Eternals (2021)

[angora]

Managed to catch a showing today with few enough people for my COVID-cautious self. I thought it started slow, and in places the characters felt not quite wooden but remote, like I was seeing them at arm's length. But once it got going, I enjoyed it a lot. The plot went to some places I wasn't expecting (way to go on not being the bad guy, Druig!), the visuals (both the location shots and the CGI) were of course gorgeous, and I enjoyed the flashback structure after I got into the rhythm of it.

For me, the characters and the group dynamic were the biggest feat for me. I agree that I was left wanting way more of the supporting Eternals, especially Makkari and Phastos, but even though some of them had limited screentime, their characters were really well-realized. Especially with Phastos, Thena, Gilgamesh, Kingo, and Makkari, the actors did a great job of making them feel like fully fleshed-out characters in the limited time they had. The characterizations were subtle, but the actors imbued them with something really genuine. And everyone really sold the family dynamic, from Ajak as the "mother" of all of them (Salma Hayek's performance wasn't one of the standouts for me, but she came alive whenever she was connecting personally with one of the other Eternals) to everyone respecting Ikaris but still teasing him when he'd take himself a little too seriously. I liked that they were one big family but we got a bunch of different dynamics in the various pairings and groups. And I agree with whoever said upthread that you can really feel that they've known each other for millennia. I loved that Kingo, for instance, was kind of self-centered and jokey, but as soon as the Deviants attacked Druig's compound, he immediately sprang into action to protect Sersi and Sprite.

I think Phastos and his husband are the first of the hyped "gay character in a big blockbuster!!!!" characters that feel like more than lip service representation. Ben and Jack both had small roles, but the film made the most of their limited screentime and Brian Tyree Henry and Haaz Sleiman did a great job together.

On another representation note, Lauren Ridloff is awesome and she killed it as Makkari, equal parts fun and badass. I always wanted more of her onscreen. But I have to say, I get really annoyed by the trope where a Deaf character seems to magically understand what all the hearing characters are saying, even though I know Makkari isn't human. I know some of the other Eternals signed to her sometimes (mainly the ones she seemed closest with, like Druig and Kingo,) but it was really inconsistent. While I get that Marvel probably wouldn't have cast Ridloff if it meant having nine other actors learn all their lines in ASL for every scene they had with her, and I'd much rather have Ridloff as Makkari than a hearing actress, that trope always feels kind of like a cop-out to me, like you want to showcase the diversity of including a Deaf character but ignore the reality of what truly including them means.

[scarynikki12]

1 minute ago, calliope1975 said:

I just remember that as soon as Mantis was disrupted, Ego woke up.

With Thanos too (dammit Quill!). 

4 minutes ago, calliope1975 said:

I really hope Arishem's visit is referenced in another show or movie. Can you imagine the therapy bills in this universe? 

Spider-man is the next one but they may choose to keep the focus on the multiverse shenanigans that we've seen in the trailers. I feel reasonably certain that Hawkeye won't make reference to it though I have no basis for this theory. Looking at the upcoming schedule I'm going to guess we get a reference in Doctor Strange. I almost went with Thor but instinct says no. Keep in mind I am ALWAYS wrong (I can count on 1 hand how many times my predictions have come true kind of wrong) but that's what I'm guessing.

[calliope1975]

Yeah, I'm not sure where Eternals fits in in the timeline. After the unsnappening, of course, but before Wandavision? Or the next Spidey? I'm just hoping, at some point, someone mentions the ginormous red robot that showed up in the atmosphere one day then disappeared. You know a new religion/cult/both was born that day. 

I know it was a cheesy but when Ikaris couldn't kill Sersi, which was foretold when Ajak??? or whichever character said that when you love something, you'll do anything to protect it, I melted and said awwww in my head. 

Edited November 7, 2021 by calliope1975

[Sakura12]

54 minutes ago, calliope1975 said:

I know it was a cheesy but when Ikaris couldn't kill Sersi, which was foretold when Ajak??? or whichever character said that when you love something, you'll do anything to protect it, I melted and said awwww in my head. 

Thena said that to Sersi or rather she said Gilgamesh said that to her. I wish we learned more about their relationship instead of only focusing in Ikaris and Sersi. Also Druig and Mikkari.  Which is why I think the actors really elevated this movie. I really got the feeling these people have known each other for millennia. 

Also it's funny to see Gemma Chan play another synthetic. Since I first saw her on the UK show Humans where she played a synthetic that developed human feelings. 

[moonorchid]

Saw the movie today…I liked it, but it’s not even close to cracking my top ten. 

The first half of the movie feels like a huge info dump and it’s clunky and the dialogue is clunky and nothing feels smooth or natural…there’s a lot we need to learn and it tells us all of it but it’s def a lot to get through. 

Once we get to Phastos and his family, things seem to really click into place. 

The acting really saves this movie for me. This movie gave me a new appreciation, or maybe it just reminded me of what I love about Angelina Jolie. The first time we see her fighting and she poses and flips her hair a bit, all I could think was “damn she gives good FACE!”. Sometimes it’s not only okay, but it’s imperative to just look cool, lol. And she’s just freaking cool as hell in that moment and then the rest shows you why she’s as good as she is. 

My mother had a lot of criticism over Salma Hayek’s performance but I had zero problem with it. To be honest she gets the least to do. It’s one of the flaws of the movie and having such a huge cast and so much to get across. From the moment we meet Ajax till she dies she knows why they are there, what they are supposed to do, and what the endgame is. Then six days before it’s all supposed to go down, 5000 freaking years since she released all of them, she changes her mind and tells Ikaris they have to stop them. She explains why she came to that but we don’t see that moment, it’s told to us and doesn’t hit the same. Hayek didn’t have the chance to show that. 

