Weekend Watch: The Eternals, Finch
Marvel tries to launch a new superhero team and Tom Hanks tries to stay alive
Image Credit: Marvel/Disney
Welcome to the latest edition of Weekend Watch, in which I recommend (or occasionally warn against) movies or TV shows I’ve been checking out. This week, Marvel introduces a new superhero team and Tom Hanks builds a robot to care for his dog. Follow James on Twitter: @jamwhite
In the years leading up to Avengers: Endgame, Marvel carefully built up its character roster, introducing members of the team one at a time, handing sequels to those who popped, but also shading in the supporting roles where possible. Unfortunately, the company has decided to try and introduce a big new gang of powered people in one go. The result doesn’t always work, which is a shame, because Eternals had real promise.
The story here is an epic one: thousands of years ago, a group of powerful, seemingly immortal heroes were sent to Earth by the godlike celestial Arishem (a not-always polished CG creation voiced by David Kaye) to protect the planet and its inhabitants from dangerous creatures called Deviants. The team includes Ajak (Salma Hayek), Sersi (Gemma Chan), Ikaris (Richard Madden), Sprite (Lia McHugh), Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), Druig (Barry Keoghan), Thena (Angelina Jolie) and Kingo Kumail Nanjiani), all blessed with different powers, from laser eyes and blasts from the hands to healing and mind control. For millennia, they stood guard together, until the last of the deviants were destroyed. After that, they went their separate ways, some living among humans, others largely hiding away (not aging can be an issue when you’re trying to maintain a social life or any sort of relationship). But in the wake of “the blip” (one of the few references to the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe here), the deviants are returning, and it’s time to get the band back together…
Looking to replicate the success of the Russo brothers and, more recently, Shang-Chi’s Destin Daniel Cretton, this is Marvel bringing in an indie hotshot to work under their giant banner with the required logistics and effects support. In this case, Nomadland’s Chloe Zhao is the filmmaker in question, known for beautiful visuals and compelling characters. While Zhao certainly brings a powerful aesthetic to the movie, her normally skilled touch with character work doesn’t seem to have made it through the MCU machine. Though she’s credited as one of several writers on the film (alongside Patrick Burleigh, Ryan and Kaz Firpo), the script can’t contain everything the movie needs to do in terms of both plot and people, leaving some short-changed, while others (including Madden’s largely bland Superman-style hero) get the lion’s share of focus. The overstuffed main group also means that dramatic turns don’t have the requisite impact, since we’ve only known those involved for a couple of scenes.
What does work? Two words: Kumail Nanjiani. Three other words: Brian Tyree Henry. Nanjiani brings a real sense of fun to Kingo, the member of the team who still craves the sort of worship he and his fellow Eternals once received and has, over time, re-invented himself as a Bollywood star. He’s joined on the adventure by his assistant/valet/documentary cameraman Karun, played by Harish Patel. While Karun brings his own moments of comedy, he does also contribute to the overfilled nature of the film. As for Henry, his Phastos is the thoughtful inventor who looks to help humanity move forward on the technology front but is devastated by our warmongering ways. Phastos, when we meet him in the present day, has a husband and a son, representing a positive move forward in terms of LGBTQA representation in the MCU. He’s also a soulful, entertaining character. There’s also a refreshing mix of ethnicities on display here.
The positives, though, can’t outweigh the sheer lack of originality and true fun that has become a hallmark of Marvel’s cinematic characters (if not always their stories). This is a less-than-thrilling superhero group whose adventures I’m not all that inspired to follow in the future (beyond possibly a Kingo/Phastos buddy comedy). While watching it, I seriously began to worry that I was succumbing to Marvel Fatigue, but I still hold out hope for the films headed our way in the next couple of years.
Eternals is in UK and US cinemas now.
Image Credit: Apple TV+
Finch represents the latest in the canon of “Tom Hanks tries to survive a difficult situation” genre and is probably most closely reminiscent of Cast Away since he has no other humans to rely on.
Don’t go thinking that this post-apocalyptic sci-fi tale is a carbon copy of his island misadventures, though – for one, there are no volleyballs to be found. Instead, Finch tells the story of Hanks’ title character, a man who was already something of a loner, which proves to be an advantage as he tries to survive in a world devastated by solar flares, a ruined ozone layer, and daytime temperatures that will roast you alive. And that’s before you factor in the raging storms that sweep across the terrain, destroying all in their past. Finch, a technical genius with hard-earned survival skills, is kept company by his dog, Goodyear (a very sweet performance from a pooch named Seamus), but he’s not well. Slow exposure to the awful weather conditions means he doesn’t have too long, so he’s hit upon the idea of building a humanoid robot to care for the dog when he’s gone. The result is Jeff, who slowly learns A) how to manage in the world and B) bond with Goodyear.
A particularly rough storm sets this unlikely family trio on a road trip to San Francisco (something to do with a postcard from Finch’s past), a journey made up of dodging the weather, Jeff figuring out how to drive and scavenge goods, and a scary encounter with other survivors.
Directed by Miguel Sapochnik (better known for crafting some of the bigger battle episodes for Game Of Thrones), Finchis a small tale told relatively well, even if it doesn’t exactly offer up many surprises. Hanks, of course, brings his legendarily easy-going charisma to the film, filling out a character that has been well written by Craig Luck and Ivor Powell. Caleb Landry Jones, meanwhile, brings fine, performance-captured life to Jeff, who slowly becomes part of the team.
It’s hardly revelatory (though I’m sad to see it sold off to Apple’s TV+ service when some of its vistas would truly benefit from the big screen), yet Finch is amiable enough, even if you spend time worrying that the combo of Tom Hanks and a dog won’t end well (just ask Hooch from Turner And Hooch).
Finch is on Apple TV+ now.