As reported by Movie Web, Marvel executive Victoria Alonso addressed the wave of negative reviews on Marvel’s Eternals release during her acceptance speech of the Visionary Award at the Outfest Legacy Awards.
Eternals currently boasts two weeks at the top of the box office chart but has also received the less prestigious honor of becoming the first “rotten” Marvel Cinematic Universe film since the interconnected storytelling franchise began in 2008. Less than 50% of the 337 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes (at the time Movie Web writes) had a positive outlook on the latest addition. While Marvel Studios doesn’t usually comment on their critics’ opinions, Alonso made reference to the sheer volume of negative reviews at the Outfest Legacy Awards.
Alonso commented in her speech, “We have tried to stir it up and sometimes the critics are not with us. That’s OK. That’s OK. We thank you for being a critic. We thank you for writing about us. And the fans will decide. Diversity and inclusion is not a political game for us. It is 100 percent a responsibility because you don’t get to have the global success that we have given the Walt Disney Company without the support of people around the world of every kind of human there is.”
Eternals has received negative reviews and bans in some countries for the inclusion of MCU’s first gay superhero. The team also features minority race characters and Lauren Rodloff’s Makkari as the first deaf superhero in the series. However, the poor reviews for the film say that none of this representation takes a focal point in the story, which is important when talking about stories with these marginalized characters.
Although Eternals is not a perfect movie, the newest addition brings a new group of superheroes into the minds of audiences. Considering its successful box office results and that Marvel is in a phase of transition, the film does a lot in its run time. Eternals introduces new characters, new stories, and set-ups that have the ultimate goal of another Avengers: Endgame scenario in the distant future. Despite its critical reviews and infrequent missteps, it seems that Marvel desires to continue its legacy of bringing a powerful, immersive story to life and connect viewers deeply to their heroes.
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