User reviews

I read the comic as a child and then reread it as an adult, and let me tell you, this Netflix adaptation is much better than I expected.

Darin doesn't disappoint, and the rest of the cast is up to par. The effects are excellent, and the setting and filmmaking are also very well done.

While some key points differ from the original story, it's understandable given the complexity of adapting it to our times, but I didn't notice any unforgivable flaws in the script.

Overall, I really liked it. At times, it seemed a bit slow, but it's still enjoyable. A series that entertains without resorting to clichés.

Dear reader, I know you may be confused reading the reviews for El Eternauta. Hopefully this is a good sign.

I myself, just can't get over the reviews of others complaining about "people being quiet" because they can't wrap their head around the concept of the rest of the world not being constantly living in a hyperstimulated world.

So yes, this is not a Hollywood script. People are not jacked, they do not have highly-confrontational relationships with their friends and neighbors, they are almost, let's say, "human".

And "El Eternauta", a original story from the late 50s, is very much a study in the nature of being human.

The protagonist is not a hero, he is a old man, whose primary interest is to keep his friends and family alive and well. He has a normal wife, he is not strong, charismatic, or has any other exceptional qualities aside from those that all common people share.

Faced with a terrible disaster, an apocalypse, he struggles to survive as best as he can, sometimes making errors in judgment.

If you are looking for a show that has that sense of mystery, but doesn't have the same usual tropes that modern scrips have, you totally should watch this. It's in spanish, but the subtitles are very good. The acting is up to par, the visual aspect is great when it comes to the sets, not so great with the CGI, but more than passable. Good direction and production.

And, for once, it's 6 episodes and it's done. You will not have to wait for years just for the show to get cancelled.

My vote: 7.5/10.

Excellent. I didn't expect a good adaptation from Netflix, given its history of failures, but they did it. A 70-year-old comic had to be updated, and it's fine. The original story is a classic that particularly portrays the fight against fascism, and in its second version, against the Argentine military government. For audiences far removed from the social, cultural, and historical spheres of Latin America, it's probably difficult to identify with the plot or historical events like the Malvinas argentinas War. But a story that goes from - to +, and ends on a high note with pure science fiction is worth it, even for the most demanding audiences. It's highly recommended to read the original comic to get a taste for it. I can't wait for season two... I hope it doesn't take two years!

Some clarifications for the non-Latin American/Hispanic public. SPOILERS 👇

In Argentina, guns aren't sold the same way they are in the US, for example. Access to the legal market is almost nonexistent. That's why certain individuals don't want to pick up a gun, because it's abnormal in such a society, and it goes against their principles, in Elena's case, because she is a medical doctor.

Distrust isn't common around everyone; neighbors know and greet each other, and generally, coexistence is good; it's not a generally defensive society.

Many situations are impossible to translate, much less behaviors. What may seem strange is the common way of behaving in these countries. Things are taken for granted, obvious, and there's no need to express them; just act or think about them/reflect. Silences are normal and have their meanings depending on the context.

In Buenos Aires, it has only snowed twice in its entire history, and obviously not in the summer. Originally, they think it might be asbestos from the burning power station, but they quickly realize that the shiny snow is the cause. There is no other reason, and there can be no other reason. In the original comic, they realize it just as quickly.

For a character to leave even with the possibility of death, is part of human irrationality, and they must keep that in mind at all times. Humans in these situations are not rational.

The beetles originally appear in the comic, as do the other creatures. The design is very similar. Keep in mind that this comic was written in the 1950s and translated into several languages. It's a precursor to science fiction, not an imitation. It existed 70 years before and is very faithful to the original work.

The slow pace in the first four episodes is due to the psychological foundations being established, where the characters adapt to what is happening and feel paranoia taking over. Then everything speeds up.

The secondary narratives that seem pointless will later be resolved in what will be the second and final season. Remember that this is an already known work, and a comic book; not everything is given to the viewer.

P. S. Claiming that those who positively rate the series are likely relatives of the actors is deeply disrespectful. You may not like it, but that doesn't mean you should dismiss something because you simply don't understand it or don't like it. This is a work that has waited decades to be adapted, with a huge fan base, and above all, because it has a very distinctive idiosyncrasy from the Río de la Plata region, and because it is loved by millions of Argentinians. P. S. 2. Watch it with subtitles and stop complaining about the dubbing. We watch American movies all the time, and we don't complain.

