[Film] The Eternals - Nov 2021

[Torfish]

Saw it last night. It was barely ok. Kind of getting burned out on superheroes.

I knew nothing going in other than it had new characters and it's phase 4. Hopefully once I see more movies with them, it will become more connected and fleshed out. Could turn it from an ok movie to very good. Hope. Else, this just isn't a good movie.

[Jaymann]

The Critical Drinker loved it!

[Torfish]

Yeah, though the reviewer is rather harsh, they basically got it right. I agree with it.

[Daehawk]

Super heroes have been played out for me for a long while. Same for zombies. Wonder whats next to hit. But really I didn't expect anything from this movie or the other two he mentions.

[rittchard]

Liked it, didn't love it. Introducing ten(?) new superheroes in one film is probably at least four too many, no matter how good the actors are.

Same here. It definitely felt like it was a tad too long, but part of that was because my theater chose to have THIRTY minutes of previews, plus I had my booster shot the day before so I was already kind of drowsy. However, counter to rittcharditis(TM) expectations, I did NOT fall asleep, so that may be the best review I could possibly give lol. I don't understand why the critical reviews were so harsh. A few that I read seemed like they wanted it to be NomadEternaland, and were disappointed because... Frances McDorman didn't show up with a poop bucket? JK, but seriously just because Chloe Zhao directed doesn't mean it needed to feel anything like freaking Nomadland (which btw I did sleep through almost entirely).

I think there were some plot elements that did feel off, and probably some sequences that could have been eliminated. The deviants were cool villains to look at, but without spoiling, kind of lost relevance by the end of the movie. So much so I was rooting for them to do anything other than be creatures to fight with. I also read a review which reminded me the excuse of why The Eternals didn't help against Thanos flat out didn't make sense, so that's kind of a bummer. And then I had the additional question, where the heck were any of the Avengers during all the turmoil that arose during the movie? I mean this was some big crap going down so people like Dr. Strange and Captain Marvel at minimum should have had some sort of reaction?

Those issues aside, I have to say I did really like the entire cast, and pretty much all of the characters had some interesting story elements, so I'm not sure who I would have been willing to cut. The diversity was really cool, and didn't feel forced, though on paper it might seem so. I don't think I've ever seen this many different Asian characters in a team setting like this (where it wasn't an inherently Asian movie like Shang Chi). Honestly I'm a fanboy of so many of the cast choices, they could have all just sat around and threw rocks at each other and I'd probably be happy. I LOVE Gemma Chan, having followed her from Humans to Crazy Rich Asians. Lauren Ridloff is one of my favorite in The Walking Dead. Kit Harrington is so adorable I just want to scoop him up and put him in my pocket forever. Richard Madden isn't a favorite for me, but having him and Kit re-unite for a scene or two was just GoT fanboy funtastic. And of course Angelina Jolie, I'll watch her in anything. The others that I was unfamiliar with were all good in their roles, and I look forward to seeing them in future movies.

The after-credits were also fantastic. I actually told my partner before the movie to just make sure to wake me up before they came on in case I fell asleep. They were worth the wait and seem to promise some interesting things for future movies/shows to address. To me, this was kind of the exact opposite of the Black Widow movie. It didn't stand alone that well as an MCU movie the BW did, but it felt like it was advancing the entire MCU universe/series, and in that sense, it felt much more important to me. I am anxious to know what happens to the main characters in the future, as well as what secrets Jon Snow has to share. It's kind of like the origin story for the whole MCU, and depending on how things unfold, it could be the origin story to setup much of the major events of Phase 4 and beyond. So in those senses it was kind of a must see for me.

Spoiler:

I wonder if they are setting up The Celestial dude as the big bad for the upcoming Phase(s). Big bad in the sense of Q, since he is judging humanity, and who knows what his criteria will be. I also thought I read something about how this would lead into Secret Wars (The Beyonder) but I don't know how that was related. Or if it will somehow trigger other awakenings or things that eventually trigger the addition of mutants or Fantastic Four? Maybe I'm too hopeful and they are going to be self-contained, but it kind of seems impossible to completely contain a giant frozen celestial on your planet lol.

[Blackhawk]

Superheroes aren't what's played out, it's the Marvel formula that's played out. There are potential superhero stories that we're not oversaturated with.

