The release of Marvel’s Eternals this past weekend made a strong start at the box office and resonated with many fans, despite the somewhat dishonorable distinction of being the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s only “Rotten” rated movie on the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes.
Now some fans are worried the score may hurt co-writer and director Chloe Zhao’s chances at returning to helm a sequel.
As this writer can attest, the film may have been flawed but is far from the bottom of the barrel when it comes to MCU offerings.
Others on the internet apparently agree, with Reddit user barklion even taking to the Marvel Studios subreddit to expressing that he would be disappointed if the studio does choose to not bring Zhao back.
“Sure it wasn’t perfect, but damn I had a great time with this movie,” he said.
Take a look at the post below:
The post has become extremely popular on the subreddit, garnering nearly 6,000 points in just six hours, perhaps a testament that many fans agree with the sentiment.
Zhao’s unique touch and cinematography were praised by the user, who went on to say how refreshing of a change of pace the film was from the usual MCU formula.
“I don’t need every Marvel movie to take itself this seriously or be as dramatic, I certainly don’t think Chloe Zhao should direct the next Ant-Man, but what she did with this story and these characters felt appropriate. If Marvel decided not to take these kinds of risks and always stick to the cookie-cutter formula then things will begin to feel stale.”
We can’t help but be sympathetic to the user’s declaration that they “really hope we get Zhao back for an Eternals 2, even if this one had a bumpy ride, doesn’t mean it can’t get better as it continues.”
The film takes a different approach to the superhero genre than what had been on display in previous MCU films, putting less of a focus on quippy dialogue and more of a focus on existential themes, breathtaking on-location set pieces such as one scene taking place on a real-life volcanic island, and emotionally big characters. The film does have flaws, however, like its humor mostly falling flat, though not in a particularly cringey way.
Do you think Chloe Zhao should return of the next Eternals film? Leave it in the comments below.