A bit of context for American folks: You're used to seeing sci-fi productions set in your own towns. Your industry is huge-Hollywood, whether through independent or commercial films, has explored every movie genre there is. But for us Argentinians, sci-fi is a largely unexplored genre, and large-scale productions like this are extremely rare.

El Eternauta is an adaptation of a 1957 graphic novel. In this part of the world, you don't usually see major apocalyptic events happening on our soil-every alien in the universe tends to invade the first world first. But in El Eternauta, the catastrophe happens right here. That's why it's so compelling and special for us to see the streets of Buenos Aires covered in toxic snow (it has only snowed twice here in the last 100 years!) or our local buses overturned by giant beetles.

And please, don't watch it dubbed.

Much respect to dubbing actors, but every show or movie feels less authentic when dubbed. Subtitles don't hurt, seriously. We've been reading them for years and it really changes the experience.

That being said-WOW!

I didn't know we had this level of FX and makeup artists in my country! The costume design, the effects, the production design, the makeup, the script-it's all incredible. I couldn't be prouder. Amazing performances, amazing storytelling. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen for even a second. I was nervous, totally immersed in the story-and that's a rare feeling to have while sitting in your own living room.

The acting was excellent, with just a couple of exceptions. For example, Carla Peterson-I've seen her in many TV comedies, but she doesn't quite work for drama, in my opinion. Her delivery didn't feel natural. But the rest of the cast? Outstanding! I loved seeing both familiar faces and completely new ones.

I also read that El Eternauta was filmed using StageCraft (the same production technology used by Lucasfilm for The Mandalorian). There are only three studios in the world with that technology-and one of them is just a few blocks away.. That makes me even prouder.

In short: an amazing and incredible show. I can't wait for the next season!

I'm afraid this reviews are completely biased. Argentinian folks are crazy fanatics about any cultural product they do and they're brigading to keep the stars up. I understand the love they have for the comic book, since The Eternaut is a book you can find in most homes and it's recommended for kids early in their lives. This adaptation is really good and that's it. It's not a "masterpiece" as some reviews are depicting it. Actors are expectedly fine; Ricardo Darin and Cesar Troncoso steal the show as usual.

I hope Netflix keeps founding LatAm projects, since is proven that great products can be made here.

I think the most remarkable thing is exactly what people say when promoting the series. Ricardo Darín, in interviews, and several journalists who attended the premiere, said it "raises the bar" for local productions. And that's true: on a technical level, because of its scale and production value, it's without a doubt the most ambitious series project ever made in Argentina. That deserves praise. The action sequences, special effects and set design are impressively executed - in a way we hadn't seen before in the country. If a viewer's focus is solely on that, the series may be quite appealing. It's visually striking, and it brings that shared pride we Argentinians feel when seeing something of this level made here, with our streets, our slang, our music. In that sense, it's a celebration of everything Argentine.

And that's where I feel some of the narrative choices begin to work against it. The Eternaut tries so hard to be "authentically Argentine" that it often feels forced and unnatural. The songs seem chosen more to please the local audience than for any real narrative need. "Oh look, a Soda Stereo track." "Oh nice, they played Intoxicados." You'll hear Manal, Spinetta, Gardel, Divididos, Mercedes Sosa and more. And it wouldn't be a bad thing at all - if those songs emerged organically, carried weight in the scene or amplified an emotion. In fact, there are moments that work: specifically, the one with "Credo" felt really well chosen. But many times they're just there for the viewer to recognize them. It's a device that gets used so much that it loses its impact, and instead of enriching the story, it interrupts it. The overuse makes it obvious and pandering.

And the same happens with a lot of the dialogue: lines that feel written just to make the viewer nod or smile at a familiar phrase, not because they make sense in the dramatic context. Even the character nicknames - "El Ruso," "El Tano," "La Gringa" - become caricatures of Argentine-ness. The writing often feels amateurish. Not all of it is bad - there are some charming moments, things that work. But that's all they are: isolated bits. There are no great screenwriting moments, no standout scenes because of how they're written. The scripts, handled by Bruno Stagnaro, Ariel Staltari and Gabriel Stagnaro, fall short of the complexity or emotional depth this story demands. It's more of a Stagnaro's Eternaut than a true adaptation. A personal take that fails to connect with a broader audience. A story that had everything to resonate universally while keeping its local identity ends up narrowing itself into a very specific aesthetic and ideological corner.

