Marvel’s Eternals came out in 2021. Non-Marvel fans may remember it as the movie that Kamail Nanjiani got super buff for. It was a part of the MCU’s Phase 4, which kicked off with Black Widow and continued with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. Marvel was really feeling itself during this time period because all four of these movies and five television series were released in 2021, with three more movies and three more series coming out in 2022. It was the beginning of Marvel Fatigue.
In addition to Nanjiani, Eternals had a huge cast full of well-known actors like Angelina Jolie, Gemma Chan, and Kit Harington. The only Eternals tie-in we’ve gotten in the 11 movies that have followed it was a plot point in Captain America: Brave New World, with no Eternals appearances. The movie has been basically abandoned, which is interesting because according to Kumail, there were big plans for the Eternals characters, but in the aftermath of its poor reception, everything got scrapped. He signed on for six movies and was really excited about entering his Marvel Era. When none of it came to fruition, he was left “shattered.”
It took until this year for Captain America: Brave New World to finally address the half-risen Celestial in the room, but that’s honestly the closest the MCU has come to acknowledging the events of Eternals. It’s hardly a surprise, really. In the post-Avengers: Endgame era, the movie was the first major misfire from Marvel Studios that, according to one of its stars, had a whole blueprint mapped out that never came to fruition.
During an appearance on the Working It Out podcast, Nanjiani revealed just how much he’d committed to before the film’s release, and the shock he experienced when it didn’t receive the warm welcome like the other MCU movies that predated it. “It came out, it got really bad reviews, and it didn’t do that well. It shattered me too much,” the actor who played Kingo confessed. “That was when I was like, ‘Oh, I need to go to therapy to figure this out.'”
The film earned one of the worst scores on Rotten Tomatoes at 47%, etching ahead of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania which sits at the bottom of the pile. For Nanjiani, it wasn’t what he expected at all. “I was like, ‘This is going to be my job for the next ten years.’ I signed on for six movies. I signed on for a video game. I signed on for a theme park ride. They make you sign on for all this stuff. You’re like, ‘Okay, so I’ll be doing Marvel movies every year, and in between, I’ll do my own little things. Whatever I want to do.'”
Kumail has been pretty open about how devastated he was after Eternals failed to go anywhere. I think he’s a real-life super hero for putting it out there that he was so disappointed about the professional failure that he went into therapy. I’ve always appreciated his honesty and felt badly about how he got a raw deal. Up until that point, every Marvel movie had led to multiple opportunities to reappear in different ways within the franchise. It’s not his fault, though. Eternals was fine, but it was also too long with a lot of plot holes and too many storylines. I think the MCU burned bright and fast, and execs realized that they needed to cut costs, so eliminating a cast of people who automatically commanded a higher pay was probably a no-brainer for them.
Also, I recently rewatched Shang-Chi and it was just as much fun as I remembered. Simu Liu is a delight. While there are supposedly still plans for a second movie, nothing is concrete right now. Marvel really did do a huge disservice to the new characters it was trying to bring into the fold.
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- Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani on the red carpet for the ‘Eternals’ UK Gala Screening at BFI IMAX Waterloo in London, United Kingdom.,Image: 640321780, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: To licence this image, email info@sidetrack.london for more information., Model Release: no, Credit line: Cat Morley/Avalon
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- Kumail Nanjiani and Chloé Zhao on the red carpet for the ‘Eternals’ UK Gala Screening at BFI IMAX Waterloo in London, United Kingdom.,Image: 640329563, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: To licence this image, email info@sidetrack.london for more information., Model Release: no, Credit line: Cat Morley/Avalon
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- London, UNITED KINGDOM – Celebrities hit the red carpet at the “Eternals” UK gala screening hosted at BFI Imax Waterloo, Charlie Chaplin Walk, in London. Pictured: Barry Keoghan and Kumail Nanjiani BACKGRID USA 27 OCTOBER 2021 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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So I have never seen it so can’t comment on the quality, but the reason I have never seen it (because it does look interesting to me) is that the run time is just too long. This is a common complaint I have about movies in general these days and Marvel movies in particular. I loved Shang Chi and Black Panther but those movies are about as long as I can take for Marvel movies.
