Eternals is Good, Actually | A Video Essay
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- Опубликовано: 1 июн 2024
- Chloe Zhao's and Marvel Studios' latest film Eternals has been much-maligned, and this is completely undeserved. This video essay is my reading of the film as philosophically complex and thematically deep, and in it I discuss the case the film makes for humanity, through the actions of Sersi and her fellow eternals, as well as the writings and thought of figures such as the poet William Blake and the existential philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre. I also discuss the role of the deviants and the celestials as well as explore the forces behind Ikaris' antagonisms in the film. Beware - full spoilers ahead!
This sort of full-length deep dive video essay isn't the norm for my channel, so please do let me know what you thought of my take on the form.
Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
1:14 Chapter One - William Blake, Jack Kirby, and Mythopoeia
11:21 Chapter Two - Purpose, Free Will, and Jean-Paul Sartre
23:45 Chapter Three - Ikaris and Existential Anguish
30:22 Chapter Four - Defending the Deviants and the Case for Humanity
38:50 Conclusion - The Role of the Viewer
Links to resources:
Blake's Auguries of Innocence:
poets.org/poem/auguries-innoc...
Antony Keen's piece on Kirby:
www.academia.edu/7445680/New_...
Satre's Existentialism is a Humanism: www.marxists.org/reference/ar...
Seattle Refined Review:
seattlerefined.com/lifestyle/...
Eternals follows Sersi and her fellow eternals such as Ikaris, Sprite, Makkari, Kingo, Druig, and many others, as they attempt to save the earth from a deviant. And there's celestials!
#eternals #marvel #philosophy 
Развлечения
Also can we talk about Ajak? She knew the truth from the start, the guilt she's carrying from deceiving the eternals is enormously big and heavy and telling them that what they're doing was the "right" thing. Obviously she was only following her orders and as her loyalty to the celestials was strong. Also that scene in tenochtitlan where the people are fighting and Druig said "Pawns to their leaders. Blinded by loyalty." It completely mirrors their situation. You can clearly see her guilt in her face after druig said that.
It's the line "You may all go... when we meet again, I want you to tell me what you found" that really got me.... Ye know, Setting people free is the most breath-taking experience
@@cahyaferrykusuma6408 Yeah and the most tragic part is Ajak say that only to be the 1st eternals to die .
This film is definitely underrated. It took a different path than the more traditional marvel films. I thought the movie was amazing and I loved the philosophical concepts. It’s a lot more thought provoking and deeper than people probably were expecting. I think this movie would have better been received if it wasn’t a marvel movie. But even with it being a marvel movie I think it does a great job at expanding the universe and reducing the differences between “Gods” and humans.
The problem is not that it's a Marvel movie. It's that its action, plot-driven side is critically flawed, so there's nothing holding the philosophical exploration together and the whole thing drags horribly.
Everyone (pre-Eternals): God, marvel is so repetitive
So many people (post Eternals): well they got away from the formula and we hate it!
I admire the fact Zhao fully embraces it, there's none of the Whedonesque quipping and no Raimiesque camp. It takes far more courage to take it seriously, as Zhao does.
english second language: Yeah that was the main issue along with people ready to hate for diversity and the usual marvel hate that comes from anything popular. The people who asked for this type of movie wont watch it, and those that still watch marvel just think its all mindless and went in for a philosopy class and didnt get it. Im surprised the stuff in the video needed to be explained, they did a great job just also feel the narrative explicitly told you most of it and a basic class on writing people get in like 10th grade. Infact most media is written to be understood by 12 grade at highest not because its looking down on people but to be approachable you must simplify and thats when people think your thing is good. Most "classics" arent that deep. The snooty as they say critics that would get eternals' point, are striving to get deep stories and wouldnt step foot in a marvel movie because it's BENETH them...add that with the bad reviews and bad takes and yes agreed the story and plot side action etc not being what you expect from a hero's journey action film it was just destined to fail but suceed if it was a tv show. As a person who likes writing stories its hard to contend with the fact people tend to hate story beats I think are the same thing they ask for aka deep plot and so on then clap for things that they already said they hated aka same old...then hate on things that are same old when they are same old but enacting the tropes well etc. That said for all the hate on most popular action series from harry potter to avengers, they all imdb wise seem to hover around 6-8 with 8 being rare. so even the beloved films are not that loved...most films dont go to 9 or even 8.5, most acclaimed films get 7.8 or so, so it may be that people in general havent seen movies that are that transcendent and great or many people not that into film watch them and dont resonate than vote or bias for negativity as positive voters dont complain and vote. Just food for thought. @@musicman24X
I want to thank you SO much for taking the time and labour to make this essay. When I went to see Eternals with my best friend, I walked into the theatre having seen everything the MCU has ever put out and my friend went in with a small handful of movies and a couple of the tv shows as her prior experience. We walked out of the theatre absolutely buzzing with excitement-- there was so much to unpack and discuss, so many rich character moments and thematic depth, we knew we wanted to see it again to get a better sense of what we'd just seen. So the next day we went right back and did a rewatch, leaving with even more excitement and with even more themes and moments to break down, including acting choices that make so much sense on a second viewing. Discovering the critical reception made us both feel pretty damn gaslit by what we were reading-- it seemed as if critics weren't watching the same movie we were. They were finding critiques of it that failed to account for what we saw as a rich and dynamic work that can stand up to (and only benefit from) repeated viewings. For both of us, it thrives in a thematically deep way that lands it at the top of both our lists of MCU films.
There were so many beautiful choices in this movie and I am truly thankful that you gave it the critical thematic eye that it deserves. From the unrequited, long-simmering love that Sprite and Kingo have for Ikaris and how that impacts their choices, to the deep questions of faith and meaning in a world where externally generated "Glorious Purpose" has been long presumed-- I will be thinking about this film for a long time and dearly hope that Marvel continues to make content like this for people like me. I know not every MCU film can (or should!) be like Eternals, but I think the broader franchise is wise to diversify. Sometimes you want popcorn "pew! pew!" with some humour and light character moments, sometimes you want Chloe Zhao to give you 30 extra minutes in the Gupta Era so everyone can talk about their feelings and stare off into the horizon (release the Gupta Cut!). At least I REALLY, REALLY do, and as an audience member and fan I really feel seen by the choices made in this movie in a way I haven't before.
