Trapped under ice

The Sun

01-07-2025

THERE are countless ways to die, but for the Argentinians in Netflix's The Eternaut, death has arrived in the form of a snowstorm.
Adapted from Hector German Oesterheld's El Eternauta, a comic considered a classic in Argentina, the six-episode Netflix series takes place in Buenos Aires.
As a snowfall that kills on contact with skin envelopes the city, friends Juan Salvo (Ricardo Darin), Tano (Cesar Troncoso), Lucas (Marcelo Subiotto) and Ruso (Claudio Martinez Bel) find their friendship challenged.
Risking the safety of himself and the group, Juan braves the storm in a makeshift 'snow-proof' suit to find his ex-wife and daughter, while Tano and Lucas grapple with the appearance of Inga, another survivor that stumbles into the building.
Soon, the group of middle-aged men find themselves fighting for survival against other survivors and a dangerous, otherworldly presence that has made landfall in the snow-steeped capital of Argentina.
The Eternaut joins the army of similar series and films – mostly from zombie and monster shows from South Korea – on Netflix, but it differentiates itself by being an all-around solid survival thriller that eventually throws science fiction into the mix.
Having a solid foundation with Oesterheld's source material certainly bolsters what show creator and director Bruno Stagnaro does with the series. Though the original comic is certainly dated – it was created in the late 50s – Stagnaro and his co-writers update it sufficiently to modernise the story.
Despite the introduction of the primary antagonist faced by the Argentinians halfway into the season, the series does not lose itself by becoming a generic show about guns, explosions and violence.
There is action, but Stagnaro does not waver from the vision of keeping The Eternaut grounded with the character drama of its adult cast and their equally adult problems. The layered performances by Darin, Troncoso and the rest of the cast further elevate the believability of the situation their characters find themselves in.