It's kind of like when people say that they're tired of fantasy. What they're generally tired of is epic fantasy. I mean, 'modern real world' is a setting, too, and it has romantic comedies, political thrillers, horror movies, action films, dramas, dark tragedies, and hundreds of other types of stories. Even sci-fi gets a range of stories - Alien, Star Wars, Blade Runner, Trek - they're all completely different. But fantasy and superhero films tend to stick with one style of story and never stray. There are a few exceptions -Doom Patrol, Umbrella Academy, The Boys, and Deadpool for superheroes. Fantasy has... er... Galavant?

Anyway, for imaginative genres, filmmakers working with them have damned little imagination.

[hepcat]

Galavant

[Zarathud]

Aside from Black Widow, Marvel seems to be going for spectacle in the theaters.

Increasing the superhero's power level makes the balancing act more difficult. In the end, Marvel made its name by having heroes with character development and real problems despite all of their power. I'm waiting to see what they do with Spider-Man.

Even if the movies aren't hitting the mark, the Disney+ series have been doing well in exploring their characters and good storytelling.

[Blackhawk]

I actually wish they'd do a passive reboot - switch to the X-Men for the next 'MCU' phase, completely separate from the events in the MCU proper. Maybe introduce them in the current phase, then step back and tell a couple of phases with those characters leading up to the multiverse events. Don't tell anyone - just do the whole thing over with the X-Men, the have the X-Men Phase 2 final after-credits scene be the multiverse coming together from whatever happens Loki/Doc Strange. That would get people excited.

[hepcat]

I think the next Dr. Strange movie may be the breath of fresh air I want. If they let Raimi go full horror mode, which is what I’m hearing they’re doing.

[Blackhawk]

Galavant

I'm sorry...

Spoiler:

Way back in days of old
There was a legend told
About a hero known as Galavant

[hepcat]

God, I miss that show.

[Blackhawk]

God, I miss that show.

We're agreeing on a show. The multiverse is already happening!

[hepcat]

Hating Galavant is not humanly possible though.

[Isgrimnur]

Hating Galavant is not humanly possible though.

[Blackhawk]

Hating Galavant is not humanly possible though.

[hepcat]

Show me someone who doesn’t like Galavant and I’ll prove they’re not human.

[Isgrimnur]

I didn't like Galavant.

[hepcat]

Well, that was easy. Everyone knows Issie’s a bot.

[Freyland]

Well, that was easy. Everyone knows Issie’s a bot.

That may be true, but what about me just getting *tired* of Galavant?

[hepcat]

We should reboot you. You’re acting all Hal 9000.

Spoiler:

[rittchard]

I think the next Dr. Strange movie may be the breath of fresh air I want. If they let Raimi go full horror mode, which is what I’m hearing they’re doing.

I can't wait for it! But I don't really see how it can be any type of "horror" movie. Unless they strip Dr. Strange of his powers, no matter what he's up against, he's still the freaking master of the mystic arts lol! I'm most excited about seeing the continuation of Scarlet Witch's storyline, and saving my precious Billy!!! The other one is good too but I'm a pretty devoted Billy fan.

Back on topic, I'm curious how many here are judging Eternals after actually seeing it, or just from the word of mouth?

[hepcat]

I think the next Dr. Strange movie may be the breath of fresh air I want. If they let Raimi go full horror mode, which is what I’m hearing they’re doing.

I can't wait for it! But I don't really see how it can be any type of "horror" movie. Unless they strip Dr. Strange of his powers, no matter what he's up against, he's still the freaking master of the mystic arts lol!

But he's still a human facing evil gods most of the time.

As for Raimi injecting horror into it, go back and watch his Spiderman 2. The scene with Doc Octopus on the operating table after his accident and the ensuing chaos with his mechanical arms going nuts and killing everyone in the room is a perfect example of how he can do it. The man is a horror icon for a reason.

[gilraen]

Back on topic, I'm curious how many here are judging Eternals after actually seeing it, or just from the word of mouth?

We saw it last night. It was okay, I guess, but definitely served more as a jumping-off point for a new set of movies/sequels/MCU expansion and not something designed to hold up on its own merit. The acting was good, but the plot was...shaky.

