Critics have had an early taste of Eternals. Divided over the dense world-building and plots, they do agree that Chloé Zhao’s movie is changing the tone of Marvel’s Phase 4.
Ahead of its US theatrical debut on November 5, critics have made it a point to warn viewers that Eternals’ lengthy screen time of two and a half hours may not exactly fly by.
The first half is apparently full of convoluted plots, none of which are indicated to be Zhao’s fault — After all, having to introduce and establish superheroes who have never been seen in the MCU before, but have existed for the last 7,000 years can be quite a task.
There is simply too much history to cover, too many questions to resolve (why didn’t the Eternals stop Thanos?), and given the number of Eternals, too many character arcs to go through as well.
While the zigzagging convolutions of the storytelling can prove frustrating, particularly in the film’s lumpy first half, there’s plenty to keep you engaged in the mix of camaraderie, friction and rivalry among the bantering Eternals, who are not without vulnerabilities.
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
While on one hand, critics like Mason Downey (Game Spot) and Liam Crowley (The Direct) commend the movie for breaking the MCU mold with its fresh, bold change of tone, Steve Rose (The Guardian) points out that it stills follows the overdone plot of racing against time to stop the bad guy.
But if you’re willing to get past that, Eternals is said to tug at heartstrings, with questions of morality on a cosmic scale, and of course, the characters trying to regain their sense of purpose, belonging, and family after being “out of service” for over millenniums.
Eternals’ cinematography is just as poignant as its tints of philosophy intertwined with depicting the mundaneness of human life.
After so many Marvel movies that give lip service to the thornier ramifications of its hero narratives, there’s an earnestness to the operatic stakes in Eternals […] that it’s played out, too, by a cast that looks like our world only burnishes what Zhao is trying to pull off from inside a trope-laden franchise.
Robert Abele, The Wrap
Its diverse and star-laden cast, interesting subject matter, and successful attempt at upscaling the MCU to a whole new (celestial) level offer fans more than plenty of moments to fall in love with Eternals.
Critics may be all over the place about Eternals, but they certainly agree that Eternals is an epic you need to watch in theatres!
About Eternals
Eternals is a 2021 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics of the same name. It is the 26th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film is directed by Chloé Zhao, who wrote the screenplay with Patrick Burleigh, Ryan Firpo, and Kaz Firpo.
In the film, the Eternals, an immortal alien race, emerge from hiding after thousands of years to protect Earth from their ancient counterparts, the Deviants.
It stars an ensemble cast including Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Don Lee, Harish Patel, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, and Angelina Jolie.
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