Again, thanks so much for your thoughtful and detailed essay, I really can't tell you how happy it makes me to see reflective, positive content on a film that suits me so fiercely. Deep gratitude; I know it must have been a tremendous amount of work compared to your usual shorter form content and just know that those of us that have been hungering for this are feasting thanks to you.
I’m having a bit of a bad day, but reading this comment put a smile on my face :)
I know exactly what you mean by feeling gaslit by critics (even made a video on a similar topic!) and I’m glad to hear you and your friend enjoyed the film as much as I did!
You captured my thoughts exactly. I could follow most of the themes and questions, and even understood the characters. But the reviews from critics were like pacing issues, underdeveloped characters etc..
I saw someone posted a statement that captured this more accurately. Not indie enough for critics, but too Indie for general audiences looking for pretty explosions and fast action.
@@jonoave The “pacing issues” thing really gets to me. The few who saw movies like Hell or High Water, Wind River, or Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri really seemed to enjoy them (all movies I adore), but maybe since Eternals was a huge release, center-spotlight movie, people watched it who don’t usually like those types of movies. Me personally, I love a good slow-burn, introspective, analytical movie, and Eternals is at least in my top 5 MCU movies. Maybe even top 3.
The video essay was a good introduction to Sartre's philosophy, but, it leaves out the other side of Sartre's idea of legislating for all of [super]humanity - that legislation was already given, in World War II, by Captain America, and yet, the Eternals are absent from the rest of the MCU. If they always had the great power, then weren't they always burdened with great responsibility? What kind of repentance can they do to make up for the sin of millennia of apathy? They save the world once? Captain America and Hawkeye both did that at least twice, but were declared criminals for it. Even if they didn't want to fight human wars (in which case, they would still have been responsible for millions, if not billions, of deaths), they could have, at the very least, fought Thanos. With the power of the Eternals to guard the Vision or Doctor Strange, Thanos wouldn't have gotten a complete set of Stones.
Ultimately, I can't view a film about immortal superpowered beings who refused to interfere with an alien invasion that wiped out half of all life in the universe in isolation from that invasion. If you can, good for you, but I don't think I'll ever be able to accept the Eternals as true heroes.
Yeah
If it weren't for Zhao , Eterns will probably ended up like your typical marvel movie but her sensibility as a director and writer is what givea that philosophical feel .
I understand why marvel(and more specifically MCU) fans might not like the film and there were some issues for me but IMO it is the most brilliant MCU film we’ve received thus far and you have highlighted why beautifully in this video essay. Cheers!
:)
i agreed... I actually love this movie....
I'm glad I'm not the only one, I actually liked the movie
I agree wholeheartedly
I personally liked the film. The MCU has gotten big enough to tell this kind of stories. I feel fans just want more payoffs, but ain't willing to take a moment for another journey. The movie had a beautiful, intimate story to tell, but also there is a greater story that is just beginning.
I kept checking RUclips for an eternals video essay because, like you, I was struck by the philosophy and themes present, but only saw negative reviews. It was discouraging and I thought about making my own video if none ever released. I’m glad I finally stumbled on yours though and your channel. Thank you for making such a thought provoking case for Eternals. I can’t wait to watch more of your stuff! :)
I’m glad you liked the video! There’s always room for more philosophical Eternals video essays out there though :D
Ikaris is one of if not the most complex antagonists in the MCU
I agree completely!
@@PillarofGarbage Ikaris doesn't want to kill humanity but he knows that it will be a byproduct of the Emergence and as far as he is concerned our lives are not special and we do not deserve to live any more than the aliens on the planets that Tiamut would create so if the price for millions of planets creation is one species destruction than he says "sorry get over it" and when you think about it you can see his point as we take our lives for granted and end the lives of other humans for political reasons and kill animals on Earth for sport so God knows how we would treat alien lives
Hells yeah! Antagonists > villains. Great step MCU-wise, really, IMO.
I watched it again, and found I got more of it. Like how characters were more complex than they seem, and their reasons for it.
Ajak, the great burden she carried for years, and her attempt for redemption doomed in betrayal. It's nice to note that the mythologic entity she was based on was said to be against human sacrifice.
Ikaris and the clash of purpose and meaning; with his being trapped inevitably overcome by his decision to rise (not in immaturity in clamor for the grand design, or as per literature, but in acceptance of the confines the conditions put him in).
Sprite, who, after all the years of being the storyteller that she is, has grown tired of being just the teller, with no one asking if she wanted a main role for once - ultimately showing somewhat of a paradox, that the infinite yearns for the finite; and that sometimes, it's the supposedly small things that count
I though Kingo was the epitome of neutrality as far of a reach that implies, making him able to take a step back and see things others don't (aside from Ikaris's plot twist), and becomes among the first to stand against; and despite being the superstar he is, becomes somewhat unequaled in neutral support. It's nice to note that his mythological sacrifice gave birth to the first men.
Karun represented us, because.
In the end, I somewhat thought that the real heroes (or those that survive) are the minority, and I was amazed - the "supposedly weak and the kind" chosen because they love (Sersi), those that are unable to freely speak despite having worlds to say (Makkari), the misunderstood taking a stand for what they believe in (Phastos), the different not allowed to share their plight against indifference (Druig); those broken - tormented by something they've turned their back to (Thena); and the actual minors (Sprite)
I get why he's a villain, that's the best thing about him being one
All the Eternals are showing aspects of love. He has the love of the faith in his god, which he can’t resolve with his love for Sersi . I don’t think that character arc was completely successfully
shown but I think it shows the strength of the film that we can talk about it in those terms.
I imagine this film just attracted the wrong audience. Most of the people who watched it probably like marvel movies, but it's pretty different from the marvel movies that came before it. People who expected a standard marvel movie left disappointed, and people who would like this movie didn't see it.