We did see BP2 in the theater but I’ll be honest, I didn’t realize how long that was until we were in it and then it was too late lol. I kept thinking, is this over yet? and its runtime is the reason we’ve never rewatched it, even though we watch Shang Chi and Black Panther relatively frequently (I don’t like most of the Marvel movies in general, but I love Shang Chi and BP.)
So for a movie that is introducing new characters and a new storyline (I think?) and is already a bit different from the other Marvel movies (at least it seemed that way in previews) – being that long was a mistake I think. Cutting off 20-30 minutes would have made a big difference I think.
All that to say I feel bad for someone like Nanjiani who was counting on that contract to cover his career for years, because I don’t think it was anything any of the cast did.
and maybe the movie itself sucked! I don’t know. But I stand by my old-lady theory that these Marvel movies are just too damn long.
Yeah I’m the same with run times and won’t see long ones in a theater but I have a work around. Plane rides. So I have seen this one. I don’t remember the run time but that’s bc I wanted it to last the length of the plane ride. I don’t remember it being bad at all. Barry Keoghan was actually pretty charismatic in it but there were a lot of characters. It just made me feel like this is a movie for adults if that makes sense and I’d guess the more successful marvel films are ones that kids can also get into.
These days it’s rare that I watch any movie and don’t think they could easily have cut 20-30 minutes. They are almost all too long.
Movies that are too long (plus the 30min worth of ad and trailers) and the absolutely feral behavior you now see at the theater I just wait until things hit streaming since theater going had become a miserable experience.
The run time was actually too short for what they needed to do and too long for a regular movie. They basically tried to introduce the avengers AND guardians of the galaxy in one movie plus thousands of years of their history and these are relatively unknown characters to non comic fans. It needed to be a tv series. They should’ve swapped with Falcon and the Winter Soldier which should’ve been a movie.
Nanjiani, Jolie, Barry Keogan (who they caught on his rise up like Pugh), the actress who played Makkari and Gemma Chan all could’ve been used easily later on if they’d been successful.
Nanjiani was especially fun and you could tell how invested and excited he was.
I enjoyed it and I agree with your critique, they really needed to tighten it up. There’s no reason not to take the characters and go further with them as long as they remember it’s story first, IP second. People want to see good films, make a good film and we’ll turn up to watch it.
I’m also waiting for the next Shang-Chi as I really enjoyed it and have re-watched it more than I have Eternals.
Same. Plus they never should’ve had it take place in a separate timeline than the others.
Right off the bat it limits the crossover appeal!
Love Kumail but Eternals got a big thumbs down from me. With Greek myth names for some of the cast I was like, are they Greek Gods??? Too many plot holes too.
I also think when you have so many super hero movies out there, people get worn out. Had this been released earlier before Marvel and DC movies, maybe the outcome could have been different. I think, not sure, but Guardians of the Galaxy fell into same pothole.
Guardians of the Galaxy was saved by the music.
Eternals was beautifully made but man was that a meandering mess. A non cohesive, rambling plot and I remember pausing it at about the 40 minute mark and realizing it had MORE than two hours of runtime left! For me it just wasn’t fun to watch and I felt like I was wasting my time so I turned it off. I do feel bad for Kamail and the rest of the cast though, they tried the best they could and that must be super disappointing with how successful the other phases of Marvel were.
It was so boring, so long and so nonsensical.
I don’t know anything about the production process, but to me it seemed like it was a messy, cobbled together movie, with rewrites and reshoots galore.
The characters were so boring and flat. Kumail and Barry injected some personality and charisma into their characters. Everyone else was flat and boring. I was so excited to see Gemma Chan in the film and I was so disappointed by her performance. A cardboard cut-out come to life, barely.
I honestly don’t understand why they even made the film?
Like it or not, comic book movies thrive on charisma, humor, and pacing.
