Eternals continues to tumble dangerously close to the rotten zone over at Rotten Tomatoes with every incoming review moving the film back and forth from plainly bad to Marvel mediocrity, and yet, until November 5 that opinion remains the collective thought of only a relatively small group of people, critics. So what exactly is going on here?
Well, before answering that question it bears saying that lack of positive reception usually doesn’t get in the way of superhero films making tons of money. After all, just like Eternals so far, Iron Man 3 remains a divisive title but contrary to Tony Stark’s last solo outing, that movie featured a beloved MCU character capable of drawing moviegoers in expected numbers and it’s there where the first of Eternals’ problems lies.
Like Ant-Man before them, the Eternals suffer from being one of the least known Marvel heroes out there (certainly no Guardians of the Galaxy) and the fact that they’re a group of 10 people only makes things worse for them. Although Ant-Man may have been a bit of a left-field move, expectations for the film were somewhat low over at Marvel Studios, and even then they created a better path for success with a very likable leading actor in Paul Rudd while sticking to what had become known as the Marvel formula.
That’s basically the three-act script in which our heroes are introduced (set-up), the chosen Marvel villain rises (confrontation), all before a final Marvel CGI-fueled spectacle (confrontation) wraps up a two-hourish movie with plenty of comics and pop culture references, plus some -at times- questionable humor. Regardless of some of the best MCU films being the ones that seek to step outside this structure in some ways, or at least add truly colorful and captivating characters, even at their worst, the Marvel recipe is what the people want.
So perhaps that’s where things start to go poorly for Eternals, a film that has to set up a full roster bigger than the Avengers (a process that previously took five movies) who also happen to have a lot of catching up to do. It’s hard to point out whether this is to blame or not for Eternals’ other main point of criticism but it probably has a certain influence on it, the fact that according to many critics “Eternals doesn’t feel like a Marvel movie”.
Marvel Studios chose Chloé Zhao as its director for Eternals, an odd choice despite her impressive record with movies like her big Oscar-winner Nomadland, and also one that came back to hurt Disney financially given the coveted Chinese market has blacklisted Zhao and Simu Liu for their remarks on their country of birth and China’s communist party. Zhao is all about scenery and lingering shots, hardly something one would associate with the MCU and an entirely different artform from the “rollercoaster” cinema Martin Scorsese dislikes so much. All that effectively suggests Eternals is a Marvel movie like no other, it’s just that apparently the same critics who often denounce the MCU for being overly repetitive probably didn’t know what they were asking for.
The last bit to dissect is what some have dubbed as "attacks" against Eternals due to the diverse nature of its cast, however, this argument would appear to be the weakest defense for the movie. It’s definitely true that internet trolls and review-bombing are a thing but usually that takes place on the user/audience scores, not among critics who tend to call for more inclusivity and play it -for the most part- quite politically correct on these matters.
It’s probably arguable whether Marvel Studios should have marketed Eternals by leaning on diversity so much, nevertheless, the concerns that stem from the film’s entire premise are probably the culprit here. Black Panther sits fifth all-time in box office earnings for Marvel and that’s a movie with openly racist user reviews online for which Disney modified its Chinese posters, even though the film still ended up doing well in China.
The answer to all the questions surrounding the movie could just be a lot more simple, maybe it’s a case of the film being too long and still not enough to introduce 10 new Eternals characters; it’s plausible that Zhao is not the correct director to lead a Marvel movie; or, it could even be a sign of Marvel Studios getting too cocky with the minimum viable concept they could produce by exploiting the Marvel formula.
When it comes time to watch Eternals, many viewers will probably find it still relies on its fair share of Marvel tropes and that there is a big CGI blowout showdown towards the end, like usual. In any case, it’s probably still for the best if everyone makes up their mind around Eternals on their own, and that usually requires watching a movie that won’0t be out until Friday.
Eternals will be released exclusively in theaters on November 5, 2021