Eternals

Oscar-winning filmmaker Chloé Zhao is a gifted director, but this crowded, overly expository Marvel entry doesn't quite come together, despite impressive visuals and an excellent, diverse cast. The MCU has never shied away from big ensembles, particularly in the Avengers movies or Guardians of the Galaxy, but it's difficult to feel invested in all 10 of the Eternals' character arcs when the screenplay centers on empathetic Sersi, who was once married to Ikaris but was at some point abandoned and, centuries later, is now with a new beau, human teacher Dane (Kit Harington). She and the inexpicably younger-than-everyone else Sprite (who's forever an adolescent, while the rest of the Eternals are adults) are sisterly, and the movie positions them -- and the Superman-meets-Captain America-like Ikaris -- as the "main" Eternals. The movie's plot is fairly straightforward, so the real tension is in the relationship dynamics, since each Eternal has a different level of faith in their original mission. The most fun in this overwhelmingly serious film is when the movie reintroduces Kingo, who has played four generations of Bollywood superstars in India. Nanjani brings welcome comic relief to a surprisingly somber story. Harington's Dane is also entertaining, especially after he discovers the truth about his girlfriend's past (accepting it with a calm that makes sense, considering this is a universe that survived Thanos' Snap).

It's difficult to discuss the cast without mentioning something obvious for anyone who watched or is familiar with HBO's hit series Game of Thrones: In Eternals, the one-time Stark brothers (Madden and Harington) reunite on screen and are both in love with the same woman, who is named Sersi (yes, it sounds exactly like Cersei). Watching the men who played the King in the North and Jon Snow say "I love you, Sersi" is just trippy enough to take viewers out of the moment. A casting director (or Zhao herself) was either clever or misguided with that coincidence. Audiences might also wind up with unanswered questions about the nature of some of the other characters' relationships. The only Eternal who has a fulfilling traditional life in the present is Phastos, Marvel's first openly gay hero, whose husband and son are another highlight of the occasionally rambling drama. There are definitely rousing action and set-piece battle sequences, but this is a film primarily about relationships that doesn't quite hit the mark, despite all of the attractive, talented actors making heartfelt speeches to one another.