Black Widow & Eternals Have The Same MCU Formula Problem
Black Widow and Eternals have both been heralded as some of the best films the MCU has had, but they’re held back by the same main issue.
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Marvel’s Eternals is earning high praise from critics, but reviews show that the film is suffering from the same MCU formula problem that hindered Black Widow. MCU Phase 4 has put a heightened focus on self-contained character arcs in most of its movies and shows, which have generally been received quite well. However, because they are still part of the larger MCU, movies like Eternals and Black Widow can’t fully escape the tropes and expectations associated with the franchise.
By all accounts, Eternals shines brightest when exploring the complexities of its various characters and their interactions with one another. The Eternals characters are a family divided – a group of immortals who’ve grown, in different ways, disillusioned with the greater purpose they’re meant to serve. The parts of their journey that have been the most heavily lauded so far are the smaller, more internal moments of reconnection and growth. In those moments, Chloé Zhao’s well-documented skill as a director of sweeping emotional arcs shines through.
Unfortunately, it seems that those high points are hindered severely by Eternals’ mandatory adherence to the MCU formula – a model that necessitates big sci-fi action scenes, set up for future films, and a loyalty to all the comic book lore that’s previously been established. The film’s third act, specifically the climactic action that is its focal point, has been criticized in reviews for feeling forced and awkward after so much screen time spent exploring the characters’ personal journeys. That was a major problem for the MCU’s Black Widow too – a movie that excelled most in the messy family dynamic at its center.
Black Widow earned high praise when it launched because of Scarlett Johansson’s grounded performance and Natasha’s nuanced relationships with the other members of her old family unit, especially her sister Yelena (Florence Pugh). It was the character writing, the internal struggles of responsibility and legacy, that drove the story, not the quest to defeat a global bad guy in a flying fortress. The third-act action set pieces didn’t ruin the movie by any means, but they distracted a bit from what should have been the focus of Black Widow’s Natasha story. The best MCU movies tell compelling stories within the expected framework of the franchise, but now that so many movies in that style have been released, it might be time for Marvel Studios to loosen the reins a bit and allow for more variety in the kinds of narratives that can be told.
Like in Black Widow, it sounds like the more personal elements of Eternals’ story still manage to achieve great things in spite of the pervasive MCU formula. But what if Zhao hadn’t had to make that compromise at all? Kevin Feige and other execs have paid a lot of lip service to the idea of bringing in well-respected filmmakers like Zhao to helm MCU projects, but as long as they still have to operate within the confines of a formula that’s persisted since the MCU’s first Iron Man movie, those directors can only bring so much to the table. The MCU delivered stellar action and sweeping sci-fi storylines throughout the events of the Infinity Saga, but in the wake of Thanos’ defeat, it might be time to pivot in a different direction – one that Black Widow, Eternals, WandaVision, Loki, and other Phase 4 stories have all made major steps toward.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/eternals-black-widow-family-dynamic-best-third-act-problem/