"Eternals" and the Unbearable Burden of Expectations

The MCU's most diverse and introspective film's critical failure says more about the critics than it does about the film itself.

Few franchises have the power and reach of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has reached such a level of cultural ubiquity--encompassing film, television, merchandise, and comic books-that it can seem impossible to escape. The release of each subsequent story is a cause for celebration and, with some notable exceptions, the various entries in the series have met with a positive reception. Some, such as the TV series WandaVision, even went on to become mini-phenomena in themselves. Of course, a great deal of the critical warmth stems from two sources: the fact that many of the entries are helmed by respected directors and the fact that, with some rare exceptions, the MCU rarely aspires to deep philosophy, offering instead the kinetic pleasures of pure escapism. 

Which brings us to Eternals, one of the latest big-budget extravaganzas from the studio. Directed by Chloe Zhao--fresh off of her Oscar win for directing the critical darling Nomadland--and starring one of the most diverse casts to have yet appeared in the MCU. Given the high profile of its director and the many strides that the film makes in terms of broadening the scope of what the MCU can accomplish, it has been distressing to see how much of a critical failure it has been. As of this writing, it currently stands at a dismal 48% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, and while the review aggregator has earned its fair share of criticism, the fact remains that this is not the sort of designation that any Marvel film should aspire to.

In some ways, this isn’t terribly surprising. We’ve seen in the past how any strides that the MCU makes in terms of representation is usually met with some form of backlash (most notably the attempts of some to review bomb Captain Marvel in 2019). What’s more, as other critics have noted, Eternals subjects its heroes to the same sort of scrutiny that is more common in the DCEU,  in which heroes must constantly contend with the fact that their heroism isn’t a given but instead must be ruthlessly interrogated. As a rule, this sort of dour introspection has been excluded from the MCU, which tends to be more light-hearted in its approach to its heroes, their identities, and their motivations. 

What’s especially galling about the criticisms of Eternals, however, is how it is all framed. Most writers discussing the film tend to address three key issues: the film’s pacing, its sprawling cast of characters, and its introspective, philosophical tone. Anyone who has seen either The Guardians of the Galaxy or the two entries that concluded Phase 3--i.e. Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame--will recognize the disingenuousness of the first two claims, and it’s hard to imagine what critics thought they were going to get when they went to see a Marvel film directed by someone whose most noteworthy film was, in fact, a deeply philosophical reflection on the current American landscape. 

Indeed, it’s hard not to think that the critics have been saving up their long-concealed opprobrium for the MCU (and superhero films in general) for the time that they knew they could get away with it. For there’s no doubt that Eternals had a lot riding on it precisely because of its boundary-breaking nature. It is the first MCU film to be helmed by an Asian American woman, the first to feature a same-sex relationship (a fact that caused the film to be banned in some nations), and the first to feature a deaf character. For those of us who occupy one of those marginalized groups, this sort of representation matters. It shows that we are just as important a part of the grand tapestry of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as our straight, white, able-bodied counterparts. 

It was, unfortunately, probably inevitable that Eternals would buckle under the enormous expectations placed on it. The juggernaut status of the MCU in general means that every film produced under its banner has a built-in cultural impact and, given the risks that the studio was taking, it was always going to be difficult for any film, let alone one that goes out of its way to be so path-breaking and critical of the very idea of epic heroism itself, to meet them. Unlike say, Guardians of the Galaxy--which also took risks in its approach to the MCU and its established mythos--Eternals eschews humor, opting instead for a somber, one might even say melancholic, approach to its material. The characters of this film might be immortal and blessed with power, but they also must face both their inner demons and the revelation that their entire mission is predicated on a purpose that almost all of them find morally abhorrent. 

Meanwhile, we as Black and queer folks see in Eternals a sign of how much more inclusive the world of fantasy and science fiction is slowly becoming. Part of the magic of Phastos is that he so effortlessly captures the fundamental humanity of queer people, most of whom just want to make a life for themselves, one in which they can love and build a future. To a greater extent than any of the other Eternals, it is the queer, Black character who has learned what it means to be human, with all of its complexities and banalities and beauties.

What’s more, it is a feat in itself to have one film with an Asian protagonist be a number one movie at the box office (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Nine Rings), let alone having two within a couple of months. Whatever else it has accomplished, its casting alone has changed how we see superheroes. Just a few years ago, an actress like Angelina Jolie would play Ajak ( the leader of The Eternals, played in the film by Salma Hayek) or even Sersei (the de facto protagonist of the film, played by Gemma Chan). However, she appears here in a supporting role and is sidelined for much of the film, a bold move that shows just willing Eternals is to challenge conventional Hollywood wisdom.

Fortunately, there is always the possibility that Eternals will go on to accumulate enough viewership on streaming to allay whatever concerns the studio heads might have about the wisdom of blessing any similar groundbreaking entries in the MCU. After all, even Captain Marvel, for all of the efforts of the toxic fanboys to torpedo its success, went on to earn over $1 billion at the box office ($1 billion being the essential benchmark that any big tentpole movie has to meet in order to be considered a bona fide box office success). Of course, Eternals is coming out at a very different moment than its predecessor, confronting the ongoing reality of a pandemic. The pandemic has changed our tastes as a collective in the similar way to how 9/11 shaped our media 20 years ago. 

Fortunately, for all its bad reviews calling it “the worst MCU film ever,” Eternals has a relatively high audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic (78% and 6.4, respectively), demonstrating that critical consensus isn’t the be-all/end-all when it comes to films in the MCU. Just as importantly, however, it is a call to action for all of us—particularly those of us who belong to a marginalized community—to continue showing our support to films like this one. Without ir, it’s unlikely that giant films like this one will see our screens again anytime soon.