I buy  Madden and Gemma Chan’s chemistry. It’s what makes that moment where Ikarus can’t kill her so powerful. I buy their love, or at least his love for her. In a movie where madden is mostly the vehicle to move the story along, he sold the shit out is his love for her, the anguish over the decision he has to make, and the despair and regret over what he’s done up to that point. 

There’s so much to digest I can’t even fit it in one post, lol.

[phalange]

I'm glad I avoided spoilers, because I liked the twist of Ikaris knowing the truth all along and that it was him who killed Ajak. I appreciate the reference to the Icarus legend by having him fly into the sun.

The saddest parts for me were Thena dumping Gilgamesh's ashes into the water, Kingo's valet/cameraman thanking the Eternals for everything they did for humanity, and when Phastos regretted giving humans technology after seeing Hiroshima.

I also loved the relationship between Makkari and Druig and Makkari fighting Ikaris after she thought he killed Druig.

The regular humans on Earth really can't catch a break. Aliens, killer robots, the Snapture. Now there's a whole giant head and hand emerging from the ground, and then some giant space being appears in the sky. 

[tv echo]

Despite Global Box Office Glory & $71M Domestic Debut, Why ‘Eternals’ Is A Wake-Up Call For MCU; Sizing Up ‘Red Notice’ Box Office
By Anthony D'Alessandro     November 7, 2021 
https://deadline.com/2021/11/eternals-opening-weekend-box-office-1234868870/ 

Quote

Sunday AM: Disney was able to keep Eternals intact throughout the weekend hitting a $71M opening amid mediocre audience exits, and the worst reviews of all-time for an MCU title. But know that when this film first landed on tracking four weeks ago, many had it in the $80M-$85M three-day range. Of those attending in the U.S., 46% told Screen Engine/Comscore’s PostTrak that they went to Eternals because it’s part of a franchise they love, while 44% said the genre/type of movie, 32% the storyline and 28% because of the ensemble cast.

All in worldwide, Eternals counts $161.7M. That’s the 2nd best opening for a Hollywood movie during 2021 behind F9‘s $163M, which saw $136M from China (Eternals won’t have China). The global start for the MCU title is also the best during the pandemic for an original, new piece of IP, 26% ahead of Shang-Chi ($128M) and 8% ahead of Black Widow‘s $150M in like-for-like markets. Of Eternals’ WW total, $13.6M of that came from Imax, while in the states the large format exhibitor saw $7.6M from 403 auditoriums.

Eternals global start is just under that of the worldwide opening of Guardians of the Galaxy ($164M) and Antman and The Wasp ($167M).

Realize that even though an event movie may put up some business, that internally studios digest all the poor critical and fan reactions, especially coming off of a superhero, possible franchise property. There’s certain to be some Monday morning quarterbacking here at Disney with Eternals, but as one film finance source told me yesterday, it’s not the end of the world here for MCU. It stands to reason that eventually after a great streak, the studio would churn out a bad picture. One in 26 isn’t a horrible record. If it was one in five pictures, then there would be reason to be concerned about Marvel, and as far as their competitor DC goes, they’re still trying to get their house together in the wake of Zack Snyder’s Batman v. Superman (that said, they did see their first $1 billion grossing DC movie with Aquaman).
*  *  *
Other stats on Eternals: updated demos through Saturday were 61% males, 39% females, 55% between 18-34 and 53% under 25. General audience diversity make-up per PostTrak was 51% Caucasian, 23% Hispanic and Latino, 13% African American and 9% Asian. General audience made up 85% of the pic’s business while parents and kids under 12 combined were 15%. Overall 3 1/2 stars and 78% positive, with a 60% definite recommend — not Marvel’s finest moment. Kids under 12 liked it better at 86% and four stars. Men under 25 made up 31% of the crowd (76% grade), Men over 25 30% (78%), Women under 25 were 22% (80%) and women over 25 at 17% (who liked it the most at 81%).

FYI, Deadline had a positive review of Eternals...

‘Eternals’ Review: Marvel’s Latest Superhero Team Takes On Refreshing New Directions For The MCU Thanks To Oscar Winner Chloé Zhao
By Pete Hammond     October 24, 2021
https://deadline.com/video/eternals-review-marvels-latest-superhero-team-takes-on-refreshing-new-directions-for-the-mcu-thanks-to-oscar-winner-chloe-zhao/ 

#1 Movie In The World | Marvel Studios’ Eternals
Marvel Entertainment   Nov 7, 2021

 

Edited November 8, 2021 by tv echo

[shrewd.buddha]

It was not as bad as I had feared - but not as good as I had hoped. 
All the elements were there for great movie, but the  overall result was a "just okay" movie. The pacing and plot could have been better.  Very nice cinematography, though, with all those sunsets, skylines and vistas.  A lot of good actors who weren't given much to work with.
And the Eternals seemed to like to pose in a line a lot..

The MCU appears to have the same problem as the Marvel comics: they don't really know what to do with, or how to explain, the Eternals.  They can't seem to settle on a satisfying origin story. 
And ancient god-like organic robots are not very relatable, especially since they mostly don't interact with humans except to treat them like a flock of sheep they are supposed to watch over.
Marvel comics could never get the Eternals comics to catch on.  And like this movie, the Eternals spent most of their time fighting amongst themselves.  Also, there were many more than ten Eternals in the comics. 
I think the Eternals would have worked better in an alternate universe -- outside the Marvel super-hero universe.