Eternals is the kind of movie , which gets better and better as more often you see it . For me it’s a masterpiece , and one of my favorite movies of 2021 , I cannot understand the bad reviews it got . I just can recommend everybody to watch it again and give full attention , because it’s full of beautiful shots , interesting twists and wonderful dialogs . I simply love it and hope it still will get a sequel or at least have their hero’s reappear in some other MCU content , even when it was poorly received from audiences .
The dialogue is the worst thing in it.
My favorite part of the movie was Kingo's conscientious objection at the end of the film. I heard a lot of people thought it was dumb. But I love that he is willing to lose everything and all the humans he's come to care about because of his belief in arashem, but he refuses to assert his beliefs with violence. That was really refreshing and you don't see enough of the "I think your wrong, but I'm not going to fight you because of it" approach in marvel movies.
1 year later and this is EASILY the best understanding of Eternals presented online. Eternals will end up being of the largest world-building films in the MCU and people were not ready to take it in.
Great work and dedication on this!!!
Theres so many themes in this movie that needs to be discussed honestly. But my favorite one is the eternals' faith to the celestials. Im most intrigued with Sersi's faith to the celestials, she's definitely against the "archaic way" of the celestials as she described it. But its so obvious that she still believes in them. This was shown first at her insistence of delaying the emergence and put tiamut to sleep instead of killing it. Then she got mad when phastos suggested to kill tiamut, and said "we just can't!". Yes in the end she chose to save humanity, but even after that she still question herself if that was the right thing to do.
I've watched this movie 3 times now. The first time I watched, I forgot to check and sat through the German dubbed version. No I'm not German, and my proficiency is rudimentary. So I could get like 30% of the dialogue, guessed the other 40%, and ignored/don't think about the rest. Even so I was hardly bored and was completely engrossed in the movie. And I'm the kind who gets easily bored (e.g. I found many parts of Antman & The Wasp, Black Widow boring). Somehow I could still follow the story along, and the basic themes/questions of the movie.
i rewatched it the 2nd time, this time luckily in English and now I could understand most of what was said. The movie still holds up.
Third time was when I found there's actually an IMAX 3D screening of this show, but since it's already 4th week the only version is the German dubbed. I thought I'd just watch this masterpiece epic again with the full audio/visual experience. And really, when you just sit back without trying to follow the plot, you can really appreciate all the fantastic acting. The Tenochtitlan scene was just incredible with the phenomenal acting by everyone. There's actually a lot of close-ups than I realised, due to Chloe's indie experience and you can really see a lot of fantastic acting. Like the shot of Sprite's anguish upon Ikaris' reveal, which is far better acting than Sersi's actor.
Anyway for this video, it's really cool to see a structured analysis. I was surprised many people didn't quite get this or hated this, for me I could understand them even though I don't know the specific terms/phrases like you do.
I only have a minor quibble about Ikaris. I thought he was ok, has an interesting story but you illustrated his struggle further. For me I understood the second Uni-mind happening is the default programming action by Tiamut, all the Eternals will be "plugged-in" or conneccted whether they like it or not. Ikaris could have stopped this if he blasted Sersi, but was stopped by the power of flashbacks. Tiamut then initiated the Uni-mind, and Sersi "hijacked" this power to turn him into marble.
Ikaris to me is like the perfect soldier, a man who needs a goal in his life. He follows orders from Arishem and thus Ajak, until Ajak decides to go against Arishem. I never fully embraced his romance with Sersi, it comes to me like he sees her as a trophy, like one of the more beautiful Eternals. He hovers around her being useless with humans, learns language badly etc just to impress her. He reminds me of the guy who joins the save the whales rally just because his crush is there. And the jock who just gets with the girl and is ready to completely up and leave once he gets snapped by the football talent scout.
But when he refused to stop Sersi, he lost everything. Initially he betrayed Sersi for Ajak (when she told him of the actual mission). Then he betrayed Ajak when she changed her mind. And finally he betrayed Arishem for Sersi. And now there is nothing left for him, no master to serve and no love he can return to. With no purpose in life and possibly to atone to Arishem/Sersi/Ajak, he chose to end his life.
Interesting take, thanks for the comment!
Great analysis. I really think this movie a couple of years down the line will inevitably get reevaluated by many critics. This film was a breath of fresh air to me, as someone who's been a bit disappointed with recent MCU movies after Infinity War. In a way Eternals reminds me of some of the Fox X men movies (The best ones like DOFP, First Class, and X2) in terms of how thematically driven they are. They share some tonal similarities which is more a tone I favor as well.
Yeah
For me , Eternals and Shang Chi brings a new air to the MCU
Too bad phase 4 is the most shitiest MCU phase (Heck i only enjoyed 2 of their movies in phase 4)
What do you think about the fact that Sersei gives the humans a knife - rather she returns the knife the boy had in the beginning to him with upgrades (like the penknife Sartre was talking about?) - and then this visual is repeated at the end when Sersei gives Sprite the human life she wanted. I think it was interesting that both were gifts that could be tools and weapons at the same time depending on how they were used. I really liked the visual repeat.
One of my top three MCU films.
Honestly, you could probably write an entire (video) essay about that knife alone. I think there’s endless things it could signify, and for one, I think you’re right in identifying that it’s an early introduction of the conflict between tools and weapons; developing technology’s link to war and death.
Given the existential themes of the film I don’t think it’s at all unlikely that the knife was invoking Sartre’s image - but then the question becomes who is the artisan, and does the knife’s reappearance in London constitute a sort of growth of the knife’s significance beyond the purely utilitarian, and into archaeological/cultural significance? And if so, is this an early hint of the idea that even created things can grow beyond their designs?
All interesting questions!
