Review Detail

Simply incredible. The Eternals is a movie I saw twice in the theaters, and I wanted to love it so bad. But there were always a few things that took me out. Mainly, the pacing. It's more noticeable on each re-watch, and a few other things really damage my enjoyment of the original cut. But almost all of those issues are remedied here!

This is the version of Eternals I didn't know I wanted. I love the new opening sequence that doesn't give the Eternals a false mission. It sets up Arishem as an imposing and possibly malicious force from the start. The new structure of scenes, and chosen deleted scenes, add so much to the development of the characters, I found myself caring so much more by the final act.

The creative decision to focus on the religious angle is brilliant and really gives the film a much needed tonal focus. This now feels like a truly different kind of Marvel movie, while still playing into the lore of the MCU.

The only things that I docked points for were a few audio transitions that were a bit jarring, and some deleted scenes where the audio mix is not as clear as the rest of the movie. Very miniscule problems that didn't take me out at all!

On a personal note, I really like the deleted scene of Dane Whitman and Sprite and would love to see that incorporated here. I understand why it wasn't included, but I appreciate the extra screen time for those characters.