Eternals (2021) Movie Review

 Eternals

Directed by: Chloe Zhao

Plot Rating: 7.8

Emotional Rating: 6.3

Villain Rating: 5.1

Overall MCU Rating: 73%

Eternals is the most recent addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and has been extremely anticipated by most MCU fans leading up to its release because of the possible spectacle it could be. For me, it didn't quite live up to that spectacle but was still an enjoyable watch. I've seen a lot of differing opinions so far. Some people have loved the movie, while others have hated it and feel let down by Chloe Zhao and Marvel. I think I land somewhere in the middle, as I had fun watching it, and am excited for the doors it opened for the future of the MCU but I also feel like it didn't quite live up to what I was expecting of it. 

Pros

I loved the characters in this movie. A lot of the actors did really well in their roles, and I didn't feel taken out of the movie by the presence of actors like Angelina Jolie or Salma Hayek, who are so well known that they risk being seen as themselves rather than their actors. The chemistry in this movie felt good, not always great but good for such a big cast. I could feel some of the individual connections between characters, which is also a good thing. 

The humor in this movie also really got me. I'm not always one to laugh out loud during movies, regardless of how funny I think a line is. Multiple times in this movie though, I vocally laughed at little quips or moments in the film. I think Kumail Nanjiani and his valet in the movie carried the comedic value a bit, and their exchanges mid-battle were absolutely hilarious. 

My favorite bit of the movie was the flashbacks. I'll touch on this more in the cons, but I could have watched an entire movie detailing how the Eternals helped various legends play out and how they were responsible for miracles happening. It was so cool to see stuff like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon depicted since we will never get to see them in real life. I also loved how we got to see the Eternals being present for a few big moments in human history, similar to how we saw the Ancient One present for the battle of New York in Endgame.

We also got to see a very interesting mental battle in this movie. Within the group there is a debate about their responsibilities to the human race given their powers and skill set. Druig knows he could prevent all violence by taking away human's free will, but the others debate if he should interfere or not. Later, when deciding if they should interfere with the celestials' plan, the group debates whether it's their place to step in or not. This mental struggle was super interesting to watch and was interesting to see brought to the movie theater because it likely is a struggle that any immortal or super-powerful being has to deal with. 

Cons

A lot of people really don't like this movie. It's been the most vocal disapproval I've seen since probably Captain Marvel a few years ago. There were definitely things I didn't love about the movie, and while I will dive into those topics here, I want to reiterate that I did enjoy the movie overall. 

As I mentioned in the pros section, I could have watched an entire movie about how the Eternals were pulling the strings and helping humanity for 7000 years throughout ancient history. I honestly think that should have happened. I think the history of the Eternals and how they got to where we pick up with them in this movie is way too much information to try and disperse through flashbacks. I think had the plot of this movie been a sequel, it would have gone much better. 

I also felt the stakes were really low for such a massive conflict. At no point did I feel like the balance of the world was actually in danger, partially because we know the world goes on. It didn't feel like the celestials were ever going to "win". I think it will be interesting to see if this conflict is referred to in later movies, or if we see Tiamut's body show up in later movies, but it just didn't feel like an urgent conflict in this movie. 

Summary of Thoughts

This was by no means a perfect movie, but I did enjoy it. Despite what I've heard from other reviews, it didn't feel at any point like I was waiting for the movie to end, or "checking the clock". It didn't live up to the massive hype I and many others created for it, but it was a great setup movie and I think it will lead to great things to come in the future for the MCU. I'm super excited to see how future movies call back to this one, and I am excited to see the next chapter of the Eternals' story now that we've been introduced to them.