@@PillarofGarbage I think it might be that created things grow beyond their designs. There are two Darwin references as Sersi (late) climbs the stairs in the Natural History museum: Sersi passes his bust and says she knows she's late (which, imo is meta on three levels: the one where both Eternals and Deviants are evolving in the film; that Sersi's power seems to evolve to being able to transmute sentient beings; a third one to become important later in the overall MCU story). Finally as she enters the classroom I think there's a plaque opposite the door referencing Darwin again. Seemed rather pointed.
I love this!!
I saw it as the Eternals influencing humanity in the beginning and humanity influencing the Eternals by the end. The cyclical nature of destruction and rebirth and the ability to choose free-will.
@@circular_entropy3455 Well, everything is a circle according to you. You’re quite biased towards them, if I do say so myself.
I wasn't expecting a frothy minute video but I am glad we got one, it was great and you actually convinced me and made me change my mind :)
I wasn’t expecting it to be 40 minutes when I started it either :D but I’m so glad to hear this! Makes it feel worthwhile!
I watched the film twice over two days because it sent me into so much existential dread. This video addresses many of the ideas I came across. Thank you. Wonderful writing.
This was very well-written and thought through, I really enjoyed watching it. This movie does deserve a piece that talks about its philosophical elements and stuff. One thing though, Druig = Druid. I thought the video was a very interesting thought piece and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also liked your decision to talk about why the movie was good as opposed to why it was not bad. Very nice.
Makkari and Gilgamesh we're kinda underdeveloped in my opinion but other than that all the other characters are so well rounded and developed. The acting is fantastic the climax has an amazing payoff where all the characters end their disagreement within and decide to come together for the greater good. Sersi and Ikaris were obviously fantastic but I actually also really enjoyed sprite and her conflict was really relatable and I almost got a bit of a Romeo and Juliet vibe for her and Ikaris. Which is so fantastic because everyone knows the best thing to do to confidently show romance is
tragedy. The fact that she would rather become mortal than live another Day as a child, unable to do anything is just amazing. But by far, my favourite character in the entire movie, was druig.
He. Was. Amazing. My favourite scene in the whole movie is the scene where they are all at the war in the past, right before they all break up. I loved it because druig is the only one there that is like no. You people are blindly following this arishem guy. You're blinded by loyalty and I'm not going to sit by and watch these people kill eachother. And the only person opposing him is Ikaris. It's just so good. Like I wouldn't even really call it a marvel movie, I mean the powers and the giant climax and the CGI aliens definitely felt like marvel, but at its core, this is a story about conflict within. How people with different allegiances and different beliefs, people who fight for different things and do it for different people. And the people themselves, the people that have been told one thing for thousands of years, never told to believe anything else, suddenly realise that they have a choice, the internal conflict you see as they struggle with this epiphany one by one, all in different ways is honestly poetic. I honestly feel like the reason people don't like this movie, is because they don't pay attention, they don't sit down and are like "today I'm going to watch eternals" they go into it like "oh let's check out this marvel movie I bet it will be bad." And then they are surprised that they had a bad time. Throughout this 2 hours and 30 minutes you need to be invested, you need to listen and really think and take in and philosophise as to what you are seeing. I never do this in a marvel movie, ever. The only other marvel film that made me feel this good, was spider verse, and that's a Sony movie so it barely even counts.
This movie isn't really for the average mcu fan, this movie is for people that really care.
And that is why my love for this movie is *Eternal.*
Remember we're in times where tiktok is their addiction. Attention is limited . Loved this film, gave me more to think about than just dumb easter eggs.
I agree but it’s strange that I found Makkari and Druig’s relationship more compelling than the main one.
Yeah
And the way Chloe Zhao tackle the question is humanity worth to be saved is great .
This comment is more pretentious than the movie.
Seems arrogant to dismiss the movie's critics as simply unable to comprehend its themes.
This movie is supposed to be different from the general superhero movies, especially the MCU at that. But it falls into the usual tropes, it follows the conventional structure, and the exposition more damning. The characters wear the typical outlandish and colorful costumes as do typical superheroes, but less meaningfully.
Less spectacle doesn't always mean more substance. It's true most MCU fans prefer the popcorn movies, but at least most of those delivered on their ambitions to be. The cinephile in me, the one who fully expected this to be a slow-paced philosophical epic, thinks it's all a bore. In fact, not different enough from the popcorn movies.
Eternals is a narrative masterpiece. And so is this video
I loved learning more about what “existentialism” actually means, and hearing the “paper knife” metaphor made it so much clearer
It's very refreshing to find someone who also appreciated this movie. I thought it was very original, intelligent and emotional.
Thank for vocalizing all the subconscious philosophical themes that I felt during the films viewing into a cogent analysis filled with actual references. Hopefully Marvel won’t be deterred from making bold introspective films in the future
Fingers crossed!
I think that this movie is a fantastic example in how to make people discuss about this type of art. (Regardless of how you felt about the movie) is really interesting to see all the different viewpoints and interpretations that people have regarding the multiple themes that the movie touches on. Really cool 👍🏽
Finally released on Disney Plus so I watched it yesterday and loved it! Thank you for this very absorbing analysis. Now that it's available to stream I think a lot more people will come to enjoy the Eternals and some of those end up watching this vid like me.
I didn't give this movie much thought after seeing the trailer, it didn't look like anything we hadn't already seen in other Marvel films or other films, but thematically there is so much more depth to the characters and conversations happening than in just about any of the Marvel films so far. There's an excellent blending of real-world history, historical fantasy and modern fantasy, but I'm biased on this one because like a lot of people I'm highly intrigued with the Greek God pantheon and love seeing it utilized in interesting ways for new media. Maybe it could have benefited from a longer runtime, considering there's over a dozen main characters to basically 'Origin Story' in about the same timeframe given to just one character in other films(Iron Man, as an example) but the movie doesn't feel too rushed, the pacing wasn't perfect but compared to another modern movie like The Tomorrow War(terrible pacing if you haven't seen it, but still a decent movie) and The Eternals pace is more than efficient for it's purposes.