The end felt incomplete because the director/writers could not produce a satisfying conclusion to all the interesting ideas they had thrown out there. 
It was interesting that Ikaris helped the Deviants by getting rid of Ajak.  And then the Deviants helped the pro-life Eternals get rid of Ikarus.  But the whole situation was as messy as the moral dilemmas. 
Was Ikaris a bad guy..?  Or just a loyal subject?  Having Kingo bow out of the final fight, then show afterwards up to help Sersi move as if nothing much had happened, was a bold move.
For what it's worth, I would be on the side of actual, existing lives as opposed to theoretical, potential lives. 

Edited November 8, 2021 by shrewd.buddha

[Guest]

3 hours ago, tv echo said:

Despite Global Box Office Glory & $71M Domestic Debut, Why ‘Eternals’ Is A Wake-Up Call For MCU; Sizing Up ‘Red Notice’ Box Office
By Anthony D'Alessandro     November 7, 2021 
https://deadline.com/2021/11/eternals-opening-weekend-box-office-1234868870/ 

Quote

Oh, joy. More clickbait overreaction, catastrophizing and pretending that there wasn’t an agenda in the reviews. 

[Gharlane]

Eternals 92.1: The Adventures of Fancy People | Superheroes Every Day 

[blackwing]

I enjoyed it, even if I thought it was a bit slow at times.  I loved the scenes depicting the characters throughout 5000 years of history, it really did show that they have been around for ages, and explained why they came to care about humanity.

I found some of the plot confusing... As I was watching trying to grapple to understand what the Celestial awakening meant, and why Ikaris did what he did.  I confess I had to go to Wikipedia when I went home to read the synopsis.  My kids were similarly confused.

Overall I liked the cast and I liked the powers.  Shame about Ikaris.  In the end, I interpreted it that his love for Sersi made him unable to prevent her from trying to stop the Emergence, and in fact, he joined his powers with the rest in the Uni-Mind and his power helped her succeed in stopping the Emergence.

I do like Richard Madden and I liked his character.  I hope somehow there is a way he can return.  He is the most powerful, and his powers are cosmic-derived, perhaps they found a way to protect him from the sun.

Gemma Chan was great.  Some seem to think her performance was boring, but I thought she was serene and majestic.  I'm sure never in a hundred years did she ever think that she would or could be the lead actress in a superhero movie as an Asian woman.

Kit Harington, as always, I found him to be one of the worst and most boring actors.  I hate that he is going to become the Black Knight.  The Black Knight in the comics was never British, he was an American from Massachusetts.  Although I guess it could be argued that Sersi was not a Chinese-English woman, Ajak was a man and not a Mexican woman, Gilgamesh was Middle Eastern and not Asian, etc.

 

On 9/21/2021 at 5:39 PM, Dani said:

ETERNALS Star Angelina Jolie Explains Why She Decided To Join The Marvel Cinematic Universe

Basically because she wanted to work with Chloe Zhao and she liked that the movie was going to be diverse and expand the genre. 

I don’t really agree that she could have written her own ticket with the MCU. Marvel doesn’t really cast leads based on name recognition. 

I thought Angelina Jolie was fantastic here.  Her character had a lot more depth and nuance than some of the others (Makkari, Druic - I'm still not sure why Druic was always seemingly so angry, etc.)  I thought she played that Mad Wyrm (?) well and you could really see the strong (platonic) bond between her and Gilgamesh.  Well done, Angie.

I do think she could have been the lead in an MCU movie.  I think in the earlier years they cast some on name recognition and reputation (Robert Downey Jr, Edward Norton, Scarlett Johannson, Samuel L Jackson, Cate Blanchett) while some they went with some with a small reputation (Chris Evans, Colbie Smulders, Jeremy Renner) and others they went with unknowns (Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston).  But nowadays I think an MCU movie is generally considered a coup and I do think it wouldn't be unheard of to cast based on recognition.  

In this cast, the most recognisable names are Angelina, Salma, Kit, Richard, and arguably Gemma.  I did find it interesting that Angelina seemed perfectly fine to take a role in this ensemble movie in which she was clearly not the lead.  

As far as the superhero role she was offered in the past that she turned down, I am assuming it was the Invisible Woman in the original two Fantastic Four movies.  Jessica Alba's look in those movies was very Angelina-like.

[shrewd.buddha]

15 minutes ago, blackwing said:

I'm sure never in a hundred years did she ever think that she would or could be the lead actress in a superhero movie as an Asian woman.

Sometimes it seems as if people forget that China and India have huge (huge!) film industries with major (major!!) celebrities of their own nationality.
I do agree that in the US and the UK those nationalities are underrepresented. But if people were willing to read subtitles and think globally instead of locally, they could find a lot entertainment with a lot of different nationalities and ethnicities.
Michelle Yeoh and Jackie Chen didn't really need to become action movie celebrities in the US, but it was nice that they did. 

Edited November 8, 2021 by shrewd.buddha

[blackwing]

5 minutes ago, shrewd.buddha said:

Sometimes it seems as if people forget that China and India have huge (huge!) film industries with major (major!!) celebrities of their own nationality.
I do agree that in the US and the UK those nationalities are underrepresented. But if people were willing to read subtitles and think globally instead of locally, they could find a lot entertainment with a lot of different nationalities and ethnicities.
Michelle Yeoh and Jackie Chen didn't really need to become action movie celebrities in the US, but it was nice that they did. 

