Now, probably everyone on earth (including Tiamat’s partially covered frozen body himself) has heard that Eternals is officially the first “lazy” movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Currently, the film has a tomato knife rating of 48%, and there has been a story that the latest part of the MCU is an ambitious failure. But the green spot and associated conventional wisdom do not tell the whole story.
First of all, it helps to understand what this low score means. Rotten Tomato is a collection of critical reviews. Although it indicates a percentage (in this case, a failed percentage) that ranks movies as fresh or lazy, it is more binary than any individual review. Even the outraged critics of Eternals filled their confusion with praise for director Chloe Zhao’s big hits. Oddly enough, the audience score is about double that of critics, which along with the impressive box office, suggests that the mainstream would appreciate it much more.
Part of the break may be related to expectations. Zhao was Nomadland’s best film and best director last year. It’s a practical and creatively risky choice to make a Marvel movie that the studio never did. Critics expected its involvement would lift Eternals above the standard MCU rate. However, Nomadland earned about $ 40 million compared to Avengers: Endgames’ $ 2.8 billion. The Venn chart of the reviewers who saw both is very different from the Venn chart of the viewers who saw both. Of course, millions of Marvel fans turned to Eternals, who had never heard of Chloe Zhao, waiting for little more than just another hilarious MCU chapter.
And that’s precisely what Eternals mostly is. Let’s go back to the idea that Eternals is too ambitious. In some features, yes. Zhao was given the unenviable task of introducing 11 new main characters and a whole new story that will affect the universe of the MCU without the luxury of having to correct them in previous films. But this is not entirely Zhao’s fault; they are Marvel Studios and Disney if there is one mistake. I was judging by the fact that most people have seen. Eternals can easily retain the characters, the powers, the motivation, and the story, it seems that Zhao did. The reactions to many characters (especially Drug, Makkari, Phaistos, Kingo, and Thena) have mainly been positive, with critics and audiences eager to see more, which is a good sign for the first film in a series.
Eternals is not much different or more interested in pushing boundaries than other MCU films in other roles. Superhero movies require a certain amount of disbelief. In general, it’s fine without too many complaints about other voices in the franchise. Fans are willing to put aside concerns about quantum physics, time travel, and space politics as long as they enjoy seeing what’s on display. Eternals treats its plot holes and science fiction nonsense at least as well as the average MCU movie. Even the pagan twists and themes are as deep as a particular viewer desires. One could interpret Eternals (as Nomadland) as keen to preserve their dignity, integrity, and autonomy when it seems that only the wrong choices are available. In contrast, others may try to see if the good ones (and the girls) are. Best choice. Save the world again.
Eternals compares poorly with Guardians of the Galaxy and is the best comparison. James Gunn had to freshen up with new characters, locations, and stories, all from less commercially popular sources. When he started his quirky friend comedy, the Guardians were in awe, but that was not Eternals’ goal. Zhao said he wanted to create something inspired by the idea of ancient aliens with an east-west vibe that was both epic and intimate. Dramatically, it achieved what it set out to do. So what makes the reception harder than usual? Some have claimed that some of the population does not like it because the film is diverse, LGBTQ + -friendly, and directed by a black woman. But this is not the only reason for the negative critical consensus.
