Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
  • TotalFilm
  • Edge
  • Newsarama
  • Retrogamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Don't miss these
Eternals
Marvel Movies Chloé Zhao says Eternals wasn't high on Marvel's priority list: "It [was] only on their list of potential players"
Chris Hemsworth in Thor Love and Thunder
Marvel Movies MCU fans are reassessing one of the most controversial Marvel Phase 4 releases
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Superhero Movies As we gear up for Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel fans are sharing the love for one of the MCU's best Phase 4 titles
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams in Wonder Man.
Marvel TV Shows Don't skip Wonder Man, as overwhelmingly positive first reactions say it's one of the best MCU shows
Chris Pratt as Detective Chris Raven in Mercy
Sci-Fi Movies Chris Pratt's new AI thriller debuts to one of the Marvel star's lowest Rotten Tomatoes scores in over 10 years
Chris Hemsworth as Thor in the Avengers: Doomsday trailer
Superhero Movies Marvel fans don't think Avengers: Doomsday can beat Infinity War's $2 billion box office haul: "Not a chance"
Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff and Margot Robbie as Cathy in Wuthering Heights
Romance Movies Critics are divided over Wuthering Heights, as the adaptation lands Emerald Fennell's lowest Rotten Tomatoes score yet
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams in Wonder Man.
Superhero Shows Wonder Man review: "A low-key gem that's up there with the MCU's best"
Brie Larson as Captain Marvel in The Marvels
Marvel Movies Nia DaCosta holds no ill will towards Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios after The Marvels flopped
Thor: Love and Thunder
Marvel Movies Even Chris Hemsworth thinks that they "took the piss" with how goofy Thor: Love and Thunder was
Secret Invasion episode 4
Marvel TV Shows It's been 2 and a half years, and Marvel fans still can't get over Secret Invasion: "Making an MCU version was a bad idea"
Thunderbolts
Marvel Movies More Avengers: Doomsday reshoots are on the way, but Disney executives are reportedly pleased with footage of the film
Invincible season 4
Superhero Shows Invincible creator Robert Kirkman says MCU-style superhero storytelling isn't "novel" anymore
Robert Downey Jr. in the Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement video
Marvel Movies The Russo brothers tease "the complexity and the difficulty" of the Avengers: Doomsday story
Jessie Buckley as Ida/Penny in The Bride
Horror Movies The Bride earns mixed first reviews, as critics call it everything from "a modern classic" to "unholy mess"
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies
  3. Superhero Movies

Eternals is already one of the most divisive Marvel movies ever

News
By Bradley Russell published 25 October 2021

The early reviews are in... and Eternals is on par with Thor: The Dark World in some places

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Kit Harington in Eternals
(Image credit: Marvel)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

Eternals reviews are in – and they hint at the Chloé Zhao-directed Marvel epic being one of the most divisive MCU entries yet.

While our own four-star review praises the film’s "purposefulness and gravitas that feels strikingly akin in places to Denis Villeneuve’s recent Dune," others were less kind.

"There’s just too much going on," reads The Guardian’s two-star review. "It’s not exactly boring – there’s always something new to behold – but nor it is particularly exciting, and it lacks the breezy wit of Marvel’s best movies."

You may like
  • Eternals Chloé Zhao says Eternals wasn't high on Marvel's priority list: "It [was] only on their list of potential players"
  • Chris Hemsworth in Thor Love and Thunder MCU fans are reassessing one of the most controversial Marvel Phase 4 releases
  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever As we gear up for Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel fans are sharing the love for one of the MCU's best Phase 4 titles

IndieWire bemoans Eternals’ lack of desire to wrestle free from Marvel’s tried-and-tested formula, saying "It still amounts to several hours of watching good actors save the world from bad CGI, as philosophical differences erupt into a weightless battle royale while civilization itself hangs in the balance."

On a more positive note, Observer calls Eternals "a film full of wonder and romance fueled by an agenda and audacity all its own," while Screen Rant is similarly effusive: "[Eternals] is a thrilling, epic superhero adventure all its own, with a captivating emotional heart brought to life beautifully by Zhao's direction."