Yes... but Gemma has never been part of that Asian film industry.  She is an Englishwoman who mostly was in British TV/film until her appearance in "Crazy Rich Asians" brought her more recognition.  When she was cast for this movie, I think the only Asian character of note in any of the MCU movies was Wong.  Shang Chi hadn't been released yet.  I know she has spoken out about making advancements in casting for movies (she was cast as Bess of Hardwick in the "Mary Queen of Scots" movie and I do recall people complaining that Bess was not Asian).  But I think being an Asian female lead of an MCU movie was not something she probably expected.  Especially being given top billing over the likes of Oscar winner/nominee Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek and sharing lead duties with Richard Madden, who has a quite a following.

[Shannon L.]

4 hours ago, tv echo said:

Realize that even though an event movie may put up some business, that internally studios digest all the poor critical and fan reactions, especially coming off of a superhero, possible franchise property.

^^From the article that @tv echo posted.  Poor fan reactions that, as of right now, still rate it at 81% on Rotten Tomatoes (over 2,500 verified reviews)? I also looked that comments under one of the critics with a You Tube channel.  He didn't like it, but every single response that I read was ranged from "It was wasn't that bad" to "I really liked it."  Like I said before, one "bad" movie isn't enough to kill the franchise.  If word of mouth kills it after the opening weekend, then they have plenty of time to change course back to the old formula, since I'm sure that the next two or three movies, at least, are already just like the others anyway.

[Enigma X]

I love ensemble casts and although it was risky to introduce an ensemble all at once, I still liked them. I have more pros than cons, but what I personally do not care for is that the Celestials are robots. That is just a personal preference gripe.

Also, I am not sure why everyone is assuming Ikaris is dead. 

[Guest]

35 minutes ago, shrewd.buddha said:

Sometimes it seems as if people forget that China and India have huge (huge!) film industries with major (major!!) celebrities of their own nationality.

I don’t think we forget. It’s just not what we are talking about. 

35 minutes ago, shrewd.buddha said:

I do agree that in the US and the UK those nationalities are underrepresented. But if people were willing to read subtitles and think globally instead of locally, they could find a lot entertainment with a lot of different nationalities and ethnicities.

It’s not even remotely the same. I enjoy those movies but I don’t feel represented in them in the way I do when I see Gemma leading a movie. 

[shrewd.buddha]

It's too late now, but it would have been very interesting to have a scene where the Eternals explain to Tony Stark how they, in fact, were responsible for human advancement and human inventions (even the basic plow, for goodness sake).

8 hours ago, Gharlane said:

Eternals 92.1: The Adventures of Fancy People | Superheroes Every Day 

I found myself agreeing with a lot of points in this blog post.  If you think about it -- and maybe you shouldn't -- there is an undeniable icky factor in the concept of ancient alien god robots being the invisible hand behind ten thousand years of human civilization. 

Edited November 9, 2021 by shrewd.buddha

[scarynikki12]

2 hours ago, Enigma X said:

Also, I am not sure why everyone is assuming Ikaris is dead. 

For me it’s the perfect ending to his part of the story. That said, you’re right and we won’t know until we get word that Madden won’t return, that he’ll be playing a different Ikaris, or that he’ll only be in flashbacks. I still lean towards a different Ikaris showing up if Madden stays on and that one won’t be weighed down by love. 

[caracas1914]

Ok we finally have a contender for best movie pretty couple  since “ Cat on a hot tin roof”  (Elizabeth Taylor/Paul Newman) and it comes in a MCU flick.

When Gemma Chan/Richard Madden were on screen I kept on visualizing the little Eternals those two would produce.  ( Organic robot babies?)  ; ) 

[tv echo]

Action | Marvel Studios’ Eternals
Marvel Entertainment   Nov 8, 2021

Marvel Studios' Eternals Inspired Event | Marvel Strike Force LIVE!
Marvel Entertainment   Nov 8, 2021

 

Edited November 8, 2021 by tv echo

[Morrigan2575]

Fuck this movie. Turning my boy Ikaris into a villain! Not happy 😡

I knew 3 characters going into this movie, and I've been waiting forever for Eternals, Dane (sorry Sersi, I love Crystal) Whitman, Sersi (my girl) and Ikaris who I knew briefly from the Proctor Storyline.  He is not a Villain! 

They better bring him back, they have the setup to bring ALL of them Back (stored memories and synthetic bodies).

I'm assuming Sprite was made human so the actress can age.  

Other than my immense rage I'm really not sure how I feel. The movie itself was fine, I didn't find it too long or boring and I thought most of the characters got a chance to standout.

I'm surprised at how much I liked Thena since I'm not a Jolie fan but, she did a good job.

Richard Madden and Gemma Chan had insane chemistry and, I'm not giving up on them.

The post credit scene was a let down, I knew who Pip was but, I swear all the talk about the post credit scene I thought we'd actually get some FOX property...I was waiting for Deadpool to show up. 😂

[Morrigan2575]

7 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

different Ikaris, or that he’ll only be in flashbacks. I still lean towards a different Ikaris showing up if Madden stays on and that one won’t be weighed down by love. 

I refuse to accept that Sersi and Whitman are OTP...i will never forgive or forget! Sorry I know it's like a 20 year old story but I still HATE him. They also didn't do themselves any favor casting Kit Harrington...I mean seriously Richard Madden could out act him, while sleeping...Harrington isn't even that pretty anymore.

[Tenshinhan]

18 hours ago, blackwing said:

The Black Knight in the comics was never British, he was an American from Massachusetts.

The Dane Whitman Black Knight may not have been British, but the previous Black Knights were.  He is their descendant.

