The Eternaut Review: A Thrilling Adventure With Some Faults

The Eternaut Review | Leisurebyte

Director: Bruno Stagnaro

Date Created: 2025-04-30 12:30

Editor's Rating:
3

The Eternaut Review: In this survival-thriller series, Juan Salvo and a few survivors band together to fight their way out when a mysterious snow engulfs their town. However, there is more to it than meets the eye, and when an alien invasion threatens their existence, they must take things into their own hands.

The Eternaut has 6 episodes, each with a runtime of 45 minutes. It’s based on Héctor Germán Oesterheld and Francisco Solano López’s comic by the same name.

The Eternaut Review

If you remember the trauma of watching The Mist, then The Eternaut will feel a bit familiar. Ash falling down from the sky, people dying, and something is in the air that is killing them. Of course, the aliens are coming later in this Argentinian series and the toxic ash is supposed to be only the start of a huge destructive plot, so I guess we can all agree that this is less traumatic than watching a man kill everyone inside a car and then stepping outside to commit suicide only for help to roll down beside him.

Trauma aside, Netflix’s The Eternaut is a gorgeous series full of anticipation of what’s next. It’s a slow series focusing more on the human spirit and society’s breakdown in the face of threat, so sci-fi fans in need of action might find themselves a bit annoyed at times. It’s mostly character-driven, with us following these people coming together to save themselves from an unknown and unseen threat.

The series picks up steam a few episodes later, as we are introduced to more than just poisonous ash. The series builds its tension well, albeit slowly, and leaves us hungry for more. The characters hook us to the story, making us look forward to what happens to them and whether or not they get out safely. While everyone’s motivations at this time are different, it becomes clear quickly that they will need to band together to get out of this one. It’s interesting to watch their relationships evolve. It’s like being a fly on the wall, watching situations unfold with all of their complications.

I think the series takes a bit too much time to give us a twist, and keep the series moving in general. Its slow pace might be its undoing, but its interesting premise gets the job done. I think it’s the fact that The Eternaut brings to us every little thing about Juan’s adventures that bogs the runtime down. The series picks up after episode 4, but we see too much bickering for our minds to strictly be stuck to the thrill of watching space bugs crawl on the Earth. I also think that the series features some very annoying people whose questionable decision-making makes you want to scream into a pillow.

Either way, the series’s depiction of a broken Earth attacked by unknown creatures is absolutely riveting. Buenos Aires, dilapidated and covered in ash raining from the sky continuously, is absolutely beautiful, and adds to the anticipation of something bigger being around the corner. The fact that the series introduces the fiction after thrilling us with the science of their horrifying situation makes everything not only believable but also twice the more impactful.

Of course, the performances are key in The Eternaut. Considering how much we follow the characters in every little thing, everyone does a brilliant job of delivering a believable and relatable performance. Ricardo Darín, Carla Peterson, César Troncoso and Andrea Pietra are absolutely fantastic and are memorable in every frame. However, the best of this series, personally, is probably the church scene — totally worth the patience in the first three episodes! Although we somewhat go back to square one after that, which will frustrate viewers.

Also Read: The Eternaut Ending Explained: What are the Aliens? Do Juan Salvo and the Others Save Themselves?

There’s a scene in episode 4 that is just so heart-thumping that it’s difficult not to watch in abject horror as a fool-proof plan breaks down in front of our eyes. The series balances the storytelling with some really good background scores, and sometimes the lack thereof is all it takes to deliver something memorable.

Final Thoughts

The Eternaut is entertaining in parts and requires patience. When the action rolls around, it leaves us on edge. However, any time after that takes a dramatic nosedive, full of uninteresting conversations. It’s not a bad show, just could’ve been better.

Also Read: Exterritorial Review: Enjoyable in Every Way Possible