Eternals

While I will leave the detailed review of “Eternals” to those more knowledgable about the MCU and superhero films, I was not that impressed. The plot gets very outer-worldly right from the start, and introduces not only ten new superheroes! but also brings into play the Eternals and other cosmic beings into the conflict. While I appreciated the attribution to some classic Greek mythology, I frankly was lost in a story that felt bigger than this single film. “Eternals” held my attention adequately, however the sole reason that I watched the film was because of Phastos’ gay character. In this regards, I was utterly disappointed. Aside from the scene where we meet Phastos, his husband, and their son – and the brief (almost missed if you aren’t looking) kiss between them – it feels like Phastos is straight-washed for the rest of the film. While I can give some kudos to showing that a character’s sexuality is irrelevant to the actual story, there is a clear imbalance between the amount of love, affection, and even romance shown among the straight superheroes that makes the actual important same-sex kiss within the MCU even less significant. I applaud the director and studio for insisting that the scene not be removed for international censorship, it feels like the scene could be cut and very little is actually missed. If you’re a fan of the MCU, give it a watch. Personally, I probably won’t bother watching this queer fantasy film a second time.