[Shannon L.]

Does anyone think the 10 rings will tie into The Eternals? In Shang Chi,  they said that they were older than the Infinity Stones and the Eternals are millions of years old. I'm not sure how it would work,  but something needs to connect the next phase of Marvel movies. At first,  I thought Phastos created them for the final fight, but then I remembered that Shang Chi's father had them for hundreds of years,  so that's not it. It's just a thought. 

[tv echo]

Action | Marvel Studios’ Eternals
Marvel Entertainment   Nov 8, 2021

 

Did Any Eternals Get Blipped By Thanos? Chloé Zhao Has A Fascinating Answer
By Eric Eisenberg last updated 1 day ago
https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/did-any-eternals-get-blipped-by-thanos-chloe-zhao-has-a-fascinating-answer 

Quote

The case of the Eternals is a bit special, however. While it is the case that the ensemble of characters featured in director Chloé Zhao’s new blockbuster existed when the Mad Titan activated his completed Infinity Gauntlet, it turns out that they were totally unaffected by it due to their special nature. Because they are artificial and not biological, they don’t qualify as part of “life in existence,” which is technically what Thanos halved.

I got confirmation of this special fact late last month when I interviewed Chloé Zhao during the virtual press day for Eternals. I asked the filmmaker if any of the members of the titular group in the movie were snapped away by Thanos, admittedly expecting some kind of creative answer, and she explained (while wary of spoilers) that the heroes were, in a word, exempt. Said Zhao,

"Well, I can't say this out loud, but if you think about... if you think about what the Celestials told them. If you think about what the Celestials told them about themselves, technically they can't get blipped."

 

Edited November 10, 2021 by tv echo

[tennisgurl]

I was definitely very curious going into this one, both because of its "rotten" status and just because it seems so different then your typical MCU film, and I thought it was quite good. Definitely had a lot of the flaws that I expected it to have, but I would call it more mid tier then actually bad, and a mid tier MCU film is still a quality movie, it was honestly a lot better then I expected. Maybe the low scores lowered my expectations or I am such a MCU fan that I pretty much love anything they give him, but I enjoyed it a lot. The low scores seem to be misleading to me, it could be because a lot of the scores listed the movie as decent just not great, and that gave it a lower score then it deserves, or I could totally believe the speculation that professional critics are holding it to a different standard because its directed by Chloe Zhao. Its very off to me, I cannot believe that this movie is considered of lower quality then Iron Man 2 or Thor 2, the worst MCU films to me. 

On to the actual movie, I enjoyed that it had a different vibe then a lot of MCU movies, that it was trying to be more cerebral then action packed. I like that the MCU is trying to do some different things in the franchise now, while still very clearly being unapologetically comic book movies As expected with a Chloe Zhao film, it looks beautiful and the real locations really did make you feel the wonder of the world that is at stake, and it gave the movie an appropriately epic feel of centuries passing and the huge scale of the events. Its slow in parts, and has to deliver a TON of lore and exposition, to the point of opening with a text crawl, but I didn't mind the slower pace and more serious tone, I think it worked to the movies advantage. The acting was all really solid all around, the actors did a great job at quickly establishing their characters and their dynamics without a whole lot of screen time, which is important in a movie with such a huge cast and with so much going on. I especially love seeing Gemma Chan taking such a big spotlight, and while I tend to be a bit meh on Angelina Jolie, I think she was great here. So often with her she's more of a movie star then a character onscreen, but I think being in an ensemble helped her to feel like like this huge star with a big offscreen personality and just be a character. There was a lot of lore dumped on us, but I also thought that it was really interesting and I followed it all pretty seamlessly. It seems like a lot of it is going to be really important going into the next phase. 

What I was really impressed by was how much the acting and writing sold that these people have really known each other for thousands of years and that they have this really complicated history as a group and with each other individually. I can totally buy that everyone forgave Sprite pretty much right away because when you know someone for that long, you cant really ever be done with them. It really was tragic when Ikaris killed Ajak (and even she was more sad for him then angry) and then the rest of the eternals had to fight him, you could feel that this was a horrible thing that he doesn't like doing, but does feel like its really necessary. Then in the end, he really did love Sersi too much to kill her and the world she loved, but didn't know how to exist after what he did and without his purpose, and they really did sell all of that despite how much was going on. I also really do love the diversity on screen, especially the MCU finally committing to showing a gay character on screen, no ambiguity, no cut scenes, a full on romance between two men that shows them and their family living a happy life together. 

Like I said, a lot of the flaws people have mentioned are very legitimate. With such a big cast, some characters didn't really get the focus I wanted them to get, especially Makkari, who had one of the best fights in the movie when she attacked Ikaris after he seemingly killed Druig, and she and Druig seemed to have something going on that seemed worth exploring, but we hardly got any time with her. I also wanted to know more about the head Deviant, it felt like he had a lot of potential as a darker version of the eternals themselves, the killing machines of the Celestrials that are now rebelling against their creators, but they didn't do much with him. There was also just so much exposition that it did often feel like we were getting so much of the backstory that it was hard to focus on what was actually happening now. But like I said, the actors really made me like these characters and really buy into their dynamics, I actually think that the second movie will be really good for the eternals. Now that we have the exposition and the basis of the characters down, we can really start developing them more and getting more into interesting stories now that the exposition and origin story is done. 

