Is Eternals really the worst of the Marvel movies?

Marvel Studio’s Eternals is the lowest ranked movie according to Rotten Tomatoes. How did this happen, and is this an accurate assessment of the film?

Film critics can affect movies in ways they can’t always foresee. By telling their audience whether a movie is good or not, that will likely affect box office ticket sales. Yet it will also affect the careers of an actor, a director, a screenwriter, or a producer, especially if such criticism is too harsh or too flattering. The major studios in Hollywood, which are in the business to make sure their movies make them money, are very much aware of this. And Disney and Marvel Studios were very much aware of this when it came to their latest cinematic entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Eternals.

Thus I imagine more than a few of them, including executive producer Kevin Feige, were shocked that critics panned Eternals. Standing at 48% on the Tomatometer, the 26th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t just the lowest ranked Marvel Studios movie, it’s the only one to receive a “Rotten” score.

Is Eternals the worst Marvel movie?

I’ve come across quite a few weak arguments over the weekend to explain how this could’ve happened. The Daily Beast sees this a sign that audiences are becoming indifferent to superhero movies, an opinion which seems to crop up in the press every single time a superhero movie doesn’t get rave reviews. Variety’s “The Take”, which gave glowing praise to Eternals, accused critics of not liking the movie because it’s an action film directed by a woman. Never mind that Chloé Zhao’s previous body of work has been overwhelmingly praised by these same critics; or that these same critics routinely praise female-directed action movies, including Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman (which scored a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes) or any movie made by Kathryn Bigelow. According to one writer at Forbes, critics didn’t like the movie because it was “too much of a Marvel movie” that didn’t meet their expectations. Except the following is the “critics consensus” for Eternals on Rotten Tomatoes:

"An ambitious superhero epic that soars as often as it strains, Eternals takes the MCU in intriguing — and occasionally confounding — new directions."

Keep in mind that this was written before the movie’s theatrical release and right as the review embargo lifted. It was also written before the Rotten Tomatoes score dropped below 50%. If anything, it seems the critics praised Eternals for being “ambitious” and “intriguing” compared to typical Marvel movies despite still missing wide of the mark.

And, of course, there’s the old canard that if the audience loved it, the critics must be wrong. After all, the audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is at 84%. Also, despite having a low box office performance compared to previous Marvel movies, it still made $71 million dollars in the US and $161 million worldwide despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the movie being banned in China and parts of the Middle East.

However, none of this doesn’t take into consideration that some movie goers like superhero movies – and Marvel movies in particular – regardless of what the critics say. Nor does it consider that some  “audience reviews” might be fake accounts, that some went to Eternals without reading any reviews, or that those who did were curious to see just how bad it was. In any case, that people went to see this movie – and that it had the fourth highest opening of the year – contradicts the assertion that audiences are becoming “indifferent” to superhero movies.

In short, it seems as though Marvel Studios deliberately set out to create “Oscar Bait, the Superhero Movie.” They wanted Eternals to be seen as something more than just a superhero flick, something that would appeal directly to the critics and the Academy of Motion Pictures… The result is that not only did the majority of film critics not like Eternals because they didn’t think it was all that great of a film despite it’s excellent visuals and casting choices, they felt patronized.

Yet in all this defense of Eternals, none seem to take into consideration that, perhaps, the critics are correct – that the movie, for all it’s epic scope and grandeur, is extremely slow and fragmented, with too many underdeveloped characters and themes, and that for all it’s action and special effects, it’s just very, very boring. At least in this humble writer’s opinion.

There’s also another possible reason for why critics panned Eternals, as well. A friend of mine, who is a film critic by profession and huge comic book fan besides, made an intriguing point in their review. They suggested that Eternals failed because was made for the critics and not the fans. And this made me think of the highest ranked Marvel Studios movie on Rotten Tomatoes, Black Panther. 

In contrast to Eternals, 2018’s Black Panther was overwhelmingly praised by critics and audiences, citing it as a cultural milestone and one of the most important superhero movies ever made. No surprise that Disney made an aggressive Oscar campaign for the movie, which included an unsuccessful attempt to create a “popular film” category. Their efforts resulted in the movie being nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, making it the only superhero movie ever to receive such a nomination. And even though Black Panther still won for “Best Costume Design,” “Best Score,” and “Best Production Design,” it still didn’t win that coveted “Best Picture.” Nor was it even considered for “Best Director,” “Best Screenplay,” “Best Cinematography,” or any of the Actor awards.

Compare this to how Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige went about in producing and promoting Eternals. They hired Chloe Zhao who, even before her Oscar Winning Nomadland, was already a critically acclaimed filmmaker, who expressed interest in making an MCU movie. They sought for a diverse cast of accomplished actors and actresses, including Angelina Jolie, Selma Hayek, Kumali Nanjiani, Don Lee, and Richard Madden – all of whom had received previous awards and accolades. Fiege talked about how “switching up the genders, sexualities and ethnicities of the characters from the comics” was on “the top of the list” for The Eternals,  and also raved about Zhao’s directorial style, her use of practical locations and minimal computer-generated effects. Zhao herself cited award-winning filmmaker Terrance Malik being as much of influence as the original Jack Kirby comics.

Yet in all this promotion for Eternals, there was little talk about the actual story of the movie. If they did, it was only about what effect it would have on the future of the MCU. Likewise, while highlighting the diversity of the characters, there was little discussion about who the individual Eternals were as characters beyond their representation. All we really knew was about them was that they were a group of immortals who lived on Earth for thousands of years, who never interfered with human history – except for all those times that they did, of course.

In short, it seems as though Marvel Studios deliberately set out to create “Oscar Bait, the Superhero Movie.” They wanted Eternals to be seen as something more than just a superhero flick, something that would appeal directly to the critics and the Academy of Motion Pictures. And is it any wonder that, after all the COVID-19 pandemic delays, that they scheduled Eternals for a November theatrical release, the same time many Hollywood studios also release movies they believe will be award contenders?

The result is that not only did the majority of film critics not like Eternals because they didn’t think it was all that great of a film despite its excellent visuals and casting choices, they felt patronized. And critics, just like everyone else, don’t appreciate being patronized, much less believe that they’re being used or taken for granted.

What’s ironic in that in their attempt in making Eternals a critical darling, audiences seem to like it more according to Rotten Tomatoes’ audience score. I’ve also talked to those who, despite acknowledging the film’s flaws, still thought Eternals was a good movie. There are also critics who, despite not liking Eternals, still praise the film for attempting something new. Cinema, like all forms of art, is subjective, even for those who know and study it more than the average movie goer. It’s all a matter of opinion. I just happen to believe that the consensus of opinion among the critics happens to be the correct one.

Do you agree or disagree with the Rotten Tomatoes critics score? Do you think Eternals is a good movie? Where would you rank it among the other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.