Eternals is one of the most ambitious MCU movies yet, but it’s unfortunately fairly messy.

Impressive visuals and a talented cast don’t save the convoluted plot. This story is so huge, spanning thousands, that it felt like 2/3 of the movie was exposition. It never truly came together for me. There was too little action, and the stakes never feel tangible.

I wanted to like Eternals much more than I did. Chloe Zhao is much more interested in humanity and human connection, which is why she’s such a talented filmmaker, but those tendencies feel incompatible with this genre.

There’s still a lot to like, but the massive story felt at odds with the intimate character development, leaving me without anything to truly invest in.

This isn’t a total loss, but it’s ultimately one of the weaker MCU films.

And as a side note: Eternals feels so disconnected from the Marvel Universe that it kind of makes no sense. There’s almost as many references to Batman and Superman (!!) as there are to the MCU.

Check out my full review over at Next Best Picture!