This movie was a lot less joke heavy then a lot of MCU films, which I thought was a great idea, as constant quips wouldn't have really fit with the vibe the movie was going for, but I did enjoy the bits of comedy we got, especially the double act with Kingo and Karun and his never ending supply of cameras. Even then, they could get serious when the situation called for it, like when Karun sincerely thanked the eternals for everything they have done for humanity, regardless of what happens next.

Kit Harrington wasn't around for much but I found him very charming in his brief scenes, I am really excited to see him as the Black Knight in later movies, along with freaking Blade showing up at the end! Isn't that just the Marvel Universe for you? Sersei thinks she's dating some totally normal everyman but of course it turns out that he's actually the most recent inheritor of a magical sword who's family of magical knights have been in possession of it since the middle ages. That's just dating in the MCU, like how everyone has become pretty hilariously chill about all of the crazy things that happen all of the time. Back when Tony announced he was Iron Man it was the biggest thing anyone could imagine, but now? Tentacled monsters attacking London is reported on like "and this evening a fight broke out between unknown powered individuals and monsters of unknown origin, how this affects your commute right after this commercial break." It really much be exhausting living in the MCU, the earth is still cleaning up after the Snappening and then everyone coming back, and now we have a giant glowing head coming down from space. Its always something.

Edited November 10, 2021 by tennisgurl

[calliope1975]

Below is a compilation of Angie spoiling the movie left and right interviews. But she's so excited, I can't help but love it. Never pair her with Tom Holland.

This also made my heart happy. This is from Brian Tyree Henry:

"I remember the first time that they were like, "So… we want you to be a superhero.' I was like, 'Cool. How much weight do I have to lose?'" Henry said. 

"Chloé was like, 'What are you talking about? We want you exactly as you are,'" Henry continued, adding how much that moment meant to him. "To be a black man, to have someone look at you and say, 'We want you exactly the way you are,' is unlike anything that I've ever felt."

 

[tv echo]

Disney's report on Eternals' opening box office...

Marvel Studios’ ‘Eternals’ Opens with $161.7 Million Worldwide
November 8, 2021
https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/marvel-studios-eternals-opens-with-161-7-million-worldwide/ 

Quote

Marvel Studios’ Eternals is off to a strong start at the global box office. Directed by Academy Award® winner Chloé Zhao, the film opened at No. 1 in all key markets for an estimated $161.7 million global weekend. Domestically, the film earned $71.0 million. The Marvel Cinematic Universe films Black Widow, Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings and Eternals collectively account for three of the top four pandemic era opening weekends.

Internationally, Eternals earned an additional $90.7 million in its opening weekend. It marks the highest opening weekend during the pandemic era in Italy, Brazil and Hong Kong, and the second highest opening weekend during the pandemic era in Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Sweden, Argentina, Central America, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Paraguay and Uruguay. It also marks the highest opening weekend for a non-local film during the pandemic era in Korea. Eternals will open in Russia today and this weekend in Indonesia and United Arab Emirates.

The Cast of Marvel Studios’ Eternals Answer YOUR questions! | Ask Marvel
Marvel Entertainment    Nov 10, 2021

Kit Harington talks ‘Eternals’ character Dane Whitman
Gulf News    Nov 9, 2021

 

Edited November 11, 2021 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Edited November 12, 2021 by tv echo

[shrewd.buddha]

Eternals Pitch Meeting

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Did this movie blow it's load the first week out??? Looks like Black Widow and Shang-Chi are earning more money. 

[tv echo]

Roll Call | Marvel Studios’ Eternals
Marvel Entertainment  Nov 13, 2021

Movies | Marvel Studios’ Eternals
Marvel Entertainment  Nov 14, 2021

 

[tv echo]

New character poster for Eternals was released - I guess, no longer a post-credits spoiler (as far as Marvel is concerned)...

Spoiler

 

Also, here's another interview with the music composer...

Edited November 19, 2021 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Has Marvel's Eternals been a box office hit?
BY IAN SANDWELL    November 17, 2021
https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a38266619/eternals-box-office-explained-marvel-mcu/ 

Quote

As of November 15, Eternals has grossed $119.8 million at the US box office after a second-weekend drop of 62.3% (smaller than Black Widow, bigger than Shang-Chi), while it has an overseas tally of $162.6 million.

It all adds up to a box office haul of $282.4 (so far) million which, in terms of Marvel's other 2021 releases, is ahead of Black Widow's $264 million and Shang-Chi's $257.6 million tallies at the same stage in their runs.

Black Widow ended up with $379.6 million worldwide and Shang-Chi grossed $430.5 million. The former's box office potential was impacted by its simultaneous release on Disney+, while Shang-Chi (like Eternals) had an exclusive cinema run initially.

Assuming that Eternals enjoys similar holds over the coming weeks, it'll look to surpass both of those totals, although we doubt it'll end up topping Shang-Chi's tally by much. If you compare Eternals to 2021's other MCU efforts, it's a decent performance for a movie that was critically panned and is a 150-min epic about brand new characters.

However, in terms of the MCU overall, it will end up among the lowest-grossing Marvel movies of all time. Eternals should surpass Captain America: The First Avenger's $370.6 million result and has already overtaken The Incredible Hulk's $265.6 million, but that's about it.
*  *  *
Given that there are still marketplace challenges due to the ongoing pandemic, a result of around $430 million for Eternals will be a solid performance. It'll still likely end up in the top 10 highest-grossing movies of the year, but will fall some way short of the $700 million-plus totals of F9 and No Time to Die.

In truth, even in a 'normal' year, Eternals wouldn't challenge those movies given they're the latest outings in a much-loved franchise. Yes, it has the MCU connection, but fans would know there aren't any crossover characters (yet) and it's generally separate from what's come before.

