Amph Marvel's Eternals

In general, these Phase 4 films -- Black Widow, Shang Chi, and now Eternals, have all felt like they are setting up the next big thing. These movies have weak main stories to the point where I feel like they've become secondary to the larger picture. (The same could be said for Loki and The Falcon and Winter Soldier.)

Sure, some hardcore fans were getting tired of the Iron Man/Captain America/Thor formula especially when Doctor Strange premiered, but it worked -- why? Because we needed an introduction to these characters especially the ones that the general public had never heard of. We needed a good story that we could follow from flawed person to flawed hero. We found a reason to care about each and every one of them. If we didn't care about these characters after 10 years then Infinity War and Endgame would have never worked or have been so impactful.

At this point, the best and worst complement I have for Eternals is I wanted more movie meaning I wanted more time to get to know these characters. Hopefully we get that chance.

 

Well you keep asking why it's not addressed and saying how that looks bad... and this isn't a spoiler except in the most general of terms that are previewed in trailers.

 

Black Widow is my favourite so far of the MCU movies this year (although I'm giving Shang-Chi a rewatch this weekend on D+ so may get more out of it this time and I did like it a lot one my 1 viewing) because I actually really like the "small" scale story. Basically it's a way to do her origin story and dealing with her trauma in sort of a Bond-movie format and introducing some new characters (but not like, 20 like Eternals did). And, y'know, I just liked seeing Nat again. But I can foresee No Way Home blowing all 3 out of the water.

 

Interesting. BW is easily my least favorite of the films this year. Eternals and Shang-Chi were both wildly different than what I had come to expect from Marvel and proved the new era could be just as exciting and fresh as the old was. BW felt very formulaic and like it should have been out 5 years ago, even though I still had fun watching it.

 

God for any religion didn’t do any better than the eternals.

 

In some small ways, BW might be the most revolutionary comic-book movie to have come along in a long time, even though a lot of people missed the rare feat it accomplished. This was the first time that a CBM was not just female-led, but one in which the filmmakers were confident enough that the female lead didn't need a male co-star. (Think about it, Wonder Woman had Chris Pine, Captain Marvel had Samuel L. Jackson). In this movie, both leading parts are female. Not only that, the movie has the guts to subtly suggest that all the males around these fantastic, powerful ladies are either pompous fools (Red Guardian) or men who constantly need their ego stroked (Dreykov, Mason) or are given to power trips (Secretary Ross). In my book, this makes it the most satisfyingly anti-patriarchal CBM ever made.
In its own subtle way, Eternals courts somewhat similar territory; you have a superhero group that, unlike the Avengers, is made up mostly by people of color (6 out of 10 Eternals), and led by women of color (first Ajak and then Sersi). This is of course on top of all the other representation firsts (first gay & deaf heroes, first Mexican lead in an MCU movie, etc). Not sure any of these aspects are part of what some people may have disliked about it (even if somewhat subconsciously) but they definitely make it feel like a remarkably fresh movie (at least to me).

 

I actually think that the 2 female leads is a strength for BW. Florence Pugh was probably the best actor in the movie. I just felt the story and world building could have been a lot more interesting.

 

I do agree that Black Widow, for what the story was told, should have been out about around the time of Civil War (week later! Double feature!) but I won't hold that against it. Comics do random timeline prequels all the time. And was able to get that great post-credit scene since it was released after Endgame.

Also I think Dreykov is like Thanos-level evil. Like he's legit one of the nastiest MCU baddies in awhile, something that Eternals didn't quite have even though the scale of the threat is global. Shang-Chi's main "baddie" is morally complex (although I do think the Ten Rings were somewhat nastier in Iron Man but there's more than a few ways to explain that), and then the world threatening threat at the end too of Shang-Chi is also mandatory.

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the heel turn of the love interest Eternal to killer angry Superman by the end was really cool here though.

 

Saw Eternials today. It’s a too long, too complicated film…. But it works. And what it does right and when it’s working at it’s best - that’s when the movie gets out from under the shadow of the MCU and expands into new territory that’s its own.

