The latest instalment into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Marvel’s “Eternals,” introduces a new superhero team into the mix.

The movie starts out with an opening story scrawl, like most Star Wars movies, that shows us the Eternals and why they have been sent to earth. They’re some pretty gruesome scenes in the opening fighting sequence with a person being ripped apart on screen, a level of violence the MCU had not reached until this point. The Eternals don’t really speak until about five minutes into the movie, after the title credits have rolled. The movie jumps through time without reason for the most part; connecting past and present trying to make the movie make even the slightest bit of sense.

The timeline of this movie is confusing because of all the back-and-forths it does through time, jumping from character to character trying to explain who they are. Ninety percent of the movie is focused on explaining the characters. The other ten percent that is left is a rushed conclusion with a weak explanation as to how their plans worked. 

There was a lot of potential for Marvel’s “Eternals” to be a great film but it simply wasn’t. Too much of the movie was set aside for character introduction and not character development. Dane Whitman, played by Kit Harrington— who was barely in the movie— is someone they could’ve saved for the next “Eternals” movie that will inevitably happen. The movie was setting up a lot for the future of the MCU storywise. Making the story itself important but not executed well. I was more excited about the credits scene than I was for a majority of the film which was disappointing because I had high hopes for this movie. 

The mid credit scene unveiled  that Harry Styles is now in the MCU. His reveal  as Eros, the brother of Thanos, was exciting on the level of some of the early MCU credit scenes that were setting up the world as a whole. There is a lot of potential for this character and I hope to see Marvel do the character justice. 

Marvel’s “Eternals” sets up the future of the MCU, so while it was not necessarily a good movie, I would still recommend any Marvel fan to go see it so they can understand future MCU projects.