Angelina Jolie commands a diverse team of superheroes in ‘Eternals’

Angelina Jolie has led the arrival in Rome of the “Eternals”, a team of superheroes that marks a new era in the Marvel house, multiethnic and equal, which also holds many future surprises for its legion of followers.

“I feel privileged because I love this story and the diversity and inclusion that the cast and this family represent. I hope it becomes the norm ”, advocated the actress in the presentation, at the closing of the Rome Film Festival.

The Marvel house broadens its cinematographic universe with its 25th installment, the “Eternals”, adaptation of the Jack Kirby comics (1978) shot by Chloe Zhao, which gives a twist to his career after films like the Oscar winner “Nomadland” (2020).

A COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY

The film leaves in the world that left the “Avengers: Endgame” (2019), having recovered half of the population that had perished after the deadly snap of the fingers of the villain Thanos.

In this context, that of a world in apparent normality, the evil “Deviants” emerge to threaten the human race again, forcing the “Eternals” to take up arms, an alien race created by gods and who lives infiltrated in Earth for thousands of years.

The first thing that catches your eye is a team of superheroes from different cultures. In the equal cast, there are two Asian heroes, played by the British Gemma Chan and the Korean Don Lee; another Pakistani (Kumail Nanjiani), a Hispanic, Salma Hayek, or two blacks, the Americans Lauren Ridloff and Brian Tyree Henry.

But that squad of rescuers is also in the form of a plea for diversity. Marvel has chosen for the first time to make one of its characters not only homosexual, but also happily married and with a child, and another uses sign language to communicate with his battle partners.

The director explained at the press conference that when she joined the project there was already a “brilliant” Marvel script treatment but her intention was to give the heroes a special touch.

“It was chosen to create characters outside of the usual schemes. We took a step back to elaborate a much broader universe and tell stories that other films had not told us, ”the director confessed to the Roman audience.

THE DAMAGED HEROISM

The film delves into an ancient archetype such as literature and the myths of humanity, that of the damaged hero, although this time these prodigies have a creator, so they will have to consider whether to fulfill their designs or get out of them.

Jolie’s life to “Thena”, a powerful warrior goddess capable of shaping any type of weapon from cosmic energy but, despite her strength and abilities, something inside her is broken.

“We all have scars from the damage, I also have my wounds,” acknowledged the actress, to further augur that the film can instill strength in people who suffer from a mental health problem, “especially young people,” he said.

ALMOST NOBODY WANTS TO BE “ETERNAL”

In this characteristic it plays against the passage of the years because the Eternals have been created by their heavenly parents precisely for that, not to die.

And the question to the cast was almost timely: Who would want to live forever?

Only the director recognized with laughter that she would not mind not dying, while the rest of the actors who accompanied her Richard Madden, Kit Harrington, Jolie or Chan, the latter the only one who had already worked with the comic book house, completely ruled it out. on “Captain Marvel” (2019).

THE BIRTH OF A SAGA

The “Eternals” promise the viewer to return and they will also do so with several surprises in Marvel, for which it is recommended not to get up from the seat until the end of the credits.

One has to do with the announced and long-awaited performance of Harrington, star of “Game of thrones”, like Dane Whiteman, the “Black Knight” from the sixties comics.

While another of the surprises is the jump to the big screen of Eros, another superhero who will be played by a famous singer. The family grows and curves arrive. (AND)