Most of MCU films I find loose my interest in the final act. It’s the mandatory hero villain showdown. For some reason this one really picked up and came together in the final act.

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I saw bad Superman coming miles away - so maybe the flash back and reveal to other characters on that dragged down the pace of the film for me. But seeing how the team’s loyalties aligned was very interesting and carried the final act to new places. I was also surprised the boss Deviant was killed off. I expected it’s new found intellect to give it greater insight and become an ally. Really they were all tools of the same scheme. The giant cosmic entity was cool. The one emerging from earth too - not sure I bought the execution - but that’s okay. Five giant mountain sized fingers and a head rising out of earths core seems like it would have massive consequences on the environment. Best not to think about that and just enjoy the scale of it all.

I absolutely loved the flash backs to ancient history. They were still very marvel - but for me found the right balance of epic historic film and non super hero marvel comic. (Like Marvel’s Pope John Paul story no other offbeat comic types they’ve published over the years.)

The MCU house style of VXF had some nice departures with the historical stuff. I also thought the costumes stood out for me as unique for the MCU while still very MCU. I guess it’s the Jack Kirby design style. I wish the deviants were depicted more realistic. Anyone remember Durge from the Clone Wars micro series. They reminded me of that character. I didn’t mind it so much except they looked very CGI - which effected the reality of the past being created.

Part of me would have liked practical looking mythological creatures like we saw depicted in the designs of Babylon.

The last act worked very well for me. I was caught by surprise when more happened after the conclusion setting up larger consequences. I felt like some of the reveals getting to the final act were spoon fed to the audience in a way that slowed down and complicated the film.

It’s like marvel wasn’t confident super hero fans would be familiar enough with epic fantasy to understand the plot if it was conveyed in a more streamlined and artful way. Instead the film tells the same info multiple times using flashback, then in dialogue, then conversation between characters. But once that was out of the way the conflict it created worked very well.

Lastly I have a new favorite MCU character. The valet / film director stole the show for me. He was fantastic. Part artist. Part vampire familiar. Part fan boy. Part sage old man. He gave advice from a perspective of wisdom only a mortal human could have and none of the eternials possessed. I really liked his character.

 

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Did a pair of boots burst out the other side of the planet?

 

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the comparison of Ikaris and Javert in Les Mis, at least at the ends of their stories, is great

 

Just saw this and I can say I liked it and so did the audience. It's messy, a lot of intros and some people are sort of just there aside from a few helpful scenes of dialogue. Nice twists and a great mythology. This is simply not the legends of Cap and Iron Man and Hulk, but it worked and I will be happy to see more.

 

I watched Shang-Chi again on D+ over the weekend. I forgot we get tradition looking mythological creatures in that film. That makes me like the look of the Deviants in Eternals more. It clearly establishes the Deviants are their own species with a unique look and color palette. There is no confusing a dragon or foo dog for a Deviant. And if a Deviant shows up again in the future the audience will easily know that’s what they are. And other creatures won’t be mistaken for Devisnts.

I wish all these fantastic beasts looked more like they were really there - but that’s the MCU style.

 

Anyone else notice that Phastos has ten rings of energy on his hands whenever he uses his powers? The Ten Rings are thousands of years old, not of any alien origin that Captain Marvel recognizes and grants the wearer immortality. I definitely think Phastos is the creator of the rings. For what purpose and why is there a beacon embedded in them is an interesting question.

 

One thing’s clear. Zhao should be making more MCU films. But my guess is that the studio will put the kabash on that because she failed to deliver the same lukewarm pie that critics were expecting.

 

Personally, I didn't care for Zhao's "Nomadland" even though it won several awards. So with that and Eternals I'd be fine if she got work elsewhere outside of Marvel Studios.

 

That’s OK. She’s probably too good a director for the franchise.

 

I think the studio ( Disney/Marvel) expected a movie that could wins nominations in the awards season and even an Oscar Best Picture Nomination. Since the movie ended up disliked by critics, she probably won't return anytime soon because they were the ones she should please.

 

I would bet money on Zhao returning for Eternals 2. Not only has the film been financially successful despite the reviews but Feige personally seems to have enjoyed working with her.