Movie Review: Eternals

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C+

An enjoyable superhero film, but below par for a Marvel movie. 

As a huge fan of Chloe Zhao's previous films and knowing how much she loves the MCU, I couldn't help but get excited for this movie. So I came in with high expectations. I soon learned that this movie would not meet those exceptions. However once I began to accept this, I enjoyed the film for what it was. This may neither be Zhao's or the MCU's finest moment, but it is still a fun movie. One of the best things about this film is the main character Sersi (Gemma Chan). She is instantly likable and easy to relate to and therefore the perfect eternal to have the film focus on. It is her that gives the movie its emotional center and she fulfils that role very well. Like many Marvel movies this film also benefits from a great sense of humor. Almost all of the jokes worked and quite a few got good sized laughs from the audience in the theater. While other Marvel films have tried to explore the deeper themes beneath the superhero story, this movie probably does this aspect the best out of any of them. Discussions about freewill and how much is ethical if it is for what may be considered the greater good are quite intelligent and thought provoking. This movie also runs through its over two and half hour runtime surprisingly quickly and never really drags. 

Unfortunately there are multiple faults that keep this from being the great movie I was hoping for. One of them is that this movie tries to introduce an entire superhero team of ten characters. Even with the long runtime there is simply not enough time to give these characters the development they deserve. Even though Sersi and a couple others get some development, the majority of the characters don't and come off as too one note. Another problem is despite the whole earth being in danger, I never once felt the danger or suspense of the situation (perhaps partly due to the lack of an interesting villain). As strange as it might be to say, the final action scene is actually pretty underwhelming and not that exciting. 

So all in all this is a fun movie but don't except anything to stand on par with either the director's previous films or the best of the MCU. 

Movie Review: Nomadland

 

Note: I saw this film in a theater and it is so good to be back.

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

An incredibly moving and powerful experience.

With very few movies under her belt (including the must see The Rider (2017)), Chole Zhao has proven herself to be a director to look out for  and this film only furthers the reputation she has built up with movie lovers like us. She handles this movie perfectly. This movie perfectly transitions for joyful fun scenes to moments of pure loneliness and isolation. One moment our main character will be joking around and having fun and the next she will seem completely lost and aimless. The way this works so well is that even the happiest scenes of this film have a tinge of sadness behind them, as we can feel a sense of longing for something that is absent for her life. Yet this film has enough humor and fun at points to keep it from becoming depressing or hard to watch. Because of this we can truly say we enjoyed this movie as well as were moved by it and that is a sign of real art. Of course praise must also be given to Frances McDormand's incredible performance. No word can describe this performance better than real. The humanity and honesty behind her acting make every emotion incredibly powerful. 

This film also benefits from a great soundtrack, that will delight many other country fans like me. I adored hearing such country greats as Lorretta Lynn, Kitty Wells, Lynn Anderson and Sons of the Pioneers (as well as some characters singing their own version of Willie Nelson's On the Road Again). The movie also has some beautiful scenery and cinematography (by Joshua James Richards).

This is simply a must see movie.