Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, and Gemma Chan star in the picture, which sees the Eternals, an immortal alien civilization, emerge from hiding after thousands of years to safeguard Earth from their evil counterparts, the Deviants. The refreshingly diverse’ roster of characters resulted in a bunch of ‘navel-gazing superheroes,’ signaling ‘two steps ahead for representation but three steps back for dramatic creativity,’ according to critics.
Kevin Maher, a critic for The New York Times, gave the film two stars and criticized the 157-minute film’s narrative and its “weird self-sabotaging energy.” Variety writer Owen Gleiberman gave the picture two stars for the ‘raw and honest’ characteristic quality Zhao has brought to her earlier works. In comparison to ‘top-tier’ team superhero pictures (the original Guardians of the Galaxy, Justice League, and ‘Avengers: Infinity War,’ he says the film feels very ordinary’ and ‘never surpasses its conventionality.’
Because of its rich mythological backstory, Guardian critic Steve Rose gave it two stars again, comparing it to a “clever PowerPoint presentation.” Eternals received two stars from critics, with one calling it a “gigantic exercise in un-realism.” Despite the film’s inability to avoid superhero storyline clichés, critics complimented Chloé Zhao’s ‘confident and ambitious’ MCU debut. It received three stars from Empire critic John Nugent, who described it as a “fantastic conflict between the inexorable force of the Marvel endeavor and the immovable object of Zhao’s creative sensibilities.”
At moments, it feels like you’re watching a really smart PowerPoint presentation,’ wrote reviewer Robbie Collin. According to one critic, ‘Eternals’ may be the most disappointing MCU film ever. Observed reviewer Nicholas Barber, “It seems to fall into typical clichés about saving the world and learning to work together as a team.” Charlotte O’Sullivan complimented the picture and gave it four stars, praising the cast, with the exception of Gemma Chan’s ‘wooden’ performance.
Buckland, E. (2021, October 25). Eternals Branded ‘disappointing’ In First Reviews. Eternals branded ‘disappointing’ in first reviews.
