RATING

Up Next

Marvel Reveals for Disney + Day

Don't Miss

Stranger Things | Season 4 – Official Trailer

Liam Dearden

Click to comment

0 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Comic Book Movies

Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion Review: Nick Returns With A Fury

Published

2 months ago

July 26, 2023

Jacques van Zyl

Nick Fury (Marvel)

The following piece was written during the 2023 Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the television series being covered here wouldn’t exist.

Overview Of Secret Invasion

Secret Invasion is set in the present-day Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Nick Fury learns of an invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls. Fury, joined by Everett Ross, Maria Hill, and the Skrull Talos, who has made a life for himself on Earth, races against time to stop an invasion and save humanity.

Brief Summary (Contains Spoilers)

The series starts off with Talos pursuing Everett Ross for the murder of a CIA agent, who had information about a potential Skrull rebellion. Maria Hill arrives on scene and discovers that Everett is a shapeshifting Skrull and contacts Nick Fury to request assistance. Nick returns to learn that not only has Talos been exiled from the Skrull Council, but Gravik is taking the lead with the rebellion. Fury approaches an old acquaintance by the name of Sonya Falsworth to propose an alliance, but to no avail. In the meantime, Talos reunites with his daughter, G’iah who shares with him the location of a Skrull attack in Russia. The mission to stop the attack not only end in failure, but in the death of one of Fury’s team mates. Fury and Talos is forced to escape to fight another day.

Gravik gains the support of the Skrull Council to lead them in a new war. Fury is blamed for the attack in Russia and the death of one of the team members, and is discharged of his duties. Sonya learns from another rebel that Gravik has a new weapon, a machine that can help enhance their strength with the use of powered DNA. The rebel’s next target is the Royal Navy. Their attempt to launch a missile at another aircraft is however thwarted by collective efforts from Fury, Talos, Sonya and G’iah. G’iah attempts to run away but is confronted by Gravik who shoots her and leaves her for dead.

G’iah, however, survives and lives to fight another day. We quickly learn that there is a rebel Skull Imposter posing as one of the Avengers. The rebels turn their focus on the President of the United States, and posing as Russian soldiers almost succeeds in their attempt, however, they leave behind many casualties. The rebel Skrulls tries to convince the United States President to attack one of the Skrull compounds. Gravik is willing to call off the attack in exchange for something from Nick that could potentially tip the scales in the favor of the rebels.

The last episode ends with a short but grand face-off between Fury and Gravik with a special twist…but I will leave this for you as the viewer to experience on the screen.

The summary has been written in such a way as to not spoil too much for the viewer.

Final Views

I really enjoyed the suspense and surprises that the series brought with every episode. Even though the series was only 6 episodes long, it kept the suspense alive and it kept the golden thread going that is taking place within the broader MCU. As you may recall, Captain Marvel’s movie end where she flew off to find a new home for the Skrulls and this series continue many years later where some of the Skrulls feel the promise of a new home has been broken. Even the blip is referenced and it keeps the memory alive of a world still affected by Thanos’ snap.

The rating for this series is definitely a 4 out of 5. The story had a feel of a crime drama and spy thriller. The fight scenes were amazing and I personally felt the last episode could have been longer to give us an even longer fight. There are many questions that this television series have going through my head that I won’t list over here to limit spoiling the experience for you as the viewer. I can only hope that some of the questions will be answered in future Marvel Studios productions.

*Olivia Colman as Sonya Falsworth (Marvel)*

Olivia Colman’s portrayal of Sonya Falsworth was really amazing to watch and I really hope we get to see more of her in future productions. Emelia Clark and Kingsley Ben-Adir brought in a breath of fresh air as G’iah and Gravik respectively. As always, having Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury is epic to say the least, and I encourage keeping both eyes on his performance throughout the MCU.

I highly recommend watching Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Captain Marvel (2019), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), WandaVision (2021), Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) before watching Secret Invasion. These movies provide the detailed backstory to most of the returning characters. These movies and television series are based on the list of recommendations made in Marvel Studios’ Legends as well.

