Eternals is the latest entry in the MCU and while it is becoming one of the most divisive films in the entire franchise, it is no doubt visually spectacular. Now, director Chloé Zhao has opened up about how Denis Villeneuve's Dune helped guide her in her Marvel directorial debut.
Dune and Eternals were originally set to release two weeks apart in November 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the films' release dates were of course delayed. Now, Zhao has delved deeper into how she approached Eternals' massive scope and how watching Villeneuve's latest blockbuster was a massive help as she was shooting in IMAX format.
"I gotta say that I'm a big fan of Denis; he's a friend. We got pushed and shifted because of the pandemic. We got pulled apart and then now we're back together again at the same time," said Zhao during an interview with the Hollywood Reporter. "Even when I was working on IMAX for Eternals, I asked him if it was okay for me to watch Dune. I knew he did incredible things in IMAX, so I knew I could learn from him. He was so generous; he was like, 'Yes.' He also gave me other references to look at." It was back in August that Zhao got to see an early screening of Dune, where she had nothing but overwhelmingly positive praise for the sci-fi epic and was hopeful that Villeneuve's work would translate to something truly spectacular on the big screen. "So I actually find a lot of strength in our films coming out at the same time and to have a colleague who I respect and love and to be able to go through this together and to hug each other at Venice [International Film Festival] when Dune came out. He even sent me a message last night, so it all feels very empowering."
While it's relieving to see two talented filmmakers at the top of their game bounce ideas off of one another and strive to create the ultimate theatrical experience, Zhao's Eternals has been receiving much attention for the wrong reasons. Eternals is currently the worst-reviewed MCU film, with a current Rotten Tomatoes score of 47% from 309 reviews. However, while the film does have its troubles balancing a wide array of characters and storylines in its 2 hours and 37-minute runtime, Zhao's unique directing style is something very fresh and exciting to the MCU, and perhaps an aspect that may have been missing in previous installments.
Eternals centers on an immortal alien race that was created by the Celestials and has been living secretly on Earth for thousands of years. They finally have to come together to stop their evil counterparts known as the Deviants.
Whether or not fans agree with the reviews, the film is definitely worth seeing on the biggest screen possible, as it expands MCU's phase 4 in bold, cosmic directions. Eternals' star-studded ensemble includes Angelina Jolie as Thena, Richard Madden as Ikaris, Gemma Chan as Sersi, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Barry Keoghan as Druig, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Kit Harington as Dane Whitman, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Lia McHugh as Sprite, and Harish Patel as Karun.
Eternals and Dune are currently playing in theatres, with Dune also available to stream on HBO max until November 22nd.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter