MARVEL'S ETERNALS (2021): EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

Here's everything you ever need to know about Marvel's upcoming blockbuster, ETERNALS. 

"When you love something, you fight for it," - Ajak

Yesterday, a teaser trailer for Eternals was released by Marvel showing a glimpse of the cast and characters; the teaser encapsulates the term "tease" in its entirety and for someone who has no prior idea about The Eternals comics by Neil Gaiman. It might seem like a long shot but I'll try to cover all I can here so sit back and relax. 

Have you seen the footage? If 'no', see it here... Marvel's Eternals Teaser Trailer . Over the span of a truly jam-packed eight seconds, the footage finally presents audiences’ first glimpses of Gemma Chan as Sersi, Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Angelina Jolie as Thena, Don Lee (Ma Dong-seok) as Gilgamesh, and Salma Hayek as Ajak. 

WHAT OR WHO ARE THE ETERNALS? 

The Eternals are a race of god-like beings locked in a millennium-old conflict with the less evolved Deviants and their originators, the Celestials. Each Eternal has watched civilizations burgeon and die from their domain of Olympia - they are immortals blessed with strange, sometimes monstrous powers. As the upcoming film premise reads, "The Eternals are an immortal alien race who have secretly lived on earth for thousands of years, but the events of Avengers: Endgame brings them back together". If there's one thing to understand here, it's going to be the fact that it is connected to the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). It may come as a surprise but Thanos, the MCU's big-bad himself is Part-Eternal as well as his father, A'lars. Thanos is a mutant member of the race of superhumans known as the Titanian Eternals as he was born on the Titan, a colony ruled by The Eternals. The character possesses abilities common to the Eternals, but amplified to a higher degree through a combination of his mutant Eternal heritage, bionic amplification, mysticism, and power bestowed by the abstract entity, Death, which means we could see him again in future installments (somehow... don't underrate Kevin Feige). 

CAST/CHARACTERS 

The upcoming Marvel Superhero movie already boasts of a stellar cast and if this doesn't intrigue you, then you probably don't understand the concept of an A-list cast and what they bring to the table. 

Thena (Angelina Jolie): A fierce warrior Eternal who can form any weapon out of cosmic energy, and develops a close bond with Gilgamesh over the centuries. We saw a glimpse of her weilding her infamous sword in the teaser trailer.

Ikaris (Richard Madden): The tactical leader of the Eternals who can fly, project cosmic energy beams from his eyes, and has superhuman strength. Madden played Robb Stark in HBO's hit, Game of Thrones. 

Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani): An Eternal who can project cosmic energy projectiles from his hands. Enamored with fame, Kingo becomes a popular Bollywood film star to blend in on Earth. 

Makkari (Lauren Ridloff): An Eternal who uses her cosmically powered super-speed to scout planets. She is the first deaf superhero in an MCU film and, as such, she is not affected by the sonic booms she creates (lucky you!). 

Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry): An Eternal and an intelligent cosmic-powered inventor who secretly helps humanity progress technologically. It's been some good years to B.T Henry as he went from being a regular in ATLANTA to star in blockbusters like Kong vs Godzilla, Joker, amongst others, what a career he's having. He is the first superhero to be depicted as gay in an MCU film. 

Ajak (Salma Hayek): The wise and spiritual leader of the Eternals, who has aided the advancement of human civilization and is able to use her abilities to heal. Ajak can communicate with Celestials.

Sprite (Lia McHugh): An Eternal who can project life-like illusions. Sprite appears to be a 12-year-old child, but she is stronger and more clever than she looks.

Gilgamesh(Don Lee): The strongest Eternal who can project an exoskeleton of cosmic energy. Gilgamesh is physically the strongest of the Eternals and. has the strength easily to lift over 100 tons. He is considered the most powerful of Earth's Eternals, is immortal, does not age, and is immune to most of Earth's diseases. He becomes Thena's partner in their exile from the other Eternals.

Dane Whitman (Kit Harington): A human warrior who wields a mystical sword. Yes, that's our beloved 'Jon Snow' and we hope that his character 'knows something' this time around. His character also goes by the alias, Black Knight. 

Sersi (Gemma Chan): An empathetic Eternal with an affinity for humankind who can manipulate matter. She has been in love with Ikaris for centuries, and poses as a museum curator on Earth. Kevin Feige described Sersi as the lead of the film.

Druig (Barry Keoghan): A reserved Eternal who can use cosmic energy to control the minds of others. He becomes withdrawn from the other Eternals because he disagrees with their interactions with humankind.

Regarding music, Ramin Djawadi is set to compose the score for the film, after previously doing so for Marvel's Iron Man (2008) and his touch on HBO's Game of Thrones was legendary. 

The upcoming film is directed by Chloe Zhao (Oscar winning director) who broke records this year for Nomadland. 

Eternals is scheduled to be released in the United States on November 5, 2021. It was previously set for release on November 6, 2020, before it was shifted to February 12, 2021, and then to the November 2021 date, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Underrated Vampire/Monster Movies You Should Watch

 PRIEST

In a world ravaged by centuries of war between humans and vampires, some warrior priests attempt to tip the scales in favor of humanity. Get ready for some sleek action with superhuman vampires and priests imbued with ferocious martial arts skills. The ever-reliable Paul Bettany (Vision in Marvel's Avengers) stars as the titular character. Stoic to the end, he's not your typical priest - more a deadly weapon, specialising in martial arts and weapons skills that make him the perfect killer. Karl Urban remains undefeated as Black Hat too (Fucking diabolical!). Equipped with a simple plot and driven by marvelous cinematography and effects, this should jog your adrenaline from dystopia to euphoria. Try it!

