If the somewhat lukewarm reception to the latest Thor and Doctor Strange is anything to go by, even the average moviegoer is beginning to feel the effects of franchise fatigue with the MCU. Which is why it's disappointing that its most unique outing that breaks away from the mold in a lot of ways might very well be it's worst effort to date. Eternals experiments with a new tone and style, but forgets to make any of it interesting outside of its admittedly enticing ending. The film introduces a new team of heroes who are basically a melancholy and boring version of the Avengers, or perhaps more accurately the Justice League considering one of the characters is literally just Marvel's Superman. The writers did their best to try and make them deeper and more complex than the rest of their peers by placing a strong emphasis on their struggle with their complicated origin and purpose. Unfortunately nobody onscreen comes off as anything greater than a basic motivation and a goal, while never undergoing any significant development or growth either. So it all feels like a bunch of unjustified melodrama at the end of the day, akin to what Zack Snyder gave us when he kicked off the DCEU. It also doesn't help that they're an unlikable bunch. Few times before has an assemblage of such recognizable and usually reliable names been this uncharismatic. On top of being as dull as dishwasher, the fact that the higher powered ones all bear secret resentments towards one another to the point where they anxiously await an opportunity to "clip each other's wings" makes them seem petty and hateful. It's an old trope in these type of group movies that's never made anyone in them endearing. Then there's the story and adventure themselves to consider, which lack excitement to boot. Kumail Nanjiani does his darndest to inject some life into the mix, but the script is working against him at every turn with bland action sequences and largely humourless attempts at comedy. Things do pick up some steam in the final act however. It's legitimately fun watching these guys and gals beat the crap out of each other thanks to their neat powers, and the shocking cliffhanger conclusion honestly had my jaw on the floor. Paired with the compelling post-credit stingers I became cautiously intrigued with the future of these heroes despite not enjoying the majority of what came beforehand. Ultimately, it gets some points for pulling something out of its butt right there at the end to actually leave me awaiting a sequel. Although, that follow-up is going to need to improve on a lot. On top of the stuff I already mentioned, this narrative only serves to highlight how the MCU has the most convoluted and perplexing lore of any cinematic property possibly ever. Featuring more cosmic threats, entities, organizations, races, dimensions, and gods than the entire Cthulhu mythos. I will say the additions to it here do turn out to be fascinating and have immense potential moving forward if handled correctly. This was sadly just a very poor introduction to this portion of the universe that hopefully the later installments will be able to overcome.