As someone who has seen Eternals, I would say it certainly isn’t the worst of the MCU films. I do have some criticism, which I shan’t dive into because spoilers sweetie! All I will say is that there were many sub-plot lines and times in the film where the pacing was too slow. I’ll talk about the positives though.
Aside from a few scant references to Thanos, there were no other references to the rest of the MCU.
It had engaging dilemmas at the core of the film, characters I want to learn more about (although the film robbed the audience of the chance to watch their journeys continue, thanks Marvel) and a few laugh out loud moments. As a Marvel film, it certainly wasn’t the best but I would re-watch it. At the end of the day, it feels a lot more different than any other Marvel film I’ve seen, perhaps that is why it has fallen so far in the rankings.
Why has it been ranked so low? I reckon it is mostly due to the fact that the Eternals is a Marvel film in name only. Aside from a few scant references to Thanos, there were no other references to the rest of the MCU. From a storytelling point, this makes sense, as the Eternals is across a wide timespan (when most of the MCU is within the 20th and 21st centuries). Equally, by not mentioning other MCU films, this helps the Eternals establish their own sphere of influence not exactly linked to the Avengers-centric world. Without spoiling too much, the post-credit scenes help build on the canon being established through the Eternals instead of acting as teasers for upcoming MCU content like the Hawkeye series or Spiderman: No Way Home. It can also be marked down for more technical aspects of the film, but for Marvel fans, ties to the rest of the MCU are important.
Does it deserve the hate? It does have flaws for sure, but I wouldn’t say it’s the worst MCU film. That dubious title I would award to the Guardians of the Galaxy series, but that’s a debate for another day…