It feels like, in trying to reach a wide Argentine audience, the creators filled the show with obvious cultural references - as if each viewer needed a constant wink to feel engaged. But all those cultural nods should be seasoning, not the substance. They can't carry a story that clearly needs more depth. In trying to please, the series seems to distrust the narrative power of the original work. And that's the strange part: The Eternaut didn't need that. Its strength came from how, through an extraordinary situation, any person could see themselves in its protagonists. You didn't have to be Argentine to identify with them. It was in how it was told. This is The Eternaut with Okupas aesthetics.

And just to be clear: I don't mind that aesthetic. In fact, I think it's a smart choice to highlight aspects not very present in the original and reinforce the idea that the catastrophe is something we face together. The problem is that this focus is so overstated that the story and pacing suffer. Many scenes become slow, heavy or just irrelevant, and the dialogue often seems designed more to reinforce tone than to push the story forward.

It doesn't even manage to do what Okupas did well, where everything felt raw and genuine. Here, the writing feels forced, full of tropes. What made that show special, I think, is missing here. The mold is reused, but the soul isn't.

The characters lack depth and charisma. They don't elicit empathy. The script doesn't build any real emotional connection to them, which means what happens to them doesn't really matter. Favalli, the great "Fava" from the original comic - the clever, brave leader - here becomes just "El Tano," a minor character with far less impact on the story. In fact, all the characters feel secondary. Even Juan Salvo, who should be the emotional and narrative backbone, is lost among arbitrary decisions, without a clear emotional arc. He never feels like he's carrying the weight of the story. There's so much emphasis on the "collective hero" that no one ends up driving the plot. They're mostly linear, shallow characters, with no real development or personal journey. They react to whatever the scene demands, not from any meaningful inner logic.

I also don't think updating the 1957 story to the present is a bad decision - that was necessary to refresh it - the problem is how it was done. I don't think the spirit of the original is betrayed, but it definitely loses that sense of urgency, chaos and mystery where everything is at stake and every life matters. Here, characters sometimes act like nothing's happening. That's odd, because the threats - the snow, the invasion - don't seem to have real consequences. There's no sense of confinement, collective anxiety, or paranoia. And that's one of the core engines of the original: constant tension and shared fear. In the comic, the characters often express despair, helplessness, the feeling of being trapped by something overwhelming - and that's what pulls us into their heroic journey. That feeling just isn't here. Facing the deadly snowfall feels almost... normal.

The Eternaut had the potential to be relevant, modern, with its own voice and global reach. But instead, it stays on the surface: local winks, generic dialogue, soulless characters and a narrative structure that underestimates the audience. And that's the most disappointing part. Argentine viewers are used to watching series with global-level quality. This version lacks sensitivity and craft. Stagnaro is great at portraying certain worlds - marginality, urban realism - but that same obsession limits him. He stays inside his comfort zone, and instead of opening the story to the world, he locks it in. It underestimates the audience and wastes the power of the original work. In that sense, it feels like a missed opportunity.

Still, I choose to focus on the positive: on the decision to boldly fly the Argentine flag and bet big on a production of this magnitude. Just having such an ambitious adaptation of a classic like The Eternaut is something to celebrate. The original work deserves it - deeply. And even though this first season didn't live up to what some of us hoped for, hopefully it'll be the starting point for something better. There's real potential for a great second season. I'll be watching - with hope.

The Eternaut has never been seen on a film or series until now due to nobody having the guts and funds to do it. Fortunately, Netflix allowed Bruno Stagnaro to take on this challenge!

Turning this into audiovisual content is not something easy as it's from a comic with different sci-fi elements but guess what? The director managed to make things go smoothly.

Now, do you need to read the comic? Well, I'd say it's similar to The walking dDad, "the main problem" the characters deal with in the story is the same just like in the comic but, there are new events that take place and most importantly: THE YEAR.

In the comic, it's literally the 50s-60s, whereas in the show, they even have phones.

As for the pacing, there are some episodes that will feel slow. However, they make up for this by bringing instant-action when needed.