There is no post-credits scene, so no need to wait till the end. The whole series is now available on Disney Plus so make sure to watch. This series is rumored to tie-in with both The Marvels and Armor Wars, upcoming movies in the MCU.

FILM RATING

Comic Book Movies

Prowler: Character Profile

Published

2 months ago

July 18, 2023

Jacques van Zyl

Prowler (Sony Pictures)

The following piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the comic book material being covered here wouldn’t exist.

The mantle of the Prowler has been carried by many characters in the Marvel Universe. I will be writing briefly about some of the famous characters.

Aaron Davis

Aaron exposed his brother Jefferson to a life of crime, and while Jefferson went out to redeem himself and become both a law-abiding citizen and a police officer, Aaron continued his life as a career criminal, known by the name Prowler, the cat burglar. Oscorp was one of the targets during one of his burglary jobs. While their he left with a chemically engineered spider, Specimen 42, which was the same spider that bit Miles.

Even with no super powers, Prowler is a force to be reckoned with because of both hand-to-hand combat ability and superior technology that is supplied to him via the Tinkerer. He regularly faces off against Mac Gargan who uses the alias Scorpion. As with most Spider-Man villains Uncle Aaron eventually crossed paths with Spider-Man, who in this case is his nephew, Miles Morales.

Hobie Brown

Hobie is a talented and innovative kid, and when no-one considers listening to him or giving him a chance at proving himself he ends pursuing a life of crime. He targets the Daily Bugle with the intent of impressing his girlfriend, Mindy. However, this attempt brought him face-to-face with Spider-Man and resulted in a life-changing defeat. Spider-Man gave Hobie a chance to share his story and let him go, only to return at some point to ask Hobie to stand in as Spider-Man for a short while.

Spider-Man was implicated in the death of Captain George Stacey and this encouraged Hobie to use his Prowler persona to hunt down Spider-Man, but in the end he was overpowered and came to the conclusion that Spider-Man can’t be a murderer. He eventually married his love, Mindy and tried to have a normal life. This is short-lived when his little brother got murdered, presumably by the White Tiger. The Prowler and White Tiger faced off in a massive fight but as most murder mysteries go, someone else was responsible for the death of his little brother.

Hobie even applied to join the Defenders, but the application was not successful. Hobie teams up with Spider-Man to help find evidence to clear his wife, Mindy when she gets framed while working for the infamous Justin Hammer. In a similar fashion Hobie teams up with Spider-Man again, but this time to help clear Spider-Man’s name when he gets accused of theft. Hobie eventually joins up with the Outlaws, teaming up occasionally with Sandman, Rocket Racer and Silver Sable.

Hobie and Rocket Racer decides to enter the Great Game, a super-powered fight contest organised by wealthy people. This didn’t end well for Hobie as he ends up paralyzed after the competition due to a spinal injury. A hospital worker who learned of Hobie’s secret stole the Prowler costume.

Rick Lawson

Upon learning about Hobie’s secret role as the Prowler, Rick went as far as breaking into Hobie’s home to get his hands on the Prowler costume. The next homes he targeted was those of other patients. He eventually crosses the path of the Vulture. Vulture, still cross with Prowler about a previous failed job doesn’t go easy on Rick, but Spider-Man intervenes and both villains are forced to flee. Vulture returns to attack Rick at home and Spider-Man arrives to save the day, webbing up the Vulture, taking Rick to hospital and returning the Prowler costume to Hobie.

