After weeks of marketing buildup, Marvel’s Eternals premiered to an eagerly waiting public. The movie promised to be an Oscar-worthy action-packed and stylistic epic with a skilled, note-worthy ensemble cast. That’s a fancy way of saying there was a lot of hype for this film. Initial reviews said that Eternals did not live up to the hype. It currently stands as the lowest-rated Marvel Cinematic Universe film on Rotten Tomatoes.
Personally, I tried to avoid all talk about Eternals and the reviews because I wanted to go into the movie with an open mind. I also tend to think that critics try to find something wrong with movies--Marvel movies especially--just because they are CRiTiCs. But I digress. So, did I find the critics wrong? Did I think Eternals matched the marketing and buzz around it? Let’s talk about it…
I absolutely loved the relationships in this movie.
Eternals managed to establish complex and moving relationships with little screen time. I know we are supposed to focus on Ikaris/Sersi/Dane, but the best relationships of this movie were from other characters: Makkari and Druig’s flirty nature, Thena and Gilgamesh’s quiet yet strong bond, Phastos’s love for his child and husband that made him believe in humanity again, Ajak’s devotion to the group, Sprite and Kingo’s sibling-esque banter, etc. There is a wide range of relationships portrayed in the movie that convey a lot of depth and emotion. One that took me by surprise was Sprite and Sersi’s relationship. Sprite’s yearning for Sersi’s life--a life Sprite could never have--was an unexpected and brilliant avenue to take the characters.
Acting really drove the audience’s understanding of the characters.
The acting in this film is amazing. It really is no surprise given the strong ensemble cast and the good directing. I really commend the cast and Chloe Zhao who were able to build each character in a small amount of time. Each character had a strong personality, distinct motivations, and complex relationships with the other characters. I really cannot wait to see these characters in other movies! I would love to see some other actors given a little more time to give their characters more depth. And also, just to see some actors more (Kit Harrington was in, like, 5 minutes of the movie!).
Eternals was visually stunning.
Seriously. The landscapes of ancient cities. The costumes. The action. The "pew pew" of Kingo's finger guns (or did I just add those sound effects?) I can’t wait to rewatch it to analyze the visuals even more. I particularly loved the depiction of Sersi’s powers during action sequences. The red blizzard of rose petals that fall on a darkened street, the flutter of birds that erupts around Sersi during battle, and especially the ending. No spoilers here! But, once you watch the movie, admire the beautiful textures, colors, and movement of the last battle. And speaking of Sersi’s powers...
Did this movie try to do too much?
Okay. I tried to avoid spoilers. But, I just can’t anymore. So, you have been warned, this next paragraph will contain spoilers. My one critique of the movie, really, is that it tries to do too much. Eternals, 80% of the time, does a good job handling its multitude of characters and the introduction to a very complicated and very big reality of the Celestials, Eternals, and Deviants. See above points. However, I do have quite a few questions the movie did not answer. My main one. What are the rules around Sersi’s powers? Can she manipulate all living material now? Is it just those connected to Celestials like the Deviant and Tiamut she transmuted? Will she be able to change any living thing? WHAT IS IT? I look forward to finding out the answer in whatever movie Sersi is in next. END OF SPOILERS.
To recap for those who didn’t read the last paragraph, my main issue with Eternals is that the world wasn’t completely established for me. I had a lot of questions at the end of the movie. However, I do not see this as a bad thing. All in all, Eternals is more comparable with Phase 1 and Phase 2 MCU than with Phase 3 and other Phase 4 movies. It is Marvel’s attempt to expand the MCU past characters we already know unlike the 3 TV shows on Disney+ (I’m not saying these shows weren’t experimental or aren't expanding the MCU, they were. But they were doing so with already established characters).
This movie is an introduction to our world of Celestials, Deviants, and Eternals. There will be plenty of movies to come to answer our questions. If anything, the flaws in this movie are growing pains for Marvel as they test new realities, worlds, and storylines. Personally, I’m glad to see it. It means that Marvel will continue to experiment and push the boundaries of storytelling.