DAYBREAKERS 

It's the year 2019 and the world has been taken over by vampires. Humans are being farmed for their blood, but there are fewer and fewer of them. Vampires turn feral when they don't get human blood. So the dwindling human race have real devastating consequences, just imagine a parched world thrown into drought without water and the only chance at survival is to quench that abysmal thirst with blood, terrific! Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke) is a vampire, but he's searching for a blood substitute. He wants to save the human race. That's why the humans want his help for the ultimate cure. William Defoe did good as a supporting act, and the gore, suspense, twist and horror will keep you on the edge of your seat. A must watch.

DOOM

This is one epic one! I had heard a lot of bad things about the movie DOOM, including a lot of negative comments by the game producers of the same name. As a movie-lover, such things might make you have a rethink about your decision to watch the movie but here I am, happy that I got to see it in its glory!  The visual effects were completely stunning and convincing. The characters were good. All in all, DOOM is one of the best movies I have ever seen. You will not regret seeing it!

DRACULA UNTOLD 

"Dracula Untold" is an underrated action movie with the story of the origin of Dracula. This movie has a dramatic and full of action story, disclosed through great screenplay, special effects and music score. Luke Evans is perfect in the role of a prince capable of an ultimate sacrifice to save his beloved family and people. It is funny to see critics saying that a vampire action movie does not have historical accuracy, like excuse me? It's meant to be a fiction!!!. Watch for the entertainment.

LEGION

When a group of strangers at a dusty roadside diner come under attack by demonic forces, their only chance for survival lies with an archangel named Michael (Paul Bettany), who informs a pregnant waitress that her unborn child is humanity's last hope. The story is simple: God has finally lost all hope in humanity and sends his legions of angels to bring about the apocalypse. Heralding this charge is Archangel Gabriel (Kevin Durand). This movie has lots of interesting ideas and visual takes on this world. It's a shoot-em-up horror crossed with a graphic novel. My only problem is that it's extremely underwritten and had so much potential but failed to reach them plot-wise. You could check out the Tv series (SyFy) of the same name for more content. Good watch!

LET ME IN

This is not your typical horror film, though it does have horror elements (e.g. suspense, violence, gore). Really,  it's a story about the complex loving relationship that develops between two children. The fact that one of them is a vampire just makes things more interesting. The writing, direction and picture are all smooth; Matt Reeves is a treasure to behold and the two leads were superb. There were some gruesome gory scenes which might unsettle a faint-hearted person but behind the madness of this underlies the beauty in the story, effects and cinematography. A must watch. One of the best movies I've ever seen. Breathtaking! 

Outstanding Women-Centric Series You Should Watch

 ANNE WITH AN E 

This is one of the best shows I have ever watched. I highly recommend it to everyone; doesn't matter what age you are. Everyone will find something interesting in it. Amazing acting, cinematography, costumes, music and of course storylines. First episode had me sobbing with a sprinkle of perfection. It is about a plucky orphan (Anne) whose passions run deep and her life spirals when she finds an unlikely home with a spinster and her soft-spoken bachelor brother. Based on "Anne of Green Gables." It stars: Amybeth McNulty, Geraldine James, R.H. Thomson. A very good watch to be honest.

RUSSIAN DOLL

It's a really interesting series that manages to be charming, dark, and funny while covering problems like loneliness, co-dependency, substance problems, and other vices and deflections many people deal with. It's beautifully shot, the music/score is great, and the acting and dialogue is phenomenal and outstanding. It is a show you should know nothing about except for its perfection; yes! It's that good. The series follows Nadia Vulvokov (Lyonne), a game developer who repeatedly dies and relives the same night in an ongoing time loop and tries to solve it, leading to her finding Alan Zaveri in the same situation (portrayed by Charlie Barnett). It also stars Greta Lee, Yul Vazquez, and Elizabeth Ashley. Totally worth your time.

GLOW 

Glow is one of Netflix's newest additions to their ever so growing library. It follows a group of ladies as they take up a wresting job purely for the money. Set in the 80s where many females struggle to get big time work, the show explores the behind the scenes of wrestling while looking into the life of an actress in the 80's. It's really worth binging.

JESSICA JONES 

The series is a must-see for anyone who likes a good thriller. Rather than using superpowers or alien gadgets like sister shows like Arrow and The Flash, the main character's search for the villain in Jessica Jones is good old-fashioned PI work. The superpower that has the most relevance to the plot, mind-control of the wonderfully evil villain Kilgrave played by David Tennant, is not used in a quest to destroy the world but rather to pose difficult ethical questions: What would you do if you had the ultimate power? Who can be redeemed? The thirteen episodes of the first season leaves no time for fillers, keeping the plot moving fast. The cinematography is also great and good. Totally worth it!

UNBELIEVABLE 

Unbelievable is a top miniseries from Netflix and the best yet from this stable. This is an amazing mini-series from start to finish, very well acted, scripted, produced and directed. It has some stellar performances throughout. It could be hard to watch sometimes as it could make you feel too connected to the character and story you could begin to feel uncomfortable, but in a good way. It's based on the true story of Marie, a teenager who was charged with lying about having being raped, and the two female detectives who followed the path to the truth. Totally breath-taking and fantastic. 

DICKINSON 

This is such an enjoyable series, wonderfully written, wonderfully acted and in perfect tune with today's world. It's a drama from the 19th century but it is very modern in its own way. Hailee Steinfeld and Ella Hunt stole this show away with their brilliant acting. The sarcasm/witty dialogue, cinematography, acting and writing are all spot on. It's a 19th Century drama about the writer, Emily Dickinson with a spin of modern day drama. You'll absolutely love it!

You can find all these shows on Netflix with the exception of Dickinson which is available for streaming on AppleTV+