Chloé Zhao's "Meaningless" Marvel Films Have Received Mixed Reviews.

It is Chloé Zhao's first major studio film, which won the Oscar for Best Director earlier this year for Nomadland. The Guardian gave Eternals two stars and called it "The Magic Hour meets PowerPoint." Critic Steve Rose said Zhao "made some wonderful footage and personal drama on his superhero debut, but there's too much mythology to explain."

The problem, he adds, is that "too much is going on: everything is moving in the other direction" it's a race against time to stop the terrible "climax."

He continued, "It's not exactly boring - there's always something new to see - but it's not exciting, and it doesn't have the coolest jokes from Marvel's best movies."

Eternals is for the title group of 10 gods who band together to protect the earth from perversions. In his review, Kevin Maher of The Times also eyed the two stars and described the film as a fairy tale about "superheroes looking at their navels looking for a decent script."

He wrote, "At the heart of this incredible blockbuster is a strange energy of self-sabotage." However, Mahar noted that the film has attempted to bring a more diverse combination of superheroes on screen.

Brian Tyree Henry plays Fastos, his first gay superhero, while Lauren Ridloff plays Macari, his first deaf superhero, also moved from the comics.

"The Eternal is two steps forward for performance but three steps back for dramatic ingenuity," Maher added. Robbie Collin of the Telegraph also gave it two stars, emphasizing that Marvel has tried to "break the line" but with "boring" results. "This very recent proposal is a white elephant," he wrote.

He found the "loving gaze and poetic sense of the landscape" that helped him win Best Picture for Nomadland at this year's Oscars "almost undetected." Maybe the hope is that the 26th Marvel film can make this franchise get out of its comfort zone," he concluded. "But the franchise is nothing more than a comfort zone and instantly makes its final entry a white elephant."

Culture is a little more generous and offers three stars. Screenwriter Nicholas Barber still describes it as "visible but ultimately unforgettable" and perhaps "the most disappointing film in the MCU [Marvel Cinematic Universe].

"Hiring a writer and director who specializes in muted action documentary dramas about interstellar gods may not be the smartest choice," he said. Empire also gave it three stars, with reviewer John Nugent noting that the MCU's "on-screen" footage of "real sex scenes and gay kisses" was a first. "But anyone planning their first Marvel art house should moderate their expectations," he warned.