The season of somber action epics marches on, with Marvel’s Eternals (★★★☆☆) joining the ranks of recent brooding blockbusters like Black Widow and No Time to Die. Sagas of weary warriors reckoning with their losses would seem tailor-made to suit the zeitgeist of our weary world. So Eternals, originally set for release in November 2020, fits right in, introducing an entire team of heroes all contemplating their purpose in a world still weathering the trauma and upheaval of a global catastrophe.
That disaster, spoken of in hushed tones throughout the MCU, is known as the Blip — half of all life in the universe, wiped out in a snap. Ultimately, the Blip was reversed, and billions of lost lives restored. But now meeting a humanoid race of super-powerful, near-immortal god-like beings called the Eternals begs the question, where were they and what were they doing when the mad Titan Thanos snapped the universe in half?
As we learn early in this origin story, directed and co-written by Nomadland Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao, the ten Eternals dwelling on earth at the time were largely estranged, some adrift, with their own reasons for not joining the Avengers’ Infinity War.
But first, Zhao and co-writers Patrick Burleigh, and Ryan and Kaz Firpo establish each Eternal’s individual identity and abilities with a swiftly paced sequence of adventures through history, kicking off in Mesopotamia, 5000 B.C. Led by their powerful psychic-spiritual center, Ajak (Salma Hayek), the group protects humanity from Deviants, ravenous beasts from deep space, who also attack in ancient Babylon and 16th-century Tenochtitlan.
At every battleground, the marauding Deviants are confronted valiantly by Ajak, matter manipulator Sersi (Gemma Chan), cosmic superman Ikaris (Richard Madden), fierce warrior Thena (Angelina Jolie), super-speedster Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), energy blaster Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), strongman Gilgamesh (Don Lee), mind manipulator Druig (Barry Keoghan), gadgets conjuror Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), and master illusionist Sprite (Lia McHugh).
That’s a host of personalities to pinpoint in somewhat limited time, and the film manages admirably, abetted by a solid cast who capture the camaraderie that bonds this group even when they’re separated by continents or centuries.
It’s the weariness of all that time spent fighting for humanity, while hiding from humanity, that weighs heavily on the hearts of some Eternals. For others, it’s the lifetime of losses, or just a lost sense of purpose — not unlike the immortal warriors in the explosive 2020 action epic The Old Guard.
The Eternals are wistful heroes, with the notable exception of Nanjiani’s impish showboat Kingo, practically the film’s only comic relief, along with Kingo’s loyal human sidekick Karun (Harish Patel). And Phastos, the MCU’s first gay superhero, ekes out a space of happiness in his undercover life with husband Ben (Haaz Sleiman) and son Jack (Esai Daniel Cross).
As with that depiction of a gay superhero, Eternals follows its characters into grown-up emotional territory. Sersi, who embarks on a succession story demanding that she assume the mantle of leadership, also works through a millennia-spanning love story with Ikaris that provides the MCU’s first bonafide sex scene. The couple’s romantic drama, played with compelling chemistry by Chan and Madden, resonates more strongly than a lot of the effects-laden superhero action.
Madden and Chan in Eternals — Credit: Marvel Studios
For that, the movie too often turns to the horde of nameless, interchangeable Deviants, coldly computer-generated creatures not destined for the pantheon of great and memorable movie villains. Zhao and cinematographer Ben Davis (Captain Marvel) appear more inspired visually by the awesome flying and fighting abilities of Ikaris, depicting him surrounded by a Man of Steel-style aura of majestic light.
Still, he represents a symbol of masculine might that feels familiar, conventional, compared to the women who lead the team, or the gay dads who happen to be the only ones among the crew raising a child in this precarious, post-Blip world.
Telling an enlightened story of perseverance and sacrifice over centuries, Eternals doesn’t necessarily thrill with monumental set-pieces or clever derring-do. (For sheer comic book excitement, best to stick around for the mid-credits and post-credits scenes, which tease more Marvel superheroes soon to join the fray.)
Instead, appreciate the film for its thoughtful foray into battling celestial foes, and expanding this sprawling fictional universe with genuine feeling and an engaging sense of wonder about time and creation.
Eternals opens in theaters everywhere Friday, Nov. 5.
Russian authorities reportedly forced at least two men to participate in a sting designed to entrap and imprison gay men.
Matvey Volodin, a Moscow resident who creates adult content under the name USSRboy, was lured by police in the autonomous Republic of Dagestan, located in the North Caucasus region, according to the independent investigative Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta.
Volodin -- who reportedly identifies as a heterosexual who has sex with men -- came to Dagestan in late May in response to an invitation from presumed fans who contacted him online and told them they had rented him an apartment in Makhachkala, Dagestan's largest city.
Trey Cunningham, an internationally-ranked high hurdler who made the 110-meter finals at the U.S. Olympic trials last month, has come out publicly as gay.
The 25-year-old former Florida State University standout came out privately to family and friends at age 20, calling the process "the scariest thing I've ever done" in an exclusive interview with The New York Times.
For Cunningham, who grew up in rural Winfield, Alabama, raised by a conservative family, the idea of being gay was quite foreign. He says it took him a few years to accept his own sexuality, and the idea that his life would be different from how he thought it would be. His parents also initially pushed back on the news.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a lawsuit on behalf of an Alabama hotel employee who was fired after his bosses learned he was gay and saw him dressed in a style that they felt was "feminine."
According to the lawsuit, filed earlier this month in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, the employee, referred to as "D.A." in charging documents, was working as a night auditor at the Home2 Suites by Hilton hotel in Dothan, Alabama.
D.A., who identifies as gay and nonbinary but was assigned male at birth, initially wore clothing and dressed in a manner consistent with traditional male stereotypes when he was first hired.
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