Les Éternels

I personally feel like this movie is very underrated. It's not as jokey or flashy as any of the other Marvel movies but that's kind of why I like it. It felt less like a superhero movie and more like an art film about gods and what it does to your psyche when you live for such a long time on the planet that's not yours.

There's a lot of different diverse personalities in this and it shows interesting ways of how these characters and not only cope with their longevity but also take advantage of the world around them. Even though the characters seem wooden in the beginning of the movie as time goes on you start to at least in my opinion connect with them and their relationships to each other. I love the fact that the humor isn't over the top and one is there it's to help you understand the characters more instead of just being goofy for the sake of being goofy.

The main point of the movie is basically about the passing of time and what it does to people. Hence the song played over the marvel logo being Time by Pink Floyd. As time goes on these characters change how not only how they feel about each other but humanity all together, for better or for worse.

There are also twists in the movie that I did not expect that were pretty surprising. Without going into much detail I like the fact that all of these characters are kind of in the gray and aren't 100% good guys or bad guys. It feels more like a Snyder film in the sense that it's less about superheroes being quippy and trying to save the day and more about imperfect gods trying to figure out what there purpose is.

To a lot of people this felt like a huge step backwards for the MCU. For me this was a refreshing change of pace for these movies.

The only negatives that I will say is that I did not care at all about the romance between Ikaris and Sersi. There was absolutely zero chemistry between them. Also, personally, I can't stand Sprite. She is an insufferably selfish character she just came off as super annoying.

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.

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.

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)

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.