Yet, I think this only gives the series more potential and it's actually great because if you enjoy the show, you can go and give the comic a read to see how the story goes on and what is exactly different.

My review may be biased due to being from Argentina but trust me, this is a post-apocalyptic show than anybody in the world can enjoy and will also allow you to learn more about Argentina's locations, costumes and so on.

Last but not least, Robert Kirkman (creator of TWD), said that he was inspired by The Eternaut and just then started drawing and writing The Walking Dead.

I was a child when I first read El Eternauta, serialized in an Italian magazine. I didn't grasp every twist, but one image carved itself into my memory: a man in a diving mask trudging through deadly snow. It was surreal, terrifying, and strangely noble - a symbol of survival, resistance, and raw human grit.

Cut to 2025. Netflix gives us a glossy, slow-burning adaptation with high production values and very little urgency. The emotional core is missing and the political weight hollowed out. What we get is a long, beautifully lit shrug.

Episode 1 sets the tone: Juan Salvo takes shelter with friends in a house free of both supplies and strategy. By episode 3, civilization has collapsed, but no one has even attempted to boil a potato. The characters drift through the apocalypse like they've wandered into someone else's fever dream. Juan broods. His ex-wife Elena arrives and becomes insufferable. And somehow, in a world of radioactive snow and killer bugs, people keep deciding to go on solo road trips - good strategy, folks!

Yes, the show gets the visuals right. The contrast between sun-drenched normality and the snow-covered nightmare is chilling. Corpses frozen mid-toast or mid-laugh are striking. The snow itself is eerie and beautiful - almost a character. But mood isn't enough.

Oesterheld's original was fueled by fear, resistance, and metaphor - ordinary people facing monstrous systems. Here, the themes are flattened into lingering stares and grim lighting. Even the iconic diving mask, when it finally appears, feels like a designer prop rather than a symbol of transformation.

Watching this as an adult who once feared and revered that masked figure in the snow feels like meeting a childhood monster again, only to find it's been sanitized for streaming. Not terrible. Just defanged, declawed, and a little too proud of its wardrobe.

I'll probably keep watching if there's more - out of loyalty to the image burned into my memory. But I miss the mask that meant something. And the man who knew what to do when the snow began to fall.

I thought it was good. I binged watched all the episodes. (They're only 6.) But it wasn't a 10 to me. My main problem was the characters. None were really appealing. More specifically, they argued and fought constantly. It was very annoying. This is not the group I would want to be stuck with, in an emergency.

Otherwise, the story was good. The special effects were good. And other than the constant fighting, the dialogue was good.

Minor criticisms and observations

• That Alfredo had some crazy eyes. He didn't look like someone I could trust to keep his head on straight in an emergency.

• That Omar stole the groups' only vehicle in the beginning just because he selfishly wanted to get out. And later on, when they find themselves together again, he accuses them of being untrustworthy? Another person I wouldn't want to be stuck with in an emergency.

• That young boy they rescued from the closet at the school was so disrespectful, insulting and offensive. Whatever happened to "respect your elders"? I would have left him to fend for himself.

• The female characters were so anti gun, it's illogical. You're stuck in a disaster where there are obvious deadly criminal threats. And no law and order. And you refuse to protect yourself and others in your group?

The writers and producers clearly have no idea how to make a proper series. The character development is so weak that you barely know who anyone is, let alone care about them. You cannot sympathise with a single character. Take the young girl with short hair, or the Chinese guy, for example. Then you have a group of grandads running around with rifles like they are part of a SWAT team. None of it makes sense.

The script feels like it was written by someone with zero experience. No research, no consistency, no rhythm. It is slow, it is dull, and it is full of nonsense.

Avoid like the snow!!!!

Breathtaking high quality show A big RARE from NETLFIX.

I just wanna say that , people really need to not compare this show to other shows are already came out like The last of us or the walking dead or fallout. First of all comparing kills the joy and ruin the experience, secondly, this show is based on comic that come out between 1957-1959 so its very old , and surly not based on a generic story taken of or rip of from another shows or movies like what I'm seeing people says, it's not based on metro games also, so people need to give this a proper chance and not just hate on it. This has a one of best visual and world building dystopian ever, and clearly Netflix really invested in the show as I heard they shoot this show on more than 30 locations, and not to forget the top class cast and incredible story.

Totally recommend.

