Eternals Has The Opposite Problem To Guardians of the Galaxy 2

While Chloé Zhao’s 2021 Marvel film, Eternals, and James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 voyage into new territory for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the films present opposite problems to each other. Eternals features a cast of god-like beings that are charged with protecting the Earth’s population to allow the birth of a Celestial. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 features Peter Quill and the rest of the Milano crew facing off against Quill’s father, Ego.

These films have a lot of differences concerning tone, setting, and placement in the greater Marvel movie pantheon, but their similarities also stack up. Ego, The Living Planet, is a Celestial, similar to the Celestials wreaking havoc for the Eternals' Arishem and Tiamut. Both stories dive into the dynamics of a makeshift family, from romance to friendship, to disagreement. The team accompanying Quill on the Milano include Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Rocket Racoon, Groot, and Mantis. Landing on Earth in their spaceship, the Domo, the Eternals’ are Sersi, Ajak, Ikaris, Kingo, Sprite, Phastos, Makkari, Druig, Gilgamesh, and Thena.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Eternals have opposite problems. The former focuses on character personality over a cohesive plot, and the latter delivers a strong plot without the support of engaging characters. At the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the main plot reveals Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord is a demi-god and that Ego bears responsibility for killing his mother, Meredith. It leaves the audience wanting more in terms of adding to Marvel’s overall story, unlike Eternals, which splits the universe wide open. The movie presents an abundance of charm through its characters, cycling through jokes at an accelerated rate to its predecessor. Though Star-Lord transforms during the film, the other characters are only supported by the jokes they deliver. The same cannot be said for Eternals, where most characters lack separate personalities and on-screen chemistry.

On the other hand, the plot of Eternals breaks open the expanse of the Marvel universe but struggles to create memorable characters. Supported by stunning visuals, the plot focuses on the immortal Eternals coming together to stop Tiamut’s birth to save Earth. It centralizes the conflict between Sersei, Ikaris, and Ajak while other characters, such as Angelina Jolie’s Thena and Don Lee’s Gilgamesh, are overall more interesting with less screen time. The characters' backstories are mostly mediocre and lacking in charm and humor that works well for films like The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Since the two-and-a-half-hour movie spends most of its time uniting the Eternals, it feels like a weak return to not feel connected to the characters. It clouds the excitement of expanding the Celestials' involvement in the MCU and their implications for the future.

Both Eternals and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 broaden the galactic horizons of the MCU. Eternals features an optically stunning and nuanced storyline that suffocates from an underutilized cast while Gunn’s sequel banks on its comedic performance to gloss over a flailing plot. Looking towards the next installments in their franchises, these films can learn from each other on areas to improve.

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