There wasn't really a 'must-see' edge to Eternals for more casual MCU fans, so it could well be that they preferred to wait for its eventual Disney+ release, especially after the poor reviews.
*  *  *
The other challenge facing the movie is that it has yet to confirm a release in China – and might not actually be released in the territory. While it wouldn't be a guaranteed hit, it could have added potentially $100 million (or more) which would have given Eternals' global result a much healthier look.

Black Widow and Shang-Chi both still haven't received releases in China, which doesn't bode well for Eternals.
*  *  *
Whatever the reason though, it's a significant blow to Eternals' box office chances if it doesn't get released. If you combine that with the other factors impacting it (such as the poor reviews and the recovering marketplace), the box-office numbers to date could have been a lot worse.

It might sound like damning it with faint praise, but Eternals grossing over $400 million would be a decent achievement in the circumstances – even if the movie won't ever trouble the record books.

 

Edited November 20, 2021 by tv echo

[tv echo]

VFX Supervisor Stephane Ceretti talked to Lorraine Cink about how they created all of the VFX, illusions, and Deviants in the Camden scene in Eternals...

Casting Illusions | Marvel Studios' Eternals VFX
Marvel Entertainment    Nov 20, 2021

 

Edited November 21, 2021 by tv echo

[Cranberry]

My friend and I went to see this on Friday. We had low expectations after seeing the reviews, but we had a good time! We were the only two people in the theater, which helped -- we could actually make comments to each other during non-dialogue moments, something we'd never do with other people around -- but we also found the movie entertaining. Some of the criticism is definitely deserved -- some characters barely got any development, the main Deviant was basically an afterthought by the end, and the movie was very long -- but we didn't feel those issues were big enough to earn it a rotten RT critics' score. The movie was beautiful, we cared about the characters, we were surprised by two Eternals turning against the others and one skipping the final battle entirely, and we laughed at a lot of the jokes. It wasn't among the best, but was definitely worth watching.

[stealinghome]

Just got back from this movie and really, really enjoyed it. There were a lot of characters but they all got a chance to shine, the actors totally sold that these people had known each other for millennia, and the jokes are ACTUALLY funny (often not the case in Marvel movies IMO). I loved the cinematography and visuals, and the cerebral nature of the movie and the morality problem it poses. Totally on board for the sequel whenever it comes!

[tv echo]

I don't know if this is really confirmed or not...

Disney+ confirms launch of new Marvel movie ‘Eternals’ on January 12, 2022
By Streaming Guider -11/26/2021
https://streamingguider.com/eternals-disney-plus-movie-2021/ 

Quote

Disney+ has confirmed to Streaming Guider’s editors that there is already a date in the calendar for the release of the superhero film. Starting Wednesday, January 12, 2022, Eternals will be available in all countries where the streaming service operates. That’s approximately 70 days after the theatrical release, a comparable gap as for the launch of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021).

Eternals Writers Confirm [______] Really Is Dead
BY MEAGAN DAMORE    November 26, 2021
CBR article link

Spoiler

At the end of Marvel's Eternals, Ikarus lived up to his namesake. After he was forced to choose between his family and Arishem's great design, the Eternal could not bear to exist in a world where his love was in conflict with his duty, so he threw himself into the sun. Speaking to CBR, Eternals screenwriter Kaz Firpo confirmed this act did, indeed, kill Ikarus and offered a little insight into this decision.

"What is the melting point of an Eternal? How long does it take to literally melt an Eternal robot?" Firpo joked. "For what it's worth... yeah, it was always that. He can't bear to face his family after what he's done, which he realizes."

"I don't think that Ikarus even thinks that he's wrong. I think that he just has so much regret. He's very sorry. I think he's sorry for the way he lived his whole life on this planet, and that's a lot of burden to carry," he explained. "So really, that act is basically saying, 'I made a mistake, but I can't face my family, and I can't go on living.'"

"It began as an exile that I think, throughout the course of the filmmaking, really became something that needed to be definitive," he added. "It really is a moment of saying, 'It's sacrifice.' It's sort of saying, 'I can't serve the Eternals. If I can't serve the Celestials, and I can't be with my family, then I choose this third option,' which -- for him -- really is oblivion. So yeah, he dead."

 

Edited November 27, 2021 by tv echo

[Morrigan2575]

Fuck that and Fuck them. Stupid movie, bad choice.

[arc]

On 11/8/2021 at 9:08 AM, Enigma X said:

Also, I am not sure why everyone is assuming Ikaris is dead. 

Because he killed Ajak, was low key responsible for Gilgamesh’s death too (he coulda just killed those defrosting Deviants if he’d wanted to) and it seemed like his atonement was giving himself a death sentence.

after the initial trailers, I’m glad the truth was more in line with the comics: that the Celestials created both Eternals and Deviants for some bizarre purpose leading up to evolution and judgment. I was surprised about the Celestial egg part of the story though, which is straight out of the very non-canon Earth X miniseries. But I love Earth X.

Between this and Crazy Rich Asians, Gemma Chan really has found a niche of playing almost supernaturally kind characters.

I was very amused a Marvel movie made references to both Batman and Superman as fictional characters.

[shrewd.buddha]

On 11/8/2021 at 12:08 PM, Enigma X said:

Also, I am not sure why everyone is assuming Ikaris is dead. 

The movie explains - as well as the comics - that the Eternals are not 'eternal' because they cannot die. They are eternal because the Celestials save their memories on the mother ship and recreate them whenever necessary  they want. They are basically alien robots, after all. 
Ikaris could show up again in a different body.  But most likely the same actor will return and Ikaris will have a memory gap.

