While Eternals continues to rake in box office revenue, the film has largely received negative reviews, a first for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. (Marvel pic)

PETALING JAYA:

Ever since the release of the first Iron Man film in 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been praised to no end by film critics.

2018’s Black Panther receiving an astounding 96% on Rotten Tomatoes is proof of that, and even the most mediocre MCU film to date (looking at you, Thor: The Dark World) got off with an okay 66%.

So, it must have been rather shocking and quite embarrassing for Disney executives when critics panned MCU’s latest release.

Eternals, an important part of MCU’s Phase 4, has the ignoble honour of being the first “Rotten” MCU film to date, clocking in at 48%.

To be fair, critics and audiences don’t always line up in terms of opinions, and sometimes critically maligned films can become fan favourites and cult classics. That certainly appears to be the case for Eternals, which is still raking in box office returns as expected of MCU films.

So, why have the critics been so harsh with Marvel’s latest endeavour?

All-powerful cosmic beings known as the Celestials were responsible for sending the Eternals to earth in order to protect humanity. (Marvel pic)

Well, before one can understand the criticism of the film, it may help to understand what the film is all about.

Directed by Oscar winner Chloe Zhao, Eternals centres around a group of immortal superpowered beings called the Eternals.

Sent to Earth 7,000 years ago by powerful cosmic entities called the Celestials, the Eternals have been defending the planet from dangerous monsters called the Deviants.

Fast forward to the present day and it appears the Deviants have made a comeback and it falls on the Eternals to end the menace, all while an even greater danger looms in the background.

If you’re already scratching your head over the Eternals, the Celestials, the Deviants and the Simpsons, you’ve most likely guessed what one of the film’s problems is.

As any writer knows, writing a single main character that’s relatable and realistic is tough. Imagine having ten main characters on your hands.

Perhaps Zhao, a director with an indie background, bit off more than she could chew and needed more liberty to create a film with more meaningful characters.

Despite her best efforts, Gemma Chan’s character Sersi, feels little more than a placeholder protagonist. (Marvel pic)

While the film generally follows the perspective of one of the Eternals, namely Gemma Chan’s Sersi, it struggles to ensure each of the Eternals has equal screen time, resulting in few getting to shine or to develop a memorable personality. And for those who do get the chance, their personalities are rather shallow.

There’s the leader, the strong one, the smart one, the little one, the angsty one, the fast one, and so on.

In previous MCU films, character development was the main reason why so many fell in love with their superheroes in the first place.

Audiences witnessed an arrogant billionaire become a self-sacrificing martyr, an upstart demigod become a down-to-earth leader and a humble soldier become a moral paragon.

Can the same be said of any of the Eternals? Sure, this may be their first outing, but their lack of personality makes it hard to relate to their struggles.

Ironically, some of the Eternals with less screen time had more interesting stories compared to the ones hogging the limelight.

Ironically, the Eternals who received less screen time like Makkari (left) and Druig (right) were more interesting compared to those at the forefront. (Marvel pic)

Take the cynical, mind-controlling Druig for example, who’s ordered not to interfere with human conflict, no matter how bad the atrocity. Watching the pain of his moral quandary in being unable to stop needless suffering, is nothing short of awful.

The same goes for tech whiz Phastos, who while responsible for introducing technological innovation to early humans, ends up consumed by guilt when that same technology is used by their descendants to destroy others.

Of particular poignancy in the film is when Phastos surveys the nuclear wasteland which used to be Hiroshima, tearful and regretful of having ever helped humanity rise from the dirt.

Despite its flaws, Eternals asks interesting questions about the character of humanity and the morality of powerful beings choosing not to interfere directly in human affairs.

After all, isn’t learning from one’s mistakes part of the human experience?

Veteran stars like Don Lee and Angelina Jolie were also not given enough material or screen time to make their presence felt. (Marvel pic)

These are deep themes and good questions that the film stays neutral about, and for good reason, but it is a shame that it does not expand on them more throughout the runtime.

One annoying facet of the film however, is how some of the bigger stars aren’t given much to do, other than just be physically present. Angelina Jolie’s character, Thena and Don Lee’s Gilgamesh are two examples.

The fact that the side characters are more interesting than the protagonist is not a great sign, despite Chan’s best attempts.

All in all, Eternals is still a jumble of ideas, but a beautiful one. It is akin to a chocolate cake squashed onto a plate, a delicious mess.

Eternals is currently playing in cinemas nationwide.

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‘Eternals’: Marvel’s first misstep, or a beautiful mess?

In what’s considered a first in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Eternals has received poor reviews from critics, and for good reason.