I loved this movie and felt the depth and it drove me to watch it a second time. I couldn’t stop thinking about the questions the movie post on humanity and how each eternal deals with it. I am really glad you have made this essay. I learnt a lot from it. I can understand why some marvel fans do not like it, but really glad Marvel made something different. It is my favorite Marvel movie so far (and probably for a very long time to come).
I loved the movie, I think it's one of the best movies I have ever seen specifically for its' philosophy. When I left the theater, it left me with a feeling that this movie is trying to tell me something, but I couldn't quite understand what. It's been stuck in my head for almost a month now, and I though I figured it out, but this video as well as Contrapoints' latest video "Envy" (not about Eternals, but about philosophy) have dug so freaking deep it's scary.
I struggle with severe depression, and often question the reason of existance and purpose of human life (both mine and in general) and this movie and these two videos literally provide answer for these questions. It's hard to accept and fully comprehend, but I'll try my best. So I want to thank you for making this video and seeing past the veneer of an MCU movie (which is not supposed to be a special ability, but in our day and age it becomes one, judging by the reviews). You've definitely earned a subscriber.
Good job! This was a very interesting watch and it helped me understand the movie's themes better. I loved Eternals since the first time I watched it and the way you deconstructed its message, themes and characters makes me appreciate even more what Chloé Zhao achieved.
This was super good, man! I thought Eternals was really really good-- Slower, more wandering, but that felt interesting and new. Maybe not something I want a lot of, but the *idea* is that these guys are different. Great video!
This video essay made a subscriber out of me. I know that youtube is a numbers game and long video essays about philosophy might not bring in the traffic but as much as Eternals might not connect with the average viewer it did with me, i'm so glad Eternals was made and I'm ecstatic you put the time and effort into putting into words my thoughts on the movie.
I walked out of Eternals deeply in love with this film for many of the reasons you stated. I knew others might not enjoy it in the way that I did but I was unable to articulate cohesively why the movie worked for me and I understood the philosophical points Zhoa was trying to make but due to my lack of post secondary education I was unable to share my views successfully to my friends.
Thanks to you I'm just going to link your video and tell them if they really want to know I loved Eternals, Sersi, Druig and especially Ikaris (IMHO the most nuanced and complicated character of the MCU) they should just watch your excellent essay and if not to just let me enjoy a good thing. One of my friends and I loved your essay so much we went to see the movie again the day after watching this. we could have easily watched another hour of this.
Thanks so much for taking the time to type out this comment Heather, it absolutely made my day :D
11:25 love what you say here and also why Ajak rejected the grad narrative. This movie puts forward so many good questions and I'm glad you are talking about it. For example I really like your reflection on Fastos and Druig deciding to save earth. Also, what you were saying about Ikaris and his dilemma almost made me tear up. He is really a fanatic and tragic character.
I guess the average marve incel was expecting "good aliens fighting bad aliens: the movie" 😂
Yeah
Luckily Chloe Zhao was like "Heck no i wouldn't make a normal marvel movie" .
Thank you for helping me further cement my love for the movie with this amazing piece. I beg of you to please make more content about Eternals because not only have you been able to help me understand and justify why this movie why this movies is great, but hopefully it will make the people who didn't like this film appreciate it more too.
Thanks. I appreciate you championing and under-loved artwork. I can totally understand why Eternals left a lot of the audience cold but I liked what it had to say about the relationship between creators and their creations, artists and their art. I also appreciate the MCU taking risks, even if it led to a lacklustre Phase 4 it was worth doing.
Wow. I never apreciated what Marvel was trying to do with this movie. As you say, it's not about superheroes saving the world. It's a philosophical film starred by powerful beigns. Great video.
I already like your normal videos but 40 minutes of you is great
I rarely see people praise this movie, so as someone who loves the movie bc of it's themes, it's so good to see this video
I enjoyed this film. Even though UT has its flaws. However, I'm able to look past them and fully understand what the deep conflict between the Eternals' moral code/mission & humanity's safety and security! Enjoyed this breakdown 🙏🏽💪
great video man, very well put together
Okay, wow! I wanted to write again now that I've finished your analysis. Incredible work! I'm new to your channel but I'm going to watch everything that touches on anything I remotely care about.
I think you're absolutely right: everyone criticizes Marvel movies for being formulaic, but then a brilliant one comes along that does something different and goes deeper, made by a literal Oscar winning director, and it becomes the worst reviewed MCU movie ever. I read a theory that film critics wanted to discourage award-winning directors from thinking they should make MCU films. It's awful how people treat each other, sometimes.
Anyway, amazing work. Very well expressed, and more importantly, cogently thought out. And your voice is good for this kind of thing. I've watched plenty of channels with less-than-natural-sounding narration, but your voice is spot on. Nothing anyone can do about that, really, but it's gotta be nice to have it down out of the box.
Thanks, I appreciate the kind words - especially with regard to my narration!
This might be the best video I’ve seen on your channel. Incredibly well made and near perfectly captures what I love about this film and why I rank it at #4 of the Marvel Movies overall. You deserve so much more recognition for you work.
Thank you so much!
@@PillarofGarbage Just rewatched it and have come back to your video. Still ever poignant. Thank you for engaging with the themes of the film without t baggage of analysing it as a Zhao film or an MCU instalment. It’s value lies in the way it combines those two, I think. I’m a huge fan, honestly. Keep it up.
This video left me with a newfound appreciation for the Eternals, thanks!
Discovered your channel recently and have been thoroughly enjoying your perspective and analysis. I had written off watching this movie until watching your video. Kudos, and thanks!
THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO ESSAY! I cant imagine the time and effort you put into this, it is such a succinct and impressive piece of analysis. I loved this film so much and was shocked at the reviews, I'm sure this film will get the love it deserves over time:)
This video essay was a real banger. Great job!
Thank you!
Thank you for doing this piece. You brought up quite a few thoughts I'd had while watching it, but didn't pursue. I'm looking forward to watching it again with these ideas of individuality and responsibility more in mind.
Watched until the end.
Great video! It was amazing!
Watched the whole video to the end, amazing video, I loved the movie and you articulated perfectly why, please keep making long form content like this.