[Luckylyn]

I liked it.  I thought it was good okay.  I think it suffers a bit because the story might have worked better as a series because there’s so many characters we are getting introduced to.   The cast was wonderful.

[paigow]

The Celestials can solve all their problems by making a new batch of Eternals with no emotion chip... They would eradicate all Deviants AND earlier model Eternals.

[Guest]

6 hours ago, shrewd.buddha said:

The movie explains - as well as the comics - that the Eternals are not 'eternal' because they cannot die. They are eternal because the Celestials save their memories on the mother ship and recreate them whenever necessary  they want. They are basically alien robots, after all. 
Ikaris could show up again in a different body.  But most likely the same actor will return and Ikaris will have a memory gap.

This. Ikaris being dead means nothing in the larger universe if they want to bring him back. The same is true for Ajak and Gilgamesh. 

[Bruinsfan]

Also, if there's another Eternals movie I'd imagine it would feature a LOT of flashbacks to the previous 7,000 years, so those characters could appear again without being recreated in the present day.

[Morrigan2575]

On 11/28/2021 at 7:33 AM, shrewd.buddha said:

The movie explains - as well as the comics - that the Eternals are not 'eternal' because they cannot die.

They aren't robots in the comics, so I don't know the Celestials are saving any memories in the comics. However, yes in the movie they clearly stated that the Eternals are all Robots and they're memories are wiped/stored after each Celestial is born.

Which then begs the question, why create a Deaf Robot and, a Robot that is only 12?   The characters make more sense as humanoid/aliens who are just born that way.

Edited November 29, 2021 by Morrigan2575

[arc]

Some of the changes from the Neil Gaiman Eternals comic miniseries threw me, because it was a different set of Eternals who’d gone bad, and for different reasons. Then again, the “Earth is an egg for a baby Celestial” idea is from the alt-universe comic Earth X, and one of Marvel’s top editors at the time specifically said Earth X was not canon for 616 (the mainline comics universe).

one thing I did expect though, was that Tiamat would just be put to sleep, because in the comics there is a Celestial named Tiamat and I think this was the “Dreaming Celestial”. But then it seemed like Sersi ended up killing Tiamat? And used the Uni-mind including Tiamat’s power to do so? And then Arishem was weirdly not very vindictive about his chosen servants betraying their mission and killing one of his race????

Also, I guess Eternals is definitely a more “cosmic” side of the MU and MCU than, say, Captain America or Shang-Chi, but I still would have expected some MCU crossovers at the end after a new-to-the-world bunch of superhumans showed up and apparently killed a nascent space robot god and left its corpse embedded in the earth.

(also also, just think of the stuff Roxxon could get up to by mining Tiamat’s head and hand for valuable materials.)

[Morrigan2575]

17 minutes ago, arc said:

Earth X, and one of Marvel’s top editors at the time specifically said Earth X was not canon for 616 (the mainline comics universe).

It's a whole hodgepodge of ideas, kind of picking and pulling from different comics without any real logic (IMO). 

17 minutes ago, arc said:

Dreaming Celestial”. But then it seemed like Sersi ended up killing Tiamat?

I think he's asleep. That's what they talked about, putting him to sleep until they could move humans to another planet, or something. I assumed this was their way of making the dreaming celestial (who I always called the sleeping celestial in my head).

17 minutes ago, arc said:

still would have expected some MCU crossovers at the end after a new-to-the-world bunch of superhumans showed up and apparently killed a nascent space robot god and left its corpse embedded in the earth.

Which was another weird thing,  the mid and post credit scenes didn't do much to setup a connection to the MCU. Other than the hint about The Black Knight. It's almost like they're setting up a separate Universe? Marvel Cosmic Universe vs Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Edited November 29, 2021 by Morrigan2575

[calliope1975]

4 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

It's almost like they're setting up a separate Universe? Marvel Cosmic Universe vs Marvel Cinematic Universe?

IDK if that's what they're doing, but it's an interesting concept. I'm not too familiar with SWORD but that might be a way to bring that in as has been hinted to in other movies. 

I think they killed Tiamet. Druig towards the end said he couldn't do it - putting Tiamet to sleep - so I think Sersi used whatever her new ability was to change Tiamet's matter to marble or some other substance. I do wish, since they talked about how the Deviants were evolving, if they'd been more explicit that the Eternals could and would evolve, too. Just too much movie to fit into one movie. 

Edited November 30, 2021 by calliope1975

[arc]

I don’t think I really respect Kingo’s decision to just dip out on the family fight. The stakes were too high to just sit it out and not have a personal say in how things get resolved.

But also, I really didn’t like his take on the situation. The way I saw it, Ikaris is a true believer. He’s known the truth of the mission for millennia and committed the whole time. (And knowing what he knew, he probably held back from loving Earth and humanity the way Sersi did.) Kingo argued himself into the position that birthing a Celestial is worth sacrificing an entire planet’s worth of sapient life because the new Celestial will create so much more life. I’ve seen some reviews say it’s a cosmic trolley problem, but I think “sacrifice a comparatively small number for the sake of the greater number” is a very very different conundrum than “sacrifice a comparatively small number for the sake of a hypothetical greater number in the future”. To me, Earth/humanity is here and alive right now. The future can wait, by definition.

(Separately, for a team devoted to violence-based methods of dealing with Deviants, the Celestials gave pretty bad powers to many of the Eternals. A less devout man than Ikaris might have considered that a reason to lose some faith in his gods…)