The Eternaut Review
Director: Bruno Stagnaro
Date Created: 2025-04-30 18:20
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The Eternaut Review: Directed by Bruno Stagnaro, the series is inspired by the eponymous and iconic graphic novel written by Héctor Germán Oesterheld and Francisco Solano López, with a cast led by Ricardo Darín, Carla Peterson, César Troncoso, Andrea Pietra, Ariel Staltari, Marcelo Subiotto, Mora Fisz, Orianna Cárdenas, Claudio Martínez Bel and others. The series has 6 episodes, each with a runtime of 60 minutes.
Netflix’s The Eternaut follow the story of Juan Salvo and a bunch of survivors in a mostly deserted Buenos Aires, emptied by a strange, lethal snowfall. But this is only the beginning; an alien armada has been orbiting Earth, and the survivors must band together to fight for their lives.
The Eternaut Review
So when Netflix announced El Eternauta, I was curious to know what this Argentinian science fiction series was about. I never thought I would like this show so much. I don’t typically like post-apocalyptic dramas, and I’ve had my share of alien invasion stories to last an eternity. But I was pleasantly surprised by the series’ depth, atmosphere and emotional weight.
The Eternaut series is anchored by one of its most powerful elements in the person of Juan Salvo, who is played by Ricardo Darín. I know a little bit about Argentinian cinema, but even apart from that, it would have been obvious after the first episode that Darín is a presence as an actor. His acting is the embodiment of the strength and vulnerability of a man in extreme situations. I was completely drawn in by him, not because he’s the hero, but because Darín makes him a character who is a very human being, with faults, and unyielding.
The tone for the first episode is established to perfection. An ordinary evening in Buenos Aires becomes a nightmare when snowfall sets in, not ordinary snow, I mean. It’s deadly, and anyone who catches a sniff of it sooner or later dies. Those opening scenes, which showed fear, isolation and confusion, seemed to be too real, especially the world that we’ve all known for the past couple of years. The scenario of humans getting cut off suddenly from the rest of the world, stuck helpless indoors without any clue regarding what is happening outside, rings too close to reality.
What kept me hooked was how the show blended its science fiction aspect with actual human emotion. There is tension that is ever-present, and not just from the danger of the outside alien threat, but from the manner in which people respond to fear. Relationships are tense, and not everyone comes out unscathed. Some of the scenes were not about the aliens, but about the manner in which people betrayed each other or attempted to cling to each other.
Visually, I was impressed. The ash-grey, snow-covered landscapes are a creepy backdrop, though, and the lighting and sound design add to the sense of fear. It never overuses gaudy special effects, and that actually works in its favour. The emphasis is always on the characters and their emotional arc, never the spectacle. But the occasional glimpse we do get of the invading horde is creepy enough to do the job.
Also Read: Exterritorial Review: Enjoyable but Way Too Predictable
All of that aside, though, the show isn’t flawless. There are some pacing problems, there are moments where it lags, and there are a couple of plot turns that occur in a too-convenient manner. For instance, there’s a moment where, without spoiling anything, the characters’ ability to use protective gear was, in my estimation, too convenient. I was scratching my head, going, “Wait, where did this come from?” I was yanked out of the show at some points by these little things.
There were some plot holes that raised more questions than answers. Sometimes characters do things that aren’t completely explained or explained at all. I’m not averse to ambiguity, but in this case, it felt more like holes in the plot than a desire to be cryptic. That said, overall tension and emotion carried me over the bumps.
But in addition to that, I appreciated how this Argentinian series The Eternaut, wasn’t simply a survival or action story. It was something about community, resistance, and even political power. If the original was an allegory for the issues of Argentina of the 1950s, this adaptation reinterpreted the themes in a manner that is relevant today. Whether the source of that feeling is something you recognise or not, the message is a gut check in and of itself. You can’t make it alone. People require people, particularly when the world is shattering.
The supporting cast also deserves to be praised. Carla Peterson is a healthful note of warmth amidst all the darkness as Salvo’s wife, though I appreciated there being discernible texture to even minor characters, who don’t all share the same skulking function but rather have rough-edged, not-always-predictable personalities that they bring to the closed circle surrounding Salvo. No one wished to be so much as a face in a crowd. There was every sort of person everywhere, and the series reminded me that it’s often the average, plain people who perform remarkable acts of courage in the moment.
Summing Up
Overall, The Eternaut is a must-watch. The series does conclude in a manner vaguely implying that there is a chance of something greater beyond the sextet of episodes, so I wouldn’t be at all surprised if there is a second season on the cards. It’s not all doom and gloom with aliens and disaster, it’s about people, choices and staying alive. Good acting, well-written and with a mood that lingers long after watching, this show is more than most dull apocalyptic dramas.
The Eternaut 2025 is now streaming on Netflix.
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