As we get our third Marvel (MCU-specific) film this year, I find it helpful to think back on each of them, also shocked we'll get a fourth - and probably "most" anticipated one with No Way Home in a little bit.
Hindsight has left me less impressed by Black Widow - an outing where I honestly only remember her sassy sister, Yelena, and being disappointed by the action. Not to mention, it was arguably too little, too late.
Then we have Shang-Chi which I was less openly excited for thanks to some lackluster trailers and the film turned out to be one of Marvel's best solo efforts in years, with gorgeous visuals and action with a suite of memorable characters. It was a very pleasant surprise.
Eternals, thanks to some very early (which may not have been wise?) reviews plummeted in my excitement for it as it slowly became the lowest-rated Marvel film yet. Yes it was getting review-bombed by the trolls of the internet for this little thing called diversity, but even critics were middling, aggregating worse scores than some of the low points of the MCU.
I left my theater this evening genuinely confused by that sentiment/consensus.
Eternals may not be the highest of highs within the Marvel universe - that's fair - but it's also one of it's most unique and grand films to date. I enjoyed it on a surface level for the Marvel formula that it gently leans into (humor + action), but appreciated it the most for the ideas and concepts on display, signaling that nearly everything we've known about the Marvel universe thus far was on a very small scale.
It's true that Eternals is probably too long. I felt like it went by mostly quickly, but there's a lot of territory and story to cover. It's also the most new characters Marvel has ever introduced in a single film, so there's a lot less time to spend with them than we have with a solo film or even something like Guardians. With lots of big ideas and new concepts comes a lot of exposition dumps too. One in particular is so dense that I half expected a Marvel-esque joke to be made about its length at some point. But with all of that comes so many of the good things that Eternals accomplishes.
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| Angelina Jolie feels like a very unique grab for the MCU... |
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| The first deaf hero in the MCU. And guess what? Her action scenes are the highlight |
Our cast is also a strength - and one of Marvel's most diverse ever. There's a lot of familiar faces you've seen before like Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, and Kumail Nanjiani, but also newer, less known faces (to most people) that fit right in. In classic Marvel fashion, they each get a pretty decent amount of screentime and no one feels all that short changed. Some are more relied on for action (Madden) versus humor (Nanjiani), and their chemistry and diversity are a huge plus in a Marvel Universe that is trying to go further than white-guys-named-Chris (even if I love most of their movies too).
From an action perspective, Eternals is hit or miss, pun somewhat intended. There are awesome moments where specific powers are displayed and/or combined that is what we've come to know and love from Marvel, but there are other moments where it feels decidedly one-note, with the boring "punch slam punch slam" tendency that lacks inspiration (and that we get a lot of from DC's more average films). Luckily, all of this is captured with stunning special effects that, while I'm not sure they match how impressed I was with Shang-Chi's, they're quality and director Chloe Zhao's desire to film many parts on-location is an added bonus.
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| Not all is as it seems... |
Zhao played a heavy role in this film, creating both the screenplay/script and directing it. Her best tendencies are on display with the film anchoring on character interactions and large, gorgeous vistas, all with a slower pace than you might expect. At times, that's what adds to the length - and the script isn't always great - but I do feel like even though she's out of her element with a large blockbuster, she swings for the fences and mostly gets the run she was looking for.
Eternals was yet another pleasant surprise from Marvel this year, for me personally. I've found my excitement to be off kilter given that we were on pause for so long and now that I've seen 2 of 3 Marvel films this year with lowered expectations, and enjoying both quite a bit, I find that we all may need some recalibrating as the MCU not only starts its new phase(s) but builds itself out in the post-COVID era. While not their top-tier, Eternals pushes the MCU into exciting new directions and stands on its own as a unique film that has plenty to appreciate.
CONS
- Has some pacing issues. Specifically it never feels all that "rushed" when the end-of-the-world stuff is so near
- Overlong by probably 10-20 minutes
- Handful of weird script moments/character interactions
- Lots to get through, including new ideas. There are some heavy exposition dumps
- Certain aspects of action are unimaginative
- Deviants aren't the most compelling villains...and that's all I'll say
- Not a con per say, but I almost felt like this could have been a really compelling 6-8 episode Disney+ series
- Zhao is a talented director and that's apparent here. Some of the best cinematography the MCU has seen with lots of real locations
- Characters feel like they're [mostly] treated equally
- Diverse cast makes this a significant milestone for the MCU - and none of it feels forced
- And what a cast it is!
- Gotta love Marvel marketing. They held their cards close to their chest on this one
- Introduces BIG concepts that were probably my favorite part. Very excited to see how it will build upon it
- Exciting, great-looking action. Especially near the end
- Strong original score
- Entertaining, while balancing a lot. Eternals mostly pulls it off
Rath's Review Score | 8/10
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