Marvel's Eternals could be the most surprising superhero movie for some time.
Directed by Nomadland's Chloe Zhao, the upcoming MCU Phase 4 flick has already received plenty of praise from Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige (per Rolling Stone) for its cinematography, inclusivity, millennia-spanning storyline and more.
Now, we've finally seen why Marvel's Eternals has been lauded by Feige and other individuals close to its production. The first teaser trailer for the movie has landed online - and it looks like it could be the most epic MCU movie so far. And yes, that's including Avengers: Endgame.
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As it's a teaser trailer, the first official footage of Marvel's Eternals doesn't give anything away about its plot. However, we get our very first look at each of the Eternals' costumes, plenty of gorgeous looking locations and even some references to other MCU superheroes.
Set in the wake of Avengers: Endgame's events, Marvel's Eternals tells the tale of its titular superhero group - an immortal race of celestial beings - who reunite to protect humanity from their antagonistic counterparts known as the Deviants.
Check out the trailer for Marvel's Eternals below:
Analysis: Could Marvel's Eternals be a serious awards contender?
Yes. Based on what little footage we've seen so far, we're confident in saying that it wouldn't be a shock to see Marvel's Eternals receive multiple nominations ahead of next year's award ceremonies.
For one, it looks absolutely stunning, and you can see and feel Zhao's cinematic vision throughout the trailer's two-minute runtime. There are sprawling, aerial shots of many beautiful locales, intimate scenes involving key Eternals characters, and a real sense of the different cultures and diverse backgrounds that each Eternal hails from. It looks like something you need to see on a big screen.
While we expect Marvel's Eternals to be up for awards in various visual and sound categories (CGI effects, sound editing and costume to name just three), it'll be very interesting to see if it receives nominations for Best Picture at events including the Oscars, Golden Globes and BAFTAs.
Nomadland picked up the Best Picture gong at the 2021 Academy Awards and BAFTAs, as well as the Best Motion Picture (Drama) at this year's Golden Globes. Zhao, meanwhile, also won each one's Best Director prizes, too. Those victories are unsurprising, given that Nomadland is a beautifully crafted movie. Judging by this first Eternals trailer, it's been made with as much care and attention as Nomadland was – and even the color and cinematography choices seem closer to Zhao's previous film than another MCU movie.
There's no reason why, then, that Marvel's Eternals can't follow in Black Panther's footsteps and be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, and even secure nods at other awards ceremonies. Of course, whether it does will be determined by how strong the finished product actually is.
Right now, though, it looks like it could be a big contender on the 2022 awards circuit. And who knows? It could make movie industry history by becoming the first superhero film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
Starring Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Gemma Chan, Kumail Nanjiani, Salma Hayek and Brian Tyree Henry among many other big names, Marvel's Eternals will launch in theaters on November 5.
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