Film Review: 'Eternals' isn't the Hero Film We Deserve, But the One We Need Right Now

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Average: 5 (1 vote)

CHICAGO – At some point, everything evolves. This isn’t something that’s exclusive to Pokemon, but a process that all of us have undergone to get to where we are. Evolution is always gradual, only made noticeable to us in retrospect. Are you exactly the same person that you were 10 years ago? Hopefully not. There will come a point when we look back at Eternals with much more generous eyes and realize that not only is this a good film, but a necessary one.

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 4.0/5.0
Rating: 4.0/5.0

I won’t say that this comic book property is an obscure one because I don’t want any of the ire from fanboys yelling reasons at me for why this property is so well-known. What I will say is that it is not one I’m at all familiar with, at least not to the caliber of some of Marvel’s other juggernauts like Iron-Man, Captain America, Thor, etc. Part of the excitement I had going into Eternals stemmed from not knowing a single thing about any character or knowing what role they played in the MCU as a whole. Nothing is going to prepare you for what it is like to experience this film, and that is where the biggest problem arises.

When you’ve seen as many films as I have, you begin to notice patterns or formulas that live in the genetic make-up of certain movies. DC film fans appreciate their darker, more tonally serious approach because the grit feels more real-world, making the stakes feel more personal. Marvel film fans tend to love the more lighthearted, humor-heavy tones in their films, appreciating being transported to other worlds and all the fantasy elements that come with them. Very rarely will you find someone who likes both, and this is where the preference for one over the other will dominate how you end up viewing this film.

“Eternals” in theaters November 5th. Featuring Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Ma Dong-seok (Don Lee), Harish Patel, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, and Angelina Jolie. Directed by Chloé Zhao. Written by Chloé Zhao, Patrick Burleigh, Ryan Firpo and Kaz Firpo. Rated “PG-13”

StarClick here for Jon Espino’s full review of “Eternals”

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Photo credit: Disney

StarClick here for Jon Espino’s full review of “Eternals”

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