Rating of
2.5/4
It can't help but feel like an eternity
Indyfreak - wrote on 04/22/22
Chloe Zhao's ambitious entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe shows that she has an eye for big budget spectacle and action scenes. But the movie is too long for its own good and yet it feels like it short-changes a lot of the cast.
Angelina Jolie is in this movie and she's perhaps the least interesting of the Eternals. Gemma Chan is the lead protagonist and while Chan is a good actress, her character is not that compelling. A lot of the Eternals who are relegated to supporting roles are far more fun to watch like Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, and Barry Keoghan. Richard Madden plays the powerful Eternal named Ikaris and there's a twist with his character that does make things more suspenseful near the ending.
It is clear that Zhao is grappling big ideas in the script which spans thousands of years of history as the Eternals watch over and protect humanity. Perhaps a smaller more intimate story that happened to stretch over such a period of time would had felt less bloated.
I can't write ETERNALS off as a bad movie but it is a rare disappointment . MCU fans may be more forgiving but casual audiences might be checking their watch.