[El Guapo]

I think the next Dr. Strange movie may be the breath of fresh air I want. If they let Raimi go full horror mode, which is what I’m hearing they’re doing.

I can't wait for it! But I don't really see how it can be any type of "horror" movie. Unless they strip Dr. Strange of his powers, no matter what he's up against, he's still the freaking master of the mystic arts lol!

But he's still a human facing evil gods most of the time.

As for Raimi injecting horror into it, go back and watch his Spiderman 2. The scene with Doc Octopus on the operating table after his accident and the ensuing chaos with his mechanical arms going nuts and killing everyone in the room is a perfect example of how he can do it. The man is a horror icon for a reason.

Or better yet, watch his Spider-Man 3 and see the horror of Emo Spider-Man's haircut. Bone chilling.

[hepcat]

That the haircut spoke with the same voice as Linda Blair from The Exorcist was even more horrific...

[Exodor]

I think our theater had the projector set up poorly. Everything was DARK. Stuff happening at night was almost invisible and there is an extended scene in a forest with Druig that seemed like it was happening at midnight. Was disappointing.

Ours was the same. We have an ongoing problem with out TV where HDR enabled content is too dark to watch without turning off the lights (The Mandolorian is one of the worst offenders) but now I'm wondering if it's just that everything is shot without sufficient lighting these days? There were some scenes in Dune that were the same way, so dark that you could barely make out anything on the screen.

[hentzau]

I think our theater had the projector set up poorly. Everything was DARK. Stuff happening at night was almost invisible and there is an extended scene in a forest with Druig that seemed like it was happening at midnight. Was disappointing.

Ours was the same. We have an ongoing problem with out TV where HDR enabled content is too dark to watch without turning off the lights (The Mandolorian is one of the worst offenders) but now I'm wondering if it's just that everything is shot without sufficient lighting these days? There were some scenes in Dune that were the same way, so dark that you could barely make out anything on the screen.

Do you have a TCL TV? I have to turn DolbyVison/HDR off on it to watch anything that is listed as HDR.

[Exodor]

Do you have a TCL TV? I have to turn DolbyVison/HDR off on it to watch anything that is listed as HDR.

I do! And I have but it's still super dark.

[pr0ner]

Is your backlight turned up to the max for HDR content?

[hentzau]

Is your backlight turned up to the max for HDR content?

Yeah, on my TCL all DolbyVision content is SUPER dark even when the backlight is cranked all the way up and brightness is turned up as high as possible. Scenes with any amount of dim light you can’t make out any details.

[Kasey Chang]

Just came back from seeing it in cinema... actually tried the 4DX motion seat experience. It's... cute, but needs a bit of tuning. The seats actually are limited motion sims, they tip and tilt and shake and all that. In fact, they even have air jets to simulate close blows and whooshes and even tiny spray droplets to simulate getting splashed. It's... distracting, IMHO, too gimmicky. I usually sit in the very last row, and the seats are not tilt enough forward that if I put my head all the way back I can't really see the screen well, so I'm sort of in the air jet's way, which may have contributed to the gimmicky feel.

Back to the movie... Without spoiling, it feels far more melodramatic than any previous MCU movie, and yes, it included the first onscreen sex scene in an MCU movie (no, you don't see anything significant). This movie relied a LOT on flash-backs, which explained the plot but made me wonder if they couldn't have handled it a little differently. Both the climax AND the ending felt very... Deus Ex Machina. But I did like the twist. At least the writers took a chance on that one, which I do applaud. The end credit extras... well, set up some OTHER characters that... has yet to make an appearance in MCU, but that's the way how these end credit scenes work. Overall, Solid B, not a must-see, but not a disappointment.

[Formix]

Just came back from seeing it in cinema... actually tried the 4DX motion seat experience. It's... cute, but needs a bit of tuning. The seats actually are limited motion sims, they tip and tilt and shake and all that. In fact, they even have air jets to simulate close blows and whooshes and even tiny spray droplets to simulate getting splashed. It's... distracting, IMHO, too gimmicky. I usually sit in the very last row, and the seats are not tilt enough forward that if I put my head all the way back I can't really see the screen well, so I'm sort of in the air jet's way, which may have contributed to the gimmicky feel.

