“Eternals” boldly goes where Marvel has not gone before.

Academy Award winning director, Chloé Zhao, ushers in the newest chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Eternals.

The Eternals are immortal beings with super human powers. They have secretly been living on Earth for thousands of years, and have not interfered with any affairs — until now, when they must protect humanity from an evil species called Deviants.

Before we dive into the thick of things, everyone needs to understand that Eternals is not like any other Marvel film.

And it was never supposed to be.

And my friends, that’s okay.

With that being said, I can understand the trickles of disappointment flowing through the film community. And I can’t say I was 100% disappointed, however, I wasn’t overly impressed either.

For over two and half hours, Eternals is overstuffed with storylines, characters, disjointed time jumps, and pacing issues. There’s a LOT going on. And if you happen to be watching the film alongside other vacationers on a Disney Cruise Ship (like I was), it’s not exactly a mindless “I’m on vacation” watch.

As I mentioned in my review of Dune last month, we’re world building — or in this case further expanding a world. So it makes sense to not “get it” right away.

However, there’s no denying that the film excels in two elements: diversity and filming.

Chloé Zhao’s signature filming style is jaw dropping, adding naturalistic beauty to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). For those of you unfamiliar, Zhao relishes in the beauty of nature. She can capture a sunset like no other, with #nofilter. It’s a refreshing aesthetic juxtaposing the glossy, CGI created cityscapes we’re used to in the MCU.

Speaking of refreshing, the casting effortlessly bursts with diversity. Although we do not get the opportunity to properly meet all the Eternals (because they pop in and out of scenes with all the time jumping), I am sure everyone will walk away with some favorites or characters they want to see develop in future films.

For me, it was Angelina Jolie’s Thena, who is the goddess of war and an overall bad ass. I also loved Brian Tyree Henry’s Phastos, whose wit and warmth lit up the screen as well as Lauren Ridoff’s Makkati.

And of course, there’s the definition of perfection, Gemma Chan, manages to make out with BOTH Stark brothers (for those of you who have never seen Game of Thrones, it’s Richard Madden and Kit Harrington). What a gal.

So here’s the thing. Eternals is ambitious. It will not be for everyone, but it’s an interesting new direction for the MCU and I am intrigued to see where we go from here.

Final Thoughts: Eternals leaves its traditional formula behind and boldly goes where Marvel hasn’t before resulting in a diverse, intriguing yet overstuffed and long journey.