Thank you for this. This is the first video of yours I have watched and now Im a dedicated viewer. Keep doing videos of this quality, the world needs it.
Thanks for the kind words! Sadly I don’t get the chance to do deep-dives this long very often due to my fast upload schedule, but there are a few more on other topics on the channel - hope you like them!
I loved this review! Thank you!
Superb analysis! Thank you!
This is a great breakdown of the themes and philosophy. Now if only the dialogue, pacing, and acting had been good. I'd have loved to have seen the film you apparently saw.
Yeah this is my take. The movie had themes. Whoopity doo. The lead actors sucked and the dialogue sucked and the writing sucked and the plot sucked and the pacing sucked. I left the movie LAUGHING MY ASS OFF with a theater full of people when Ikky offed himself in the most cliched way
I saw this on the big screen and loved it; it is a massive U-turn from the usual superhero shallowness. There is deep thought and meaning. It's a slow burn that is actually very good.
I think that this movie didn't live up to the hype, not because it didn't have interesting ideas to work with but because it couldn't adequately utilize these ideas and convey them to the audience. I think a series would've been amazing and we could have really explored the characters and what they represent and also delve into their motivations. This analysis makes me think of how fervently I defended Sucker Punch..
I enjoyed your video essay about the film. Honestly a lot of the themes you expressed went over my head. I was in the meh camp before this and mainly thought that with so many characters in the ensemble cast a TV show run would have helped a lot and given the story a lot more breathing room.
Every character in this movie has there own different personal motivation, that's what I really like about this
Seriously, thank you so much for this!!
I’m very glad you made your community post, I first watched this video when it released after watching Eternals once, I now rewatch it after multiple rewatches and you put my thoughts into words Pillar, you got a very great understanding of the story very quick after the film released
Thanks for the kind words!
Thank you. So much. Got a subscriber and fan.
Been trying to explain to people that this is the first MCU movie I’ve seen that poses rich philosophical questions and leaves you to ponder the answer yourself. It doesn’t take the usual path of providing clear cut protagonist/antagonist:good/evil paradigms, it’s focus is exploring themes.
I feel like people need movies to have a neat arc for each story and character, hero and villain. Seeing a lot of people complain about it coming off as disjointed and haphazard. As if we can’t have complementary character moments contributing to a wider story, so the theme and narrative are an amalgamation of everything and the whole is greater than the sun of the parts. There’s more than one way to tell a story through film and this is an example of one, hope people eventually grow to appreciate that
Glad you liked it! And I also thing it’s refreshing to see a major franchise movie question the assumed need for straightforward heroes, villains, and plotting.
This video is an art! Thank you for your rich insights
15:57 “Nothing was stopping them from intervening except their own ignorance and blind faith in false gods” this was a powerful line.
From a philosophical perspective they themselves were seen and worshipped as gods by humans in the past but are now relegated to human mythology and their own gods the celestials have now also had the illusion of their supremacy wiped away in the eyes of the eternals and they now take agency in their lives similar to how humans now are the heroes in their world
This was great. I found your channel recently and have been checking out your EMH videos. Those are good, but this is great. Not just because I personally agree, but on its own merit. This is the one that made me go ahead and subscribe.
Thanks for the sub - hopefully I’ll be able to do more stuff like this soon!
@@PillarofGarbage looking forward to them!
This was really amazing. This is the best review of this movie i have heard beside 1 other person on tiktok
I've been thinking a lot about why this film was so negativity received. I kept thinking that it was wrong to just write it off as most MCU fans simply not getting it, but I do think that because this film is so much more philosophical, and different compared to most MCU movies, why most people just didn't get it. That its so far removed from the typical MCU formal, that in order to achieve being great movie in all the things mentioned in this video, that it essentially "failed" as an MCU movie by alienating a lot of its audience. Or could it be argued that is it the audiences fault for failing to appreciate something that's different and more higher concept to what their use to. What are your thoughts?
I have a couple of videos on the negative reviews of this film, but I think from an audience point of view, it’s down to the way it doesn’t follow the standard plot/antagonist templates, and the way that a lot of the film’s riches require active thought and interpretation to reveal.
Great analysis, thanks!
Didn't like this movie. Not because it's different from the rest of the MCU, but because it is done badly.
It has so many good and cool concepts and ideas, but it is ALL cramed into a 2 hour movie.
It should of been made into a series thay allowed it to take it's time building up, and developing it's characters. And at the same time, it's confusing because the movie setss up Rules, but it doesn't even follow it's own rules.
Thank you for making this video essay and for articulating so clearly what many of us felt about what made this movie so great.
Dope video.
I loved the movie because of the themes it explored but your indept analysis of it really makes me wanna rewatch it again🔥💯
Never understood the hate for this film. I'm genuinely really excited to see what they do with the second one!
This and no way home are the best movies we’ve gotten in years
Watched this twice in theaters because i loved it so much. Glad to see someone not ragging on it the entire video
I went into this film hoping for an philosophical questioning on existential themes and I was not disappointed. I loved it! But yes, it is getting the same reaction the Matrix sequels did - which had the same idea (although I suspect Matrix Resurrection is about to undo those sequels, so to my mind it's good that Eternals appeared before that happened 😀) and were very much about free will vs determinism and the human persistence outside purpose. (If you ever want to do an analytical video on Reloaded and Revolutions, that would be amazing, btw.)
Honestly, I’m not proud of this, but I’ve only seen the first Matrix… 😬
Arishem at the end reminded me of the ending of Watchmen. It presents the audience with a question and puts us in a position where we are the one who gets to decide. For Eternals, its: does humanity deserve to live or not. For Watchmen, its: Is peace built on a lie worth keeping or should we reveal the ugly truth. Both movies are also deemed as unconventional, both poses philosophical ideas & questions. I could honestly say that Eternals is Marvel's Watchmen
Only just discovered you channel. Love this take on the Eternals, when I watched it I wasn't very impressed, but I did get the feeling that I was missing something in my viewing. It being an MCU movie, rather than a stand-alone superhero movie definitely contributed to that. Thanks for helping me to see what I was missing!
thank you so much for this amazingly well-thought-out video that really encapsulates all that is good about this beautiful film 💛
Thank you so much for this nice comment!
