Somewhere in this long, plodding mess, a good movie is buried. I actually think the core plot and themes of Eternals is pretty good and interesting. But the following problems, listed in reverse order of importance, really cripple the film and make it one of the weakest entries in the MCU.
First off, what is the deal with the color and light balance? I watched this movie on Disney plus at home; perhaps the experience is different in other settings, but I constantly struggled to make out what was happening in the many low-light settings. I actually had to rebalance the video settings on my tv. I've seen plenty of dimly lit shows and movies before, and I've never had to resort to changing my settings. From time to time, I also noticed issues with the audio balance too. Ie, the voice of the celestial was strangely muted.
Secondly, the movie is way too reliant on CGI, and it's not very good CGI. This is particularly a problem for movies where the baddies are 100% rendered. The whole thing feels plastic, like watching a cartoon or video game cutscene.
Thirdly and most importantly, this movie falls into the classic trap of presenting upfront a superhero team without any precursor development. I thought the whole point of the MCU was to avoid this? The Eternals are a group of ten(10!!) heroes that we've never seen before. How can ten protagonists possibly be given proper treatment in one film? The group as a whole (already established at the movie's onset) is also brand new to audiences. By contrast, the origin of the team was precisely the plot of the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie.
What is the result of this? *Exposition*. Grueling, in-your-face plot exposition told through montages (which are further deadened by the aforementioned CGI), monologues and flat conversations. The movie compounds this by springing back and forth through time (10s or 100s of years at once) in order to sprinkle in tiny bits that are supposed to add dimension and color to the characters; the payoff is never worth the break in flow caused by these excursions.
There are a lot of comedic quips, many that fall flat and many that probably will age very poorly, but those are not enough to blow life into what often feels like an overly long trudge.
First off, what is the deal with the color and light balance? I watched this movie on Disney plus at home; perhaps the experience is different in other settings, but I constantly struggled to make out what was happening in the many low-light settings. I actually had to rebalance the video settings on my tv. I've seen plenty of dimly lit shows and movies before, and I've never had to resort to changing my settings. From time to time, I also noticed issues with the audio balance too. Ie, the voice of the celestial was strangely muted.
Secondly, the movie is way too reliant on CGI, and it's not very good CGI. This is particularly a problem for movies where the baddies are 100% rendered. The whole thing feels plastic, like watching a cartoon or video game cutscene.
Thirdly and most importantly, this movie falls into the classic trap of presenting upfront a superhero team without any precursor development. I thought the whole point of the MCU was to avoid this? The Eternals are a group of ten(10!!) heroes that we've never seen before. How can ten protagonists possibly be given proper treatment in one film? The group as a whole (already established at the movie's onset) is also brand new to audiences. By contrast, the origin of the team was precisely the plot of the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie.
What is the result of this? *Exposition*. Grueling, in-your-face plot exposition told through montages (which are further deadened by the aforementioned CGI), monologues and flat conversations. The movie compounds this by springing back and forth through time (10s or 100s of years at once) in order to sprinkle in tiny bits that are supposed to add dimension and color to the characters; the payoff is never worth the break in flow caused by these excursions.
There are a lot of comedic quips, many that fall flat and many that probably will age very poorly, but those are not enough to blow life into what often feels like an overly long trudge.
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