After the return of half the population in Avengers: Endgame ignites “the emergence”, the Eternals—an immortal alien race created by the Celestials who have secretly lived on Earth for over 7,000 years—reunite to protect humanity from their evil counterparts, the Deviants.

Fresh off her Academy Award-winning work on the dramatic Nomadland, director Chloé Zhao jumps headfirst into the Marvel Cinematic Universe and opens audiences up to a brand new cast of characters with The Eternals, a group of extraterrestrial gods who have a massive connection to the very foundation of the MCU and she gets to stretch her creativity as a filmmaker with this project to a very cosmic level. As a director, Zhao strikes the right balance between the massive scale and intimate emotion that works its way into Eternals and she uses a unique storytelling frame to explore the presence of the Eternals and their place both in the past and present on Earth and how they have shaped human existence from the shadows.

Zhao also leans heavily into the design aesthetic and storytelling of the great Jack Kirby; an artist who was a literal world-builder and who along with his collaborator Stan Lee helped to craft the entire Marvel Universe. The Eternals where his singular creation and Zhao revisits the unique design language that Kirby established when bringing these characters to life and by injecting Kirby’s unique rendering style into the project she truly marks Eternals out as a Marvel film that does not look like any other previous MCU films. Added to the unique look and feel of Eternals is its stunning visual effects and cinematography, and with the presence of its cosmic atmosphere and the arrival of the mighty Celestials, Eternals stands out as a very impressive visual specimen.

Eternals is a complete ensemble piece and Zhao has assembled quite the cast. Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Don Lee, Salma Hayek and Angelina Jolie make up this eclectic cast of characters and each brings their unique sensibilities and personality to this very diverse group of characters. Splitting the Eternals up into the ‘fighters’ who include Madden, Nanjiani, Ridloff, Lee and Jolie and the ‘thinkers’ who include Chan, McHugh, Henry, Keoghan and Hayek keeps the action and storytelling of the film’s narrative interesting, while also adding to the sense of family that the film builds on and the drama that comes with it. This pack of heroes is certainly the most unique mix that we’ve so far seen in the MCU and Zhao leans into each of the actor’s personalities and quirks to distinguish the Eternals from other more established MCU heroes.

Of particular note in Eternals is Richard Madden as the heroically stoic Ikaris. Standing tall and proud and presenting a considerable action man gravitas to his performance, Madden holds the attention of the screen as the high-flying Ikrais and proves that he has the chops to handle the role of the leading man. Madden brings a grand sense of power to his role as Ikaris and it’s a solid performance that marks him out as an actor to watch. He’s juxtaposed as Ikaris with the presence of Gemma Chan’s Sersi who is more reserved in her performance and who offers audiences a path into the world of the Eternals, and she brings a great maturity to her role and position as Sersi.

Breaking things up and bringing a fun sense of levity to the heavy drama of Eternals is Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo and this is Nanjiani as we’ve never seen him before/ Playing Kingo as an egotistical playboy who has embraced the opportunities that eternal life has granted him, Nanjiani has a blast really shifting things up and his outlook in the film has an important part to play in the narrative. Lia McHugh also marks herself out as a true revelation as Sprite, an ‘old soul’ who brings plenty of dramatic tension to the story and who holds her own with the older members of the cast. Angelina Jolie also really shifts things up as the warrior Thena, and she plays with plenty of heavy emotions and her role is marked by key feelings of trauma and loss. Kit Harrington also makes a very interesting cameo appearance as Dane Whitman, a human mortal who is guarding a dangerous lineage and the secrets that come with it, and who makes a keen impression on audiences.

Eternals is a real rush of a ride, and after a year of lockdowns and more smaller-scale forms of entertainment it’s so much fun to finally be back in front of a big screen and the epic reach that only the cinema can present. Zhao showcases an amazing level of dynamic action that will have your blood pumping and Eternals is an exciting time at the cinema for sure. From laser-energy battles with the hellish Deviants to the presence of the all-consuming force of the mighty Celestials, Eternals packs a hell of a lot of energy onto the big screen and the result is a very cool cinematic presentation, unlike anything we’ve ever seen from Marvel Studios on the big screen before.

Eternals is a Marvel film that takes risks and wins big with its narrative, visuals and universe expanding concepts and injects a host of fantastic new energy into the still-growing Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s superhero cinema done big and bold and Marvel fans get one hell of a cool treat with this one.

Image: Walt Disney Pictures

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When a mild-mannered Uber driver named Stu (Kumail Nanjiani) picks up a passenger (Dave Bautista) who turns out to be a cop hot on the trail of a brutal killer, he’s thrust into a harrowing ordeal where he desperately tries to hold onto his wits, his life and his five-star rating.

Noted comedic director Michael Dowse takes audiences on one hell of a crazy ride share through the streets of Los Angeles with Stuber and the results are utterly hilarious. Dowse’s work on Stuber pays homage to buddy-cop action comedies of the 1980s such as 48 Hours and Lethal Weapon, and he takes that genre and really dials it up here. Dowse has a great understanding of how to use his cast, narrative and the genre itself to really get the most out of this crazy mismatched buddy-cop film, and the resulting experience is something that audiences won’t be able to contain their laughter with.

Taking the lead in Stuber is Dave Bautista as hardened detective Vic Manning and it’s a great reinvention for this rising action star! While he’s packed out with muscles and is known for kicking some serious ass, Bautista really gets to show off his comedic chops here and the result is something incredibly crazy. Part of the fun of Bautista’s role in Stuber is that he really invests in the comedy and is willing to go to plenty of zany places, allowing his tough guy persona to be a leading part in the laughs. Whether he’s flying through the air with a gun or falling into some new bumbling situation, Bautista definitely brings the comedy and audiences will just love his performance here.

Standing next to Bautista’s Vic, or more likely under him, is Kumail Nanjiani as Stu, a mild-mannered part-time Uber driver, whom Vic continually calls Steve, and he gets taken for one serious ride here. Nanjiani does a very convincing job at portraying the ultimate doormat here, and he gets one hell of a shock as Vic tries to man him up! The resulting trade-off between these two performers is just hilarious to watch, and it’s fun to watch Nanjiani get to be this accidental hero, and his resulting police activity is extremely funny to watch.

If you’re looking for comedy, well, you’ve absolutely come to the right place with Stuber! Seriously, the hilarity involved in this film will make your jaw ache because you’ll be laughing so much, and Dowse sets it up right from the start. Whether it’s the hilarious accidents that Vic gets into on account of losing his vision thanks to laser eye surgery, Stu’s desperation to achieve a five-star rating, the life advice that Stu receives from a male stripper or a crazed sporting goods store fight, Stuber absolutely delivers on the laughs! I seriously haven’t laughed this hard in a long, long time, and audiences will definitely be in hysterics here.

Also as Stuber is set firmly in the action/comedy buddy cop drama and bears a big influence of 1980s cinema you can be assured that there’s a considerable amount of boom here. From crazed gunfights to somewhat high-speed car chase scenes that involve Stu’s leased electric car, Stuber gives audiences plenty of entertainment to keep them amped and it sure is fun to watch. Dowse also knows how to handle the action properly and it’s fun to watch him use it to his advantage where it feeds into the comedy on display. Bautista is definitely quick on the trigger here and there’s plenty of visual spectacle to really give audiences a treat.

Stuber is just a great all-around fun watch and there’s so much comedy to keep audiences entertained that they’ll definitely want to get in on this ride.

Image: 20th Century Fox

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