The first 3 episodes burn a bit slowly with lots of personal affairs and getting to know our band of heroes. But once the puzzle pieces fall into place around episode 4, things begin to unfold on a larger stage. The atmosphere is such that I expected jump scares most of the time, it's quite tense, and of course it is, nobody really know what's going on, and yet you get the feeling many times that something isn't quite right.

I can highly recommend anyone that enjoy "War of the Worlds"/"V" style shows and movies to give this one a go. It's not quite like anything I've seen before, and I really look forward to following seasons as of course season 1 ends with a bit of a cliffhanger.

Amazingly this was done with a 15 million dollar budget. Every dollar was excellently spent. I found all the effects quite good and it's not unnecessarily gory or bloody.

I'll be looking forward to the next season.

This series is a historic milestone for television, as it brings to the screen for the first time one of the most iconic works in Argentine comic history: El Eternauta. Created by Héctor Germán Oesterheld and Francisco Solano López, this story has left a lasting mark on generations with its powerful metaphor about resistance, solidarity, and collective struggle in the face of adversity.

Over time, El Eternauta has never been forgotten; on the contrary, its message remains as relevant as ever. Now, thanks to this production, it will be immortalized for new audiences. With its carefully crafted setting, high-quality effects, and a dedicated cast, the series not only pays tribute to the original work but also introduces it to the world.

This is an ambitious project that we hope succeeds globally-not only for its artistic value but for the depth of its message. A story that began as a comic now becomes a powerful audiovisual symbol of identity and memory, lets pray for a season 2.

The original source that this series is based on is covered more or less in the first episode: everything else is new material. And I get the feeling that the showrunners feared this would be their only shot at a production of this magnitude, so they crammed every sci-fi theme they could think of in six short episodes. A massive biological threat, invading insectoid xenomorphs, good old body snatching, and a degradation of civilization, for starters. Unfortunately, together they end up making the whole product disjointed rather than gripping, since none of the threads are given enough runtime.

It's still a somewhat well-crafted show though. It's a nice touch to make middle-aged regular Joes with common sense the protagonists. As is the fact that this doesn't take place in a major US city for once. And also the idea that despite facing horrendous odds, strangers and neighbors often attempt to help each other, rather than the usual every-man-for-himself trope that we see so often. If Netflix greenlights any further seasons, I hope they ask the showrunners to pick a lane and stick to it though.

I can't say how much I loved it and I am waiting for the second season asap.

The cast, perfect, and a great adaptation getting the graphic novel to de 21st Century. The cast, awesome.

I am surprise someone commented why the characters did not want a guns at first. Probably because people don't buy guns in Argentina like people in the United States do.

Then, why they did not speak? If you cannot understand someone when that person is in silence......different idiosyncrasies.

Why did they forgive certain character? People deserve 2nd chances.

Their reactions are normal. Of course, they are not the typical action heroes, who know every martial art on the planet, or boxing or weapon experts. And they are not in their 20/30s. They are old friends, some veterans from the Malvinas war (which took place in 1982), and they just want to have their families together and get somewhere safe in an unforeseen situation. They even pay homage to Peru, the country that supported Argentina during the Malvinas war 100%.

The main message is that nobody survives alone, its a group effort.

If you are expecting a movie with a Die Hard style hero, this is not for you.

But if you want to see normal, every day people reacting to extreme circumstances and trying their best to survive by keeping their families and friends near, you will enjoy it pretty much.

There's a lot I liked about the show. Especially the very first episode had a great atmosphere. It was also new and refreshing to watch a show that takes place in Argentina. But probably that was also a problem for me. As a European it felt somewhat familiar to me but there was also a lot I didn't unverstand. The behaviour of the characters was quite often incomprehensible to me. I kept asking myself why? Why do they act so strangely? Why don't they talk more? Why don't they discuss their situation more? Very often they acted in a way that seemed, sorry, stupid to me. That made it hard to watch sometimes. Also there were some inconsistencies in regard to the snow and some other aspects.

Still, the story itself was great, I liked the atmosphere and I'd watch a second season if there'll ever be one.

The abundance of glowing reviews sadly suggests that very few viewers still care about internal consistency, logic, accurate assumptions, or coherent dialogue. Right from the start, the show displays a blatant disregard for basic physics-perfectly exemplified by the completely botched explanation of an EMP. It starts off by quoting the original book reasonably well, only to immediately spiral into nonsense about "overvoltage" and resulting "destruction," all of which is technically incorrect.

