Eternals

The 26th instalment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe marks the arrival of a new brand of superheroes into their ever-growing family and further expands the horizons of its shared universe with its grand scope. However, being one of the lesser-known properties the way Guardians was back in 2014, Eternals needed to create an intrigue & curiosity to make us care & invest in its mythic world but the film as a whole simply falls flat at it.

Co-written & directed by Chloé Zhao (The Rider & Nomadland), her latest effort opts for a slightly different path that at times avoids or escapes the familiar trappings of a standard Marvel fare but then its attempts to forge its own identity is executed with such blandness that there is no life to it. The film is devoid of the fun & fascinating qualities of its studio's finest works and neither its storytelling nor its ensemble compel us enough to give a damn.

It is an ambitious undertaking no doubt that intends to explore a few interesting ideas but Zhao goes for it without working out the fundamentals first. She aims for the intimacy with surface-level digging into these superpowered beings but with there being no incentive for us to even bother, the emotions & warmth don't shine through. Add to that, the story is needlessly overlong, tediously paced, and is filled with characters without camaraderie with one another.

Overall, Eternals is a dull, lifeless & forgettable addition to Marvel Studios canon and also happens to be one of their rarest gambles that doesn't pay off the desired dividends. While the diverse ensemble is a welcome move from the inclusivity standpoint, the actors are more or less wasted in their roles and aren't given anything interesting to leave their imprint upon. It remains to be seen how this chapter plays out in Marvel's Phase 4 plan but as a standalone entry, Eternals is mediocre at best.

I'm not going to give a long winded review though the movie was long. "Eternal" was the runtime. There were parts that were good and parts that weren't. One of the biggest issues is that a movie of this nature presents more questions than it answers. The very existence of eternal beings existing on planet Earth, sent there by their creator in order to protect human life from Deviants, begs a lot of questions. And the more they strayed from their prime directive, the more questions they presented. The eternals were human in every aspect with the exception of their powers and their lifespan. The fact that such humanlike and very fallible beings (as in not entirely obedient) were sent to protect humans is just a start of the questions.

"Eternals" was unnecessarily long. There were plenty of scenes that could've been left on the cutting room floor. Marvel bit off a lot with this metaphysical, beginning of creation movie. It was very emotional and slow at many points. Even the comic relief failed to garner the laughs it intended. But, there was applause in the theater after it was over. Honestly, I don't know if that was based upon how good the movie was or simply MCU diehards paying their obligatory tribute.

Chloé Zhao's direction gives Marvel Cinematic Universe a much needed breath of fresh air, but 'Eternals' doesn't quite come together. Despite the fact the film claims to have a far more thought-provoking theme and a plethora of philosophical concepts, it fails to elaborate on them sufficiently to create a more compelling experience. The movie is still magnificent to look but it's pretty much lifeless with boring actors playing boring characters.

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.

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)