Eternals

I think this movie got such a trash review because people thought it was too "woke" with casting. Which is nonsense by the way. That is how the real world is. It does have its flaws but it's not nearly as bad as people rate it. These 2 & 3 ratings are nonsense. Those people who wrote those might want to try watching movies from a long ways back were they did put out some good movies but also put out tons of trash. This is most certainly not trash. It's pretty good. Decent humor, good action and a good story. Pacing and some of the dialogue is subpar. I will Also say that its run time is a bit much. I actually enjoyed this movie though and I'm very much not disappointed or think that it was a waste of time. It's a very unique take on the internals. I will say that Sercy and Icarus chemistry could've been better. It has its flaws but if you want to sit back and watch a unique interpretation of a comic book Then give it a shot.

I went in knowing nothing about the source material and not watching a single trailer. I had no expectations for this movie. After watching it, I feel like it had the potential to be incredible. But it wasn't. It wasn't even good. I'm legitimately sad while writing this.

I see this as the MCU homage to Watchmen. It feels very "adult" in so many ways. But in others, it's childish. The story is a complete mess. So many useless subplots. The characters feel flat, especially the protagonist. Some uncharacteristically bad casting choices (while also criminally under utilizing Angelina Jolie, a beast of an actress, should have been the main character). So much of this movie doesn't feel natural, something always feels a bit off.

There's a lot I enjoyed. I watched some of the coolest things I've ever seen on screen. So many parts are visually stunning. Some of the action was good, some wasn't. An enormous step down in that department after Shang-Chi. The deep philosophical themes are interesting but poorly executed.

Sigh. I'll probably watch it again to see if it grows on me. But this might be the worst MCU movie. I hope the bad reception doesn't discourage them from being ambitious in the future. I'm afraid they might stick to playing it safe to avoid another underperformer.

Edit: I watched it again, in IMAX of course. I enjoyed it a lot more the second time. All of my initial flaws are still there. But I focused on all of the good, and tried to ignore the bad. It made for a much better experience, especially after moving past the initial disappointment of how truly amazing it could have been.

I think the reason I found the protagonist so underwhelming is because she doesn't drive the plot. Her character is always reactive. Things happen to her. She's generally likeable, but a weak character. And one thing that was impossible to ignore even when I tried, Salma Hayek was a terrible choice.

My favorite character is Druig, with a great performance by Barry Keoghan. I really like most of the other characters and wish I could have seen more from them. Kumail Nanjiani is awesome, except when they give him random "insert joke here" lines. I'm curious to see more from most of the characters.

This movie is still very flawed. And I absolutely hated how certain character conflicts were resolved after major decisions were made. But if you can move past the bad, you can enjoy the action, visuals, and ambition. Rating updated from 4 stars to 5 stars.

(3 viewings, opening night IMAX 11/4/2021, IMAX 11/17/2021, 4/30/2023)

Not really sure why this movie got so much hate. It's introducing a swath of new superhero's and doesn't really converge with any other Avengers plot lines save for a few mentions of Thanos, Thor and some other hero's. That job on its own isn't an easy one and I think they did a fantastic job of giving us a new storyline. The shear scale of the movie was well done both in terms of time periods and in general how epic and massive everything felt. Loved the diversity of the characters - every one of them added something to the story. With that being said - and this is coming from just your average Marvel fan with no knowledge of the comics - the Eternals powers all seemed a bit underwhelming. Maybe it's just that they were trying to display how powerful the deviants were but even Ikaris couldn't take down one on his own. Other than that the movie was absolutely beautifully shot - maybe the best looking Marvel movie to date. Again, I'm not sure what the hate is about but I thoroughly enjoyed watching it.

The visuals of "Eternals" are spectacular. They look very real and very stylish. I also applaud the film for the diversity of the cast. However, the build up of the film is just too slow and too long, and I lost most of my interest and concentration when the final showdown begins. In addition, the one liner jokes are a little out of place and quite contrived. It is still an entertaining film, but probably not as great as the recent Marvel films.

Visually stunning.

Different "vibe" than we know of Marvel, but very refreshing. Would almost say more calming and suiting. Love that it wasn't a cliché group, but very diverse, which just makes total sense.

Don't forget: Some Avengers already had their solo films to explain the origin of their story. Even though it's not fully explained for the Eternals, almost each character will get (a part of) their story explained. This takes time and some might consider this too long with a slow pace. However very necessary for the film.

Could've used a little more action, but think upcoming film(s) will have more of that and maybe even some solo films? It definitely leaves an open window for (a lot) more and the movie was interesting enough to leave you with questions you want to have answered!

PS. Keep seated during the credits for the two addition scenes. You want to see more after this.

PS. Proud of Angie. Very layered character. Love the roles she chooses to play.