What a thrill! Netflix is premiering El Eternauta (The Eternaut), the long-awaited Argentinean adaptation of the iconic science fiction novel. For the uninitiated, it was written by Héctor G. Oesterheld and illustrated by Francisco Solano López between 1957 and 1959. Almost seven decades after its publication in Hora Cero magazine, El Eternauta remains a cultural icon adored in Argentina and one of the most influential and outstanding comics in Latin America and the world.

Finally, it’s making the leap to live action with award-winning actor Ricardo Darín (Argentina 1985), in the role of Juan Salvo, the unlikely hero of the neighborhood.

Produced by K&S Films (La Odisea de los Giles, Relatos Salvajes) and created and directed by Bruno Stagnaro, one of the leading figures of New Argentine Cinema (Okupas, Un Gallo para Esculapio), Netflix’s El Eternauta immerses the viewer in a disturbing post-apocalyptic scenario. It tells the story of a group of ordinary people who join forces to survive a strange meteorological catastrophe that puts their lives at risk. With it, the streamer continues to expand its collection of LATAM programming, here introducing a new generation to the fascinating universe of Héctor G. Oesterheld.

Snow in Summer?

This apocalyptic thriller takes place in Buenos Aires during the summer. When an unnatural snowfall hits the city, an apocalypse starts – in a few hours millions of people die, thousands are left in isolation, and only a few come to know the mysterious and cruel forces that have sentenced the future of humanity.

At the center is Juan Salvo (Darín) and his lifelong friends. They manage to escape the deadly snowfall for the most trivial reason imaginable: they are gathered together playing cards at Tanos’ (César Troncoso) house and remain sheltered as the snowfall rushes in and wreaks havoc and uncertainty on the town. Soon, the electricity supply is interrupted, the telephone lines are disconnected, and the streets are littered with the corpses of those who have come into contact with the toxic flakes. Death comes from the sky and no one seems able to prevent it. For his part, Tanos, with the poise of all erudites, begins to sense the magnitude of the danger before everyone else can even perceive it.

Besieged by chaos, the friends devise a kind of waterproof, sealed suit to venture out to find relatives, survivors, and supplies. Their first excursion reveals the decimation of the outside world – and the danger when our civilized behavior codes erode. However, El Eternauta takes on another dimension when Salvo, his group, and several other porteños discover that the strange meteorological phenomenon is just the beginning – they will have to confront an invading and destructive alien force if they want to avoid total annihilation.

Netflix’s intriguing adaptation of El Eternauta manages to lose none of the force, action, or humanity that made the graphic novel such a heartfelt and profound experience. Though it takes a decidedly contemporary turn and adds a few changes and subplots, the iteration remains fairly faithful to Solano’s illustrations and Oesterheld’s central storylines. “What we did was try to capture the spirit, the atmospheres, the aesthetics, and the places of the comic, but without necessarily following the chronology laid out there,” Stagnaro told El País.

The Collective Hero

For those who are not yet familiar with Héctor G. Oesterheld’s masterpiece, this work revolutionized the ninth art with its format and its peculiar way of narrating the adventure from the perspective of ordinary citizens. Neither Juan Salvo nor his friends are endowed with exceptional gifts or resources. They are, above all, simple men, doing what they can in the midst of the most extreme and dehumanizing threat they have ever seen. Oesterheld’s is not a story of solitary heroes, like Superman or Bruce Wayne, but one of collective struggle for survival.

One of the greatest merits of this Argentine comic is that it celebrates the “collective hero,” and with that concept, it highlights the importance of organizing in the face of adversity and oppression. The good news is that Netflix’s reimagining, co-written by Bruno Stagnaro and Ariel Staltari, understands this, and explores it little by little. Both the original and the adaptation show that true resistance is only possible through solidarity or as star Ricardo Darín told Diario Mendoza, “If we believe that we can save ourselves… we are making a big mistake. El Eternauta proposes something else: that no one saves himself alone.”

So, Should I Watch It?

Fair warning: Netflix’s El Eternauta is not a perfect adaptation, but it’s still worth the time.

For diehard fans, this adaptation honors the cultural and artistic dimension of the original work. For new viewers, it offers a very Argentine adventure and a compelling testament to how science fiction can transcend mere entertainment and preserve cultural memory.

Beyond the meticulous technical aspects of the production, which undoubtedly marks a before and after in the Argentine science fiction industry, Netflix’s adaptation makes it clear that Oesterheld’s old story retains its critical capacity. It still has important things to tell us about alienation, popular resistance, and the power of the collective.

With meteorological phenomena, monstrous creatures, and desperate Argentine survivors, El Eternauta is a must-see for science fiction fans in Latin America and across the globe.