I love him. He always seems so funny and kind. The Big Sick was an incredible film. I also love his honesty. People don’t talk enough about the psychological effects of professional setbacks. Also, I saw Eternals when it came out. It was ok! By that point, though, I was just tired of Marvel (and I still am).
The Lovebirds is also a fun date night movie. Kumail has excellent comedy chops.
I am a big Marvel fan, but Eternal really was an overripe pile of goo. I never got a feel for any of the characters, and they were all utterly charisma free — which is a necessary ingredient in the Marvel formula.
Good news? I think any Marvel fan would welcome Kumail into the Marvel universe in ANY capacity. I really wish he were more of the focus in the Eternals movie itself.
I love The Big Sick. I watched it twice. I feel badly for him too as it wasn’t his fault the movie didn’t succeed. I wish the best for him.
I remember enjoying the eternals but not a thing about what it was about. I do remember that it had the first “sex scene” in a marvel movie, and it was very very tame
That movie was one of my absolute favorite MCU movies. It’s interesting that people forget that the film was released during the pandemic. It was released between two COVID variants when most movie theaters were still closed and a lot of people were nervous about going to the theaters and despite that it stilled out performed other films (Dune) and finished in the top 10 that year. It was also released during a power struggle within Marvel where two Disney shareholders were uncomfortable with seeing people of color and women being seen in more prominent roles in MCU films. Their goal was to replace Iger, who had championed diversity in these films, and make sure that these films focused mainly on white males with people of color and women playing supporting roles. The fact that the white male (the Superman figure in the Eternals film) turned out to be the villain and was defeated by two women and a gay man well that didn’t sit right with a lot of people who were used to seeing a white male be the hero. It’s my belief that the focus on hiring more diverse casts and telling stories that were not white male centered is the real reason why Victoria Alonso was let go.. I don’t pay attention to “critics” because unlike how it was years ago, anyone with a computer can be considered a film critic so I don’t pay attention to film scores from anonymous critics. This film also came out at a time that films started being politicized (go woke, go broke). There will not be a Blade film and the whole Kang storyline was abandoned to appease people. After all, another actor could play Kang if Disney no longer wanted to work with Jonathan Majors, Why abandon a whole storyline, I like to refer to the recent problems that the MCU has been having as the The Curse of the Eternals. In trying to appease some they have alienated many more.
I disagree about Dune HBO wanted a limited engagement and streaming at the same time. Which Denis Villeneuve was not happy about. They greenlit the sequel the Tuesday after the release. Based on the streaming views were through the roof. Eternals may have made more money in the theatre. But Dune proved itself with having an abundant audience.
I think Disney dropped the ball it should have used a similar marketing plan. Like they did with Hamilton. Just bring it to the people and let us fall in love with these characters.
I do hope MCU has not completely abandoned it. I still think it would have made a better series. Let us non-comic book fans get to know these characters. Over seasons not 2 hours.
I do feel bad for Kumail. I really think he thought this would be his “Captain America” and bring his family financial security for generations level money. If it had been a hit.
I liked it too
I went to see this movie when Covid was still around but less restrictions. The movie was long and they could cut the “sex scene” and a few lingering scenes to shorten the movie a bit.
The movie is beautiful as it was mostly shot in locations.
Lastly, I wish they would have just focused a couple characters at a time so their story can be told. Too many characters are way too confusing to a lot of non MCU fans.
Eternals was a complete bore to me. The acting was subpar from all the actors. All Marvel has to do is write a good script and hire actors who are least halfway believable as the characters. I found myself actually laughing at some of the characters performances.
I can hardly remember the movie but I know I disliked the main characters because their modernity made them feel avarage and forgettable.
And all these shared universe films have a serious weak point: if these heroes are so powerful, where were they when the whole universe was in danger? They always give an explanation for it (in this case they only fight this specific foe), but it’s always so bad that it feels like a plot hole. Yeah we could defeat Trump and MAGA but we’ve sworn to only fight Marjorie Taylor Green. Get out of here.
So too bad for Nanjiani, who is a good actor and seems a decent bloke, but I can’t say I’m sad with The Eternals ending there and then.