Dude, the scene where they explained the origin of planet earth blew my mind. I said to myself: “wait, that means that since the beggining, daredevil and the punisher happens on a celestial’s incubator
I really enjoyed the readings you shared and the philosophical underlying themes were very well explained and contextualized.
The pacing, acting and stylistic choices absolutely killed this film for me. It had the visuals of something made for the big screen but not enough emotional girth being portrayed to warrant 2,5hrs+ runtime in that setting. I think it was doomed from the start to be fair.
Thanks for the positivity!
you should definitely continue producing such videos (writing such essays).
When I was watching the movie after they explained that the deviants were also created by the celestials but they went rouge and then the eternals were planning to also go rouge, and considering that the last deviant was still alive, I thought that the film was setting up that he has going to show up and help them against the celestial.
Then in the final battle he shows up and.... gets killed by one of the eternals in a random cave.
What a good story beat with thematic significance it would have been, truly showing how the deviants and eternals are one in the same and that their conflict was manufactured by a higher power, one that they don't obey anymore. Wouldn't that prove how far they came, how they are completely their own persons and cement how deep their defiance of the celestials goes as they are willing to stand against what they, for thousands of years, believed was their purpose.
A real missed opportunity, and it would make the movie so much better with a relatively small change.
I'm not sure I totally agree with your take on the movie, but it was well argued and I can definitely see where you're coming from.
I think it's incredible that while I'm skeptical, I *do* love this movie, but for totally different reasons. There're just so many ways to appreciate it that I'm really confused that people can hate it.
my issue with this movie is the same as batman vs superman: cool ideas, but bland execution. I think that all your points are valid, but i just feel like they shot themselves in the foot when choosing to introduce 10 more characters that are kinda hard to relate to. It also kinda feels like everything they set up (celestials, eros) is more interesting than the eternals themselves. Also, you cant have the threat be the destruction of earth, because as an audience we know that they aint about to let a celestial destroy it, since dozens of other characters are there
Agreed I got frustrated by the poor execution. This should have been a Disney +
If you don't mind my asking, what about BvS' execution was bland?
@@ashuebot-tabi4449 Well one, the movie seems like it should be three different films.
A MoS 2, a Lois Lane movie and a Batman movie. The collaboration makes it feel messy in parts.
It also makes a mistake like Age of Ultron did by trying to foreshadow future movies with a in your face kinda way instead of it being built upon to. The future evil Superman, Justice League and Wonder Woman.
The relationship between Batman and Superman is ok at best but not like the relationship that Tony and Steve had that built up to Civil War.
Also having Superman get killed in the second DCEU was a dumb decision.
@@mandalorianhunter1 While i've always seen it a MoS sequel narratively, another solo Superman movie (focusing on either his "early days" or status as the last Kryptonian) would've been nice.
I wholly agree with Wonder Woman not being needed in any capacity but somewhat disagree on the Justice League, as while they don't factor into the narrative, they do show the extent of Lex's knowledge. I'm also mixed on evil Superman: the Knightmare itself represents Batman's fears well, but the Darkseid elements aren't needed.
I liked Bruce and Clark's burgeoning relationship here, but you're free to disagree.
I also didn't mind killing Superman so early. Building the character up effectively is what's most important, so as long as that's done how early they die doesn't really matter (Yondu is a good example). But I can understand if you didn't feel attached to Supes yet.
Unrelated, but I don't think Age of Ultron had much of a problem with foreshadowing future movies: Ragnarok was obviously forced and unneeded, but Civil War was built up to naturally, Black Panther was teased lightly and Infinity War was just the post credits. If anything Iron Man 2 has this problem: Black Widow (like WW, though I did like her in BvS) is really just there to set up the team movie without really contributing much.
@@ashuebot-tabi4449 That's the thing, it changes focus a lot and you see why it should have been separate films.
Wonder Woman most people say was the best part of the movie.
The problem with Lex is that he hated how his father hurt him but shouldn't everyone who is stronger then him be his enemy? Now I will agree the knowledge of the other heroes was interesting but why did he not do anything about them?
I know the fear thing is okay, but having a Injustice like future so early on is kinda stretching it.
Yondu isn't a good example, he is a fun character but he is not what the MCU was founded on, that was Iron Man. Tony was a main character until his death in end game which was 11 years.
Superman founded the DCEU, but was then killed in the next movie and then brought back in the 4th? Yeah that's not a good decision. Attached to Supes? Most people are divided on DCEU Superman and don't know how to feel about him.
Yeah I know Civil War was built upon nicely and built the other movies up.
Thanks so much for this video! I have been entranced by this film since first seeing it exactly because of its deeper philosophical themes and large scale myth-making (and it’s beautiful photography). I get why some people were turned off by auch a hard turn away from what other MCU movies had been doing, but I anticipate loving Eternals more and more as the years pass.
Again, thank you!
Thank you for this, enjoyed it immensely 🤓🤓🤓
As someone who at first didn’t really like this movie but knew there was something more going on. I appreciate this deep dive into the meaning and themes of the film. It helped me understand some of the thematic elements that I missed waiting for marvel quips and action.
I'm not really into Marvel stuff as a rule, so I only watch the specific projects that people rave about. I mostly heard lukewarm reviews about Eternals so I just gave it a miss. You inspired me to watch the movie and I really liked it, so thanks for this!
Thank you!! Glad I'm not the only one who feels the same way.
This video made me appreciate the Eternals film more. I liked the film before, it wasn't my favorite MCU film of all time, but I now have a greater appreciation for it. Also Video is great, I personally do not mind long form video essays.
I loved Eternals! Best MCU film ever. When the text crawl starts, I knew they were swinging for the fences and I loved it. I was surprised how far they were willing to go here, really impressed!
