When I first decided I was going to write about the MCU Post Endgame, there were two movies in particular I really wanted to touch on. Eternals directed by Chloé Zhao was always one of them. While I’ve always been a bit partial to a slower film, I felt that a lot of Marvel fans and the company itself did this film a disservice. It is at times a bit dry and not everything works, but there is so much to love about this film. I don’t even think it’s the best of the era, but in a time when people want character and style-driven films by unique directors, I think this one is due for an appreciation when revisited by the consensus.

As one of the more loaded and vast casts in the MCU may indicate, this is a sprawling and complex film. It spans generations of time, galaxies of importance and many different characters with unique skills and dilemmas. This includes what is likely the biggest sticking point for those who don’t like the film, which is the lengthy run time. At 156 minutes, it’s easy to feel the time drag if this film's tone and pace don’t suit what you’re looking for in a superhero film. However, I found myself patient and appreciative of the level of detail in developing each eternal as an individual character and the way that the time skips in the film allows them to breathe and show that personality in various ways.

The visuals of this film are among the cinematic universes best. The wide shots create a sense of place and the scale achieved when the characters interact with Celestials is among one of the defining images of Marvel on screen in my book. The incredible realization of how huge these beings are when you see an eternal speak is an awesome moment and each time they encounter them going forward, it feels rightfully like a cosmic being capable of unimaginable change and damage. Although the twist of this film is not life changing, I think the narrative elements of it are incredibly strong and create a real bond between the characters we’ve been introduced to. Among these, there are multiple standout characters whose stories I would have loved to see expanded.