As long as logic and emotion have been around there has been a battle between the two. We spend time thinking about how to react to situations in a logical way, but then we also consider our emotional connections and that causes the logical solutions to be even harder to implement or accomplish whatever logical goals we set forth. But then take this scenario and blow it up to a cosmic level and we find the stakes of this struggle are blown up exponentially.
The biggest thing that resonates through Eternals is the struggle between the logic of one decision versus the emotional stakes of that same decision. Do we eliminate a single planet to create billions of others even if that one planet is something we have come to cherish. Essentially it is the trolly problem blown up to the highest degree.
If you haven’t heard of it before, the trolley problem is a classic moral dilemma. On one set of train tracks are five random people, there is a train coming towards them, you have the power to save these people but to do so you have to divert the train to a set of tracks with one person you care deeply for on them. The debate becomes one of emotional connection versus logical decision. Do you cause the death of one person even though you have a deep emotional connection to them because it is the logical thing to do, or do you do nothing to save that person and in doing so, doom five to die?
This Is the debate at the heart of Eternals, but it is blown up to cosmic proportions. They have to choose between a single world, which in the cosmic scale is insignificant to all but them, or stop the birth of a cosmic being, and prevent the potential billions of future worlds that the Celestial would eventually create.
From a logical standpoint there is no question as to the choice, let the single world fall and allow the future worlds to flourish. But what complicates this is that the Eternals have spent 7,000 years on Earth and have grown deeply attached to its population. So, their hearts are within the journey as well as their minds. And that emotional connection is what causes them to hesitate about doing the task they have been given.
And as an audience we can see both sides of this dilemma. Ultimately the way we perceive this question depends on which part of us we let control how we make decisions. Do we lead with the head, and cut out the way we feel about the situation? Or do we lead with the heart and approach a situation through feeling ignoring what may be more logical of the outcomes? There may not be a right answer, or even a consistent answer, but we have to consider the possibilities and how we feel about them for every dilemma.
Just a quick refresher of my MCU ranking criteria.
Cast and Performances
Story and Plot
Best Fight/Action Scene
Rewatchability
Cleverest Easter Egg
Each film will be judged solely by me and then placed against all the other films. And rated on a scale of 10 with a total possible score of 50.
So, here is the quick breakdown of Eternals:
Cast and Performances: The cast in this movie is easily the best part of it. Gemma Chan and Richard Madden are stellar as leads Sersi and Ikaris respectively. And a number of the supporting characters have memorable moments. The major issue is that the scope of the movie is just too big to allow for proper development so many of the characters feel hollow in spite of the brilliant cast. (7/10)
Story and Plot: While the plot goes big, it doesn’t work on every level. Between massive amounts of expositive flashbacks and awkward pacing, the movie just struggles to get the audience invested in the story. Doing less would have likely been more helpful for the overly complex and far too complicated story. (4/10)
Best Fight/Action Scene: The mid movie fight with the Deviants shows all of the Eternals’ abilities in a great way and allows them to all get a moment in the spotlight. It has an explosive ending that is one of the most memorable moments in the whole film. While it is a bit CG heavy and the focus splits a few too many times, the scene is still exciting and fun to watch. (8/10)
Rewatchability: There aren’t a whole lot of reasons to rewatch this one, no major spectacles are cool but not on the same level as many other Marvel movies and while there are moments, it’s not a movie that I’m looking to revisit in the near future. (3/10)
Best Easter Egg: They dropped a Superman AND Batman reference in this. That alone deserves some sort of award for ballsiest reference. To actively reference the biggest characters in a competing superhero universe is such a fantastic way for us as fans of both to imagine the future where the two come together. (8/10)
Total Score: 30/50
Current Ranking:
The Avengers
Avengers: Endgame
Black Panther
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Black Widow
Spider-man: Homecoming
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Avengers: infinity War
Guardians of the Galaxy
Captain America: The First Avenger
Iron Man
Captain Marvel
Thor: Ragnarok
Spider-man: Far From Home
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Captain America: Civil War
Ant-Man
Thor
Iron Man 3
Eternals
The Incredible Hulk
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Doctor Strange
Thor: The Dark World
Iron Man 2
Sorry this one took me so long to see and review. I promise the next one will be coming as early as possible. And you better believe I’m looking forward to the webslinger coming back to the big screen in epic fashion. But for now, this is all we’ve got.
So thanks for taking the time to get Ploominated!
Ploominate 