My kids are Tweens right now and we’ve been watching the MCU (in release order) over the past few years. This movie was so long we broke it into 3 nights of watching! I just asked them what their thoughts were and both were like “it was ok, but too long so I can’t remember most of it”
The whole problem with Marvel is that you have to watch everything before it now to know what is happening. And because they are trying to tie things together you need to know these super specific details that get mentioned in passing. I just want a dumb superhero movie without 100 pages of footnotes.
Ya I agree. It was cool at first, but now between the movies and the shows, it’s too much to keep up with, so I’ve just dropped it.
So what happens if you sign a contract to do more things (movies, video games, etc), and the studio doesn’t follow through? Seems we hear more stories about actors breaking contracts. Is this the same/similar situation where the studio is breaking the contract? I hope he (and others) got compensated for something from the studio- for like, clearing their schedules for future, turning down other work, and things like that.
In the early stages of Marvel, with then unknown actors, like Hiddleston and Hemsworth, it was reported that they signed 6 movie deals, which just meant that if Marvel wanted them for up to 6 projects, they had to leave their schedules reasonably open and come when summoned and were not even paid more even if they became stars between these films. Marvel was not obligated to give them 6 films, tho. It was a very one-sided deal.
Yeah this is what his contract likely was. The only way he would have gotten paid something is if they actually greenlit an Eternals 2 (for example), had him hold the dates, and then cancelled the project. Then he would likely have to be compensated because that was time he could have been working on something else. No project though? No money.
I think this is coming up now as the big next chance for the Eternals to appear would be in the next Avengers movies. It’s a stark contrast that the Thunderbolts and Fantastic 4 actors will immediately be in two more movies after their appearances, Shang Chi is reappearing after several years….and the Eternals are clearly not part of the equation. I can see how that would sting.
I watched it on Disney+ I didn’t think it was awful. But i think it would have made a better series. They had too many new characters to flesh out. It just felt all very muddled. It was an interesting concept. Just executed very poorly.
Also, it felt like a lot of the early marketing had Angelina Jolie front and center. I thought she was the main star. It was a bit of a rug pull to find out. She only wanted a cameo in the movie originally. That they expanded her role a bit. But felt deceptive to how much she was really in it vs. marketing.
I just personally have MCU fatigue, and hearing now Dr. Doom is filming without a finished script. Does not give me hope. On top of hearing the new gossip that two actors were fighting on set. That they are now re-writing parts of the script to keep them separate. Love to know who.
But I am so jazzed about what James Gunn is doing with the DCU. They have won me over as a new fan.
My recollection of this film is that it was kind of boring … with stretches focused on the characters I found least interesting at the expense of characters I was more interested in following. So I wasn’t very bothered by it not building momentum, getting followed up on.
Also IIRC it came out at a time when Marvel’s MCU screenwriting was shaky … storytelling, scripts that didn’t seem well thought out, characters who weren’t consistently written. The best Marvel output at that time were the series.
Shang Chi was an exception to this, and I’ve happily rewatched that several times.
Eternals was too long, had too many new “main” characters (and unlike X-Men or Fantastic Four, no one knows who these characters are), and it was not funny. Marvel is SO good at making these movies have the right balance of humor and IMO that was the kiss of death for this one.
Another point you made about length, Fantastic Four is short by Marvel standards, as is The Marvels, a fun film misogynists totally sabotaged by giving it horrible reviews without even seeing it.
I feel bad for him but Eternals was boring and there was that whole plot point about major historical events and nope from me.
I liked Eternals when I saw it but really appreciate it now after having seen the rest of the movies that came out during this phase. I may be a bit of a contrarian but I didn’t love Shang Chi. I thought it started fine but devolved into a third-act CGI mess. I actually preferred the showdown at the end of the Eternals because it was beautifully shot along the shoreline, the action was quick and concise, and all the remaining Eternals had a nice moment to shine.
IMO Kumal was the worst thing about “The Eternals” followed closely by Salma Hayek.
Angelina was pure joy however and her character should have been better developed.