Final Thoughts

*Donald Glover as Uncle Aaron Davis in Spider-Man: Homecoming (Sony Pictures)*

I highly recommend watching Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse to see another possible hero wearing the mantle of the Prowler. The abovementioned biographies are covered in brief to allow you as the reader to explore more of the Prowler’s stories and adventures when going through comics, watching the movies or even subscribing to Marvel Unlimited. This is definitely one of those characters who I would like to see explored more, either in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or even in a Sony Pictures Movie. Mahershala Ali voices Uncle Aaron in Sony’s Spider-Verse movies. Donald Glover plays the role of Uncle Aaron Davis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and I’m really holding thumbs that we get to see him wearing the mantle of the Prowler in a future Marvel Studios production. Just imagine him teaming up with the Sinister Six and giving our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man a tough time. But for now, get to a cinema near you and experience Across the Spider-Verse on the big screen.

FILM RATING

Comic Book Movies

Kraven The Hunter: Character Profile | Hunting Season Is On

Published

3 months ago

July 2, 2023

Jacques van Zyl

Sony Pictures Digital Productions Inc.

Hunting season begins in October 2023 with Kraven the Hunter bracing the big screen. Sergei Kravinoff is on a mission to prove that he is the greatest hunter in the world and who knows who be the main targets will be in the movie. We experience his rise to the top before the notorious rivalry with Spider-Man.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays the titular role. Make sure to catch the red band trailer online.

A Brief Look At The Biography of Kraven the Hunter

Sergei Kravinoff was born and raised in Volgograd and St. Petersburg. His alcoholic father would beat him and Sergei would in turn take out his frustrations on Dmitri, his half-brother. The Bolshevik Revolution forces the Kravinoff family to emigrate. Sergei loses both his parents and is forced to learn to survive on his own. He travels as a stowaway aboard ships and trains from country to country. He discovers his passion for hunting in Africa. He also changes his name from Sergei to Kraven.

He becomes a wealthy game hunter because of his remarkable hunting skills. He steals a witch doctor’s potion during his time in Africa which enhances his physical prowess and abilities to hunt. The potion helps to decelerate the ageing process, thus Kraven looks like a thirty year old man, even though he is much older. He is stronger, faster, agile and can jump very far. You can find rifles, darts, axes, spears, whips, gas bombs and even blowguns in his weapon storage. However, he comes with many tricks up his sleeve such as poison-tipped teeth in his belt and electronics in his lion’s head vest.

He forms a partnership with Dmitri to help with trading animal skins and ivory that he acquires during his hunting sprees. However, big game isn’t the only targets on Kraven’s list. He meets his match, the web-slinging hero, Spider-Man but Spidey evades him most of the time. Kraven joins up with Dmitri and even the Sinister Six at a later stage to take on Spiderman. He is no stranger to the Avengers. He joins Dum Dum Dugan’s original Avengers’ Initiative alongside Nick Fury, Namora, Sabretooth, Ulysses Bloodstone, Dominic Fortune, and Silver Sable.

Kraven shared the herbs with Dmitri to give them both an edge in combat, especially when squaring off against Spider-Man. He saw the friendly neighborhood hero as a monstrosity and fueled by both fear and rage never quit taking on the wallcrawler, but Spider-Man secured a win over both Kraven and Dmitri, now known as the infamous Chameleon. This resulted in them being deported back to Europe, but Kraven and Dimitri found their way back to America. Doc Ock recruits Kraven and other members into the Sinister Six, but even this team is no match for Spider-Man and this results in their capture and imprisonment.

Kraven is eager to do jobs for other famous villains such as the Green Goblin and Mister Sinister. His job with Mister Sinister requires him to obtain DNA from other mutants. This physical altercation results in another face-off with Spider-Man. A face-off against the Vulture resulted in both Kraven and Vulture being captured by Spider-Man. Kraven even landed in hot water with law enforcement and the Fantastic Four when he got caught supplying hallucinogens to other important role-players in New York.

The above are mere highlights of Kraven’s stories and meant to serve as an appetizer.

Final thoughts

I’m honestly excited for this production and can’t wait to see how it links to the wider Sony Spider-Man’s Universe. Looking forward to all the possible action and fight scenes. And will we get to see Spider-Man? Let’s wait for hunting season to begin at a cinema near you.

FILM RATING