I think almost anyone who comments on this channel feels the same as you. I really like it and have rewatched it. It’s makes some big swings and misses, but overall I love its grandeur and take on the human condition. And it has the best Superman vs Green Lantern, The Flash and Wonder Woman fight every shown in live action.
Was it a bold move by the studio? Yes. Was it risky? Yes. Could it have been more? Should've been.
It may be different already from the typical MCU fare, but the formula's still there. With the scope of the story, it should've been much more. Seven thousand years worth of story - No - _stories_ , it should've had enough material for an entire phase or even a saga. Perhaps too much for a film, but it's what the ambition demanded, I feel. I do think this is why some fans prefer it had this been a series.
I think Chloe Zhao was and is the right person to direct. But the studio never follow through on the ambition that came with the risk.
This was a great video format. From someone who personally left Eternals feeling quite disappointed, I managed to see a lot of positives, that I didn't see initially, due to your video. Keep up the good work!
loved the long form, would love to see more.
Have you looked at getting on nebula at all? iduno anything about how it works on the creator side but your stuff seems like it would fit in with a lot of the stuff I subscribe to it for. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Just started a rewatch of phase 4 in timeline order, I wasn’t sure about this when I first saw it on the big screen but on my 3rd watch as part of my phase 4 watch my appreciation of this movie has widened. I do hope we see theese guys again, rather than shy away from them Marvel should keep them going forward.
Thanks for the great essay. You brought up some points that I didn't think of. A huge criticism of the movie that I've seen is that the deviants were wasted as villains in the movie. I didn't realize the real role the deviants played in the movie until you pointed it out. I also didn't really get why Ikaris killed himself. I assumed it was because he allowed Tiamut to be killed. It didn't dawn on me why he did it until you pointed it out. So thanks for the insight!
what makes a film good is the execution not the premise or backround
The eternals is a cool movie. This is a hill I will die on. I totally get why it wasn't more popular though. I would definitely like to see ikarus return eventually.
First of all, let me say that your essay glued me to the screen on my TV - there were moments when I sat on the edge of my armchair, forward leaning and listening to what you had to tell and it's not about praising you to the skies just because I think it's needed but more because it's earned.
Because you point out what one could feel and notice about this movie although maybe not articulate at the time and sometimes it needs somebody else to phrase what you were thinking yourself because you lack the ability to do this yourself at the moment. Or you didn't get a tiny piece of information and fail to put into the larger picture.
Anyway, what you point out is in the movie (not even that subtle) but even if you know about for example Sartre, you wouldn't automatically go to the philosophy section in your mind knowing what to look for to find him. That's when other people come into play, that's when we form our own Uni-mind through expressing ourselves and exchanging ideas. Ex nihilo nihil fit - even our own ideas aren't created in a vacuum but through our own experiences and engaging with others, reading, watching and listening to them, adds more and more to ourselves.
I only wished we had the "Zhao-Cut" removed scenes that allegedly would add about half an hour ; there is for example one scene which only is 60 seconds long with Makkari and Sprite in which we learn about her motives. (It's somewhere here on YT) And there was supposed to be a scene taking place in ancient Greece in which we learn why (A)Thena becomes the patron of the city of Athens. So, those scenes would add more to the characters and the larger mythological implications like the existence of the Asgardians. However it isn't in the final cut and this isn't the director's fault, she filmed it but due to studio telling her to make the film shorter these scenes are missing. It wouldn't probably change minds but it adds more to the movie, the characters that actually mirror us humans etc.
Anyway, a great essay.
Thank you for the kind words! Shame about the deleted scenes :(
The sfx and vfx were sick too, every scene with arishem was wild
This is definitely my favorite movie ever. The action scenes super engaging. The cinematography is extremely satisfying. The audience is misled and then there are huge twists. It made me think like no other film has. I've watched this shit like 12 times and it never gets old it's just so good, I don't even get why people don't like it.
This was very well done! I agree, I think that eternals was very rich in themes and that’s what may have driven people away from it. Also, Chloe’s art and cinematography in this film, being shot mainly on site helped a lot, and I appreciated that from her
I LOVED THIS!!!
Thank you very much for this video, I know I'm only one viewer but I hope you know that at least to me your efforts to make this video were worth it.
I watched Eternals and came out really loving it, and though I have some philosophical education, it's more grounded in Eastern philosophy. I didn't consciously see the connections between existentialism and the themes of the film, but you've helped me draw the connections and see that they are not just present, but they are textual. Like you I believe they are intentional and the film is just deeper for it.
I didn't need the philosophy to justify my enjoyment of the film, I already appreciated the humanistic approach to the writing that let the cast feel and process and let them have time to breathe without servicing the high concept stakes towards the climax, or worse a bit joke meant to disrupt or even outright lampoon them for having human feelings. I appreciated the family dynamics and the love the protagonists did have for each other despite not necessarily being programmed to love each other. I adored the visual direction.
But deep down in a recess of my mind that cares about what random Internet people think (hopefully I'm not the only human who has one of those), I had felt a bit ashamed of how much I liked it. I read so much that said I shouldn't. But I did.
You helped crystallize so much about my feelings in this film. I remember at the end hoping deeply that there would be more, that the "lackluster reception" wouldn't stop a deserved sequel being made. But I think if that comes to pass this film does really stand on it's own too. I appreciated marvel taking the risk here and commiting to it. I hope they know their risk was worth it to me.
Superheroes have lost a bit of that human melodrama that classical heroes and even mythological gods exhibited and they've become more power fantasy oriented. We live in a time where the audience feels so disempowered, so they seek feeling powerful. But I think the power fantasy trend we see today in lots of media not just superheroes (anime in particular) ends up sacrificing what power we may actually wish to have, the power of choice, the ability to be who we wish to be, and the ability to protect what we love. We sacrifice this dor the excuse to show how cool our movie avatars are instead, I'm not completely against it but it's a bit of a shame.
The Eternals showed to powerful beings like the protagonists, that maybe their power fantasy was to be more like us. As a currently ordinary human, I'm grateful for that.