The dialogues-especially between the elderly characters-sound like something written for a school play featuring ten-year-olds. The group's behavior throughout is so childishly absurd that it feels more like a daycare center than a group of adults facing a deadly catastrophe. At one point, someone waves a lantern in front of a window to stop someone else from opening their window. Really?

Then there's the young woman trapped in a garage, screaming and pleading for help. The elderly people on the other side? Utter silence. Not even a shout back. Instead, they just run around aimlessly like headless chickens, completely devoid of logic or purpose.

One of the men is eventually "equipped" to go outside: gas mask, gloves with duct tape, and-specifically mentioned-plastic bags over his shoes to keep the deadly snow out. But of course, in the very next scene? No plastic bags to be seen.

When you take a closer look, nothing about this pilot episode holds up. Not a single line of dialogue, not a single decision, not a single idea appears to have been thought through to the end. I haven't seen sci-fi this poorly made in a long time-and it has nothing to do with it not being an American production. It's simply bad craftsmanship. Period.

There must be something compelling about the end of the world, since nothing seems more popular in our entertainment these days than the brutal post-apocalypse.

Every major network and streaming service needs one.

HBO has The Last of Us. Apple TV+ has Silo. Netflix, to be fair, has a whole bunch, plucked from all over the world, but Argentinian series The Eternaut feels closest to the quintessential template of a prestige post-apocalypse. It's a character-focused slow-burn with striking visuals and very grim twists and turns, and like the shows above, it's based on something else - not a video game or a book, but a graphic novel, writer Héctor G. Oesterheld and illustrator Francisco Solano Lopez's 1957 one of the same name.

I haven't read that graphic novel, so i don't know about the show's closeness to it. Showrunner Bruno Stagnaro could have adapted it panel by panel for all I know, but it looks great either way. The chilling - literally! - story of a Buenos Aires in complete collapse seems very much made for TV though, interspersing it's slower, character-driven moments with splashes of action and last-minute swerves timed with a watchmaker's precision to keep binge-watchers on the hook.

I'm a huge fan of the original comic, and despite this version resembling it only in spirit and a couple of broad strokes, I'm not dissapointed.

Some new characters, like Ana (Favali's wife) are very welcomed additions. Some are "meh", such as the delivery girl. Some simply shouldn't be there, and lead to absurd situations, like Staltari's.

Directing is great, effects are decent, script is good, and acting is top-tier, with a couple exeptions (most notable, again, Staltari's, and Elena's neighbours on the second episode)

The way the include an in-universe device to explain going so far from the comic (and justify the title) proves they really know the source.

A very welcomed addition to the saga. 10/10.

This series does a fantastic job setting up the plot and creating a believable world. The story is very interesting, and overall, the plot does a good job balancing character drama with action and suspense.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get past the fact that people behave VERY strangely in this series. I'll say right up front that I understand people behave differently during a crisis, such as panic, shut down, display irrational behavior, etc.. That's not what I'm talking about. What I'm talking about for example, are the long pauses of silence in totally normal conversation while they are in no danger. For example, one character will be talking to the other, and when it comes time for the other person to speak, they just stand there, not replying to the person at all. They're not panicked or dazed by events, they're just choosing not to say anything for... reasons?

There's so many interactions in this series that just seem so... OFF... I've never felt so awkward watching others interact before. Again, this has nothing to do with the crisis itself, just how people interact with each other overall.

There's also the fact that some characters refuse to take a weapon with them, even though they've seen first-hand the danger they're in. I guess this could be believable, as normalcy bias is a real thing, but by that point I would have thought they'd have snapped out of it.

Another thing that really annoyed me is how one of the characters kept bugging another to blindly help people. When character A explained to character B that people can't be trusted due to current circumstances, character B completely ignores them. Then, in a later scene, character A is proven correct when they are both robbed at gun-point and locked in a bathroom. From there, they move on as if nothing happened. No "I told you so", or any kind of accountability at all. No apology from character B, or re-evaluation of their actions.

Again, I absolutely love the premise of this series and the world they've built, but be prepared to be annoyed and baffled by how people interact with each other.