Initial Eternals Critical Reactions Offer Mostly the Highest of Praise

By Luke Y. Thompson

With its massive ensemble cast of characters mostly new to the general public, art-house director eschewing special effects where she could, and story seemingly unrelated to the Avengers adventures, Eternals seemed like a bigger-than-usual risk for Marvel Studios. Judging by the Eternals critical reactions coming out of the junket press and trades at the premiere Monday night, however, it paid off. Save a mini-controversy involving Variety spoiling certain details — which we will not reveal here — director Chloe Zhao and the cast remain critical darlings.

Tessa Smith at MamasGeeky.com summed up the general response in her praise:

The Wrap’s Drew Taylor expanded a bit on that thought:

As did Fandango’s Erik Davis:

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Scott Menzel of We Live Entertainment offered a most surprising comparison. But one meant as a compliment:

And THR‘s Brian Davids notes that the director’s voice remains strong:

RELATED: New Eternals TV Spot Highlights the Action Scenes

Not everyone gushed quite as much, but the reservations generally came across as minor. Jenna Busch, who used to co-host a show with Stan Lee, found it a bit too much:

Perri Nemiroff also felt it too dense, but still liked it:

And Scott Mendelson at Forbes leaned just barely positive, suggesting Marvel is coasting on their laurels:

RELATED: Salma Hayek Explains Ajak’s Purpose in Eternals

No major reactions found by Superhero Hype came off as anything less than leaning positive. But perhaps the funniest reaction was the BBC taking an affectionate swipe at the film’s production design:

Reportedly, the embargo on full reviews will lift on Sunday, with non-junket press actually seeing the film Monday. So while not everyone weighed in yet, this feels like a great start.

What do you expect from Eternals? Let us know in comments!

Recommended Reading: The Eternals by Jack Kirby Vol. 1

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Luke Y. Thompson
Luke Y. Thompson

Luke Y. Thompson has been a professional film critic since 1999, and part of the toy blogging community since the aughts. He was the first blogger to cover Comic-Con panel by panel for a major trade publication, and has several LA Press Club awards and honorable mentions, including one for reviewing fast food.

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