After 4 years of putting it off, I finally sat down to watch Eternals. I didn't know what to expect, especially given its poor reception, but I ended up really enjoyed the film as a whole. There are still a few notable issues; the hubris of post-Endgame Marvel really shines through, as there is a seeming disinterest in at least trying to appeal to their target audience. The first act drags on way too long, and the flashback scenes, while great, also go on for too long. The editing team did not do a good job ordering the otherwise-compelling order of events, and this results in a slightly awkward sequence of events that ruins several climactic points in the story.
That being said, I really enjoyed what felt like a fresh take on the MCU, and the way the plot reshaped the way we view the universe in general was very cool. Yes, there are probably too many characters, but I found most of the characters and their relationships with each other to be very engaging. The CGI was also surprisingly really good for the most part, and the VFX team did a great job in general. From the very beginning, I was impressed with the spectacle of it all. I've always found superhero movies to be the most fun when we get to witness god-like beings just being really freaking cool. Add an interesting plot and compelling characters, and you've got yourself the perfect superhero movie. Eternals did well in all three departments. I especially enjoyed the morally grey component of whether or not the Eternals should defend the people of Earth or sacrifice them for the greater good. You know the writers have done well when they have the audience almost sympathizing with the other side.
Is Eternals a top 10 MCU film? Not quite. A better job could have been done connecting audiences to the characters from the beginning, and that's pretty hard to do when there's ten of them. This movie was very much a shot in the dark, and one I think Marvel was very confident in taking after Endgame and Far From Home. COVID certainly didn't help build excitement.
I admit that I was very much in this film's target audience. The combination of mythological gods, historical involvement, and intricate fight scenes is very much right down my alley. This is coming from someone who loves Zach Snyder's DC movies - yes, even Batman v. Superman, which is a flawed but still pretty interesting movie. That being said, I still think Eternals objectively did some things really well, even if it didn't do enough to connect with audiences.
What do you guys think about Eternals? Any thoughts or disagreements about the points I've made?