Back to the movie... Without spoiling, it feels far more melodramatic than any previous MCU movie, and yes, it included the first onscreen sex scene in an MCU movie (no, you don't see anything significant). This movie relied a LOT on flash-backs, which explained the plot but made me wonder if they couldn't have handled it a little differently. Both the climax AND the ending felt very... Deus Ex Machina. But I did like the twist. At least the writers took a chance on that one, which I do applaud. The end credit extras... well, set up some OTHER characters that... has yet to make an appearance in MCU, but that's the way how these end credit scenes work. Overall, Solid B, not a must-see, but not a disappointment.

During covid times, the idea of anything liquid spritzing in my face, or air jets for that matter in a public setting is enough to make me go all nope octopus.

[Hamlet3145]

Finally saw this and understand the mixed reviews now.

In spite of various good bits (Pink Floyd!) and liking every actor in it and being a fan of the source material I found this was quite bloated with exposition and narratively challenged. I felt like they were trying to do way too much in one movie and everything suffered for it, particularly character development. "Let's have a 7000 year epic!" sounds great on paper, but actually pulling it off is quite a bit more challenging.

[Grifman]

Superheroes aren't what's played out, it's the Marvel formula that's played out. There are potential superhero stories that we're not oversaturated with.

I think latest Spider-Man movie shows this to be a bad take.

That said, the MCU going forward is going to be different, and I wonder if these new characters will ever be as popular as the old ones that we started the MCU with. I loved the Iron Man and Captain America characters, Shang-Chi and The Eternals, not so much. I think the best thing they could do is have some team ups with more popular, more well known characters, so we can get to know the new ones while being comforted by the appearance of the more familiar characters.

[Sudy]

So... I actually liked this a fair bit. There are as many reasons it doesn't feel like an MCU movie as there are that it does, which appeals to me. There are pacing issues, sure. But I think it did a fairly good job of introducing so many characters--better grounded than, say, Thor. It straddles the line between fantasy/sci-fi/reality in a satisfying way. Some of the designs remind me of the Kryptonian stuff from Man of Steel (which I liked). I anticipated being annoyed by Jolie and the younger members of the cast, but they were actually a boon. The costumes seemed a little impractical, but the designs were nice. The fights were a little videogamey.

I did find the personalities of some of the characters to be unlikely at times given their 7,000-year history, I guess most in terms of Nanjiani/Kingo and Henry/Phastos, though I still enjoyed their characters. Others like Chan/Sersi and Madden/Ikaris on the other hand portrayed an aloof detachment very well. There are still a couple plot points I don't fully understand. (Where Ikaris went and for how long--was he gone for the full 500 years? I thought they were building up to more than a six-day flashback.)

This may not be what existing MCU fans want, and it may not be enough to impress those who want more. But it's far more interesting that the 47% it has on Rotten Tomatoes. Shang-Chi had charisma but it felt like more of the same. This makes some different choices.

[JCC]

I liked Eternals fine. My least favorite Marvel movie this year, but I still liked it and found it fun and would be happy to watch a sequel. I liked Black Widow slightly more, but I also thought it was more pointless other than introducing her sister which could have just been moved to Hawkeye.

I was pleasantly surprised by Shang Chi. I had zero expectations but thought it was fantastic. Comfortable as I am with my heterosexuality, Simu Liu is a dreamboat and just oozes charisma. I exepected Shang Chi to win the title for my favorite Marvel movie of 2021 - but then Spiderman came out and was just phenomenal...

[rittchard]

I was pleasantly surprised by Shang Chi. I had zero expectations but thought it was fantastic. Comfortable as I am with my heterosexuality, Simu Liu is a dreamboat and just oozes charisma.

This is my favorite comment about a 2021 Marvel movie LOL!!!!

[Jaymann]

Just watched it, and while Salma Hayek is like a lead weight dragging the thing down I give it 4/8 tentacles. I have a question about Jon Snow though:

Spoiler:

At the end it seemed like he was about to burst out in golden lines before he got interrupted. Anyone know if he is an eternal?

[Victoria Raverna]

Just watched it, and while Salma Hayek is like a lead weight dragging the thing down I give it 4/8 tentacles. I have a question about Jon Snow though:

Spoiler:

At the end it seemed like he was about to burst out in golden lines before he got interrupted. Anyone know if he is an eternal?

Spoiler:

Black Knight