As you might imagine, that’s led to Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic reflecting the mixed response from critics. The latter carries a 71% critical response, the third-lowest MCU entry of all time (as of writing – that could change) ahead of The Incredible Hulk and Thor: The Dark World.

Metacritic, meanwhile, averages out at 58/100. By that metric, it’s the fourth-lowest rated MCU movie ever made. If nothing else, it’s likely a movie that’s going to dominate the discourse for weeks to come – for better or worse.

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Eternals is set for release exclusively in theaters on November 5. For more from the MCU, check out our guide to Marvel Phase 4.

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell
Social Links Navigation
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

Read more
Eternals
Marvel Movies Chloé Zhao says Eternals wasn't high on Marvel's priority list: "It [was] only on their list of potential players"
 
 
Chris Hemsworth in Thor Love and Thunder
Marvel Movies MCU fans are reassessing one of the most controversial Marvel Phase 4 releases
 
 
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Superhero Movies As we gear up for Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel fans are sharing the love for one of the MCU's best Phase 4 titles
 
 
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams in Wonder Man.
Marvel TV Shows Don't skip Wonder Man, as overwhelmingly positive first reactions say it's one of the best MCU shows
 
 
Chris Pratt as Detective Chris Raven in Mercy
Sci-Fi Movies Chris Pratt's new AI thriller debuts to one of the Marvel star's lowest Rotten Tomatoes scores in over 10 years
 
 
Chris Hemsworth as Thor in the Avengers: Doomsday trailer
Superhero Movies Marvel fans don't think Avengers: Doomsday can beat Infinity War's $2 billion box office haul: "Not a chance"
 
 
Latest in Superhero Movies
Charlie Cox in Daredevil
Superhero Movies Daredevil actor Charlie Cox definitively says he's not in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
 
 
Spider-Man Brand New Day
Superhero Movies Spider-Man: Brand New Day dethrones GTA 6 in having the first trailer in history to surpass 500 million views in one day
 
 
Spider-Man Brand New Day
Marvel Movies Spider-Man: Brand New Day's comic book cover recreation hints at the villain in Punisher's sights
 
 
Sadie Sink
Marvel Movies Who is Sadie Sink playing in the Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer?
 
 
Spider-Man and Boomerang fighting in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Marvel Movies All the new comic-book characters in the Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer
 
 
Daredevil
Marvel Movies The Hand explained – the supernatural Marvel history of the ninjas featured in the Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer
 
 
Latest in News
DIablo 4's Inarius close to smiting down a foe
Diablo Diablo 4 game director admits it's "really hard for players to keep up" with the ever-changing ARPG
 
 
Leon Kennedy in Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Resident Evil Requiem Leon actor reacts to fans thirst-posting on main: "I bet you got a body pillow"
 
 
Donkey Kong punching through rocks in Donkey Kong Bananza with Pauline on his shoulder
Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Bananza programmer suggests using the Switch 2 platformer as destructive meditation
 
 
White text on a black background says the title "Hadar"
Games Mysterious "new IP" from CD Projekt Red is now in early pre-development stages
 
 
Invincible and Atom Eve sitting in the ruins of Burger Mart
Streaming Services Invincible season 4 and Wicked: For Good lead our list of the 6 best new shows and movies to watch this weekend
 
 
A robot missing its lower body stares forward with a glowing red light while hanging from a suspended cable in Marathon's Cryo Archive
FPS Games Marathon's Cryo Archive is a weekends-only "raid-style" PvPvE map: "So please, do scream"
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Sophie Rundle as Ada standing on the road and holding an umbrella in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man
    1
    3 new to Netflix movies I recommend you watch this weekend (March 20–March 22)
  2. 2
    Diablo 4 game director admits it's "really hard for players to keep up" with the ever-changing ARPG
  3. 3
    Resident Evil Requiem Leon actor reacts to fans thirst-posting on main: "I bet you got a body pillow"
  4. 4
    Crimson Desert Secret of the Ancient Ruins puzzle solution
  5. 5
    How to farm money in Crimson Desert

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...