I went to the pictures this week. I've not been to the cinema for ages. Hard to believe I used to go every week.
As always I went with my cinema buddy, this week to see super heroes, the Eternals. The screening we went to was a 5pm showing at Cineworld, so we had time to get a bite to eat beforehand. The current KFC TV ad campaign where gravy is poured over everything had worked his magic on us so we ate the Colonel's chicken.
We settled down for the film, which at 2 hours and 40 minutes was a long one. As soon as the lights went off I fell asleep! Going to the flicks after work is always risky!
Thirty minutes later I woke up and tried to get into the remaining 2 hours + of the film. I really struggled and I don't think my sleep was the reason.
The Eternals is a an extended spandex mess and really quite boring. Its hard to say why but for me it just was. I wasn't alone. My buddy thought so too. Not even Angelina Jolie could rescue it.
I imagine Jack Kirby's original super hero comics were much much more exciting.
Despite the movie being a let down I enjoyed getting out a lot.
Have you seen the Eternals or been to the cinema recently?
No I haven't seen it and probably won't actually form an opinion on Internals until it's on the telly and I believe you're not the only one who thinks the wheels have finally fallen off the Marvel/Disney wagon, I don't hate this company's output but I do despise it's need for global domination of the market
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean. Up to now I have enjoyed Marvel's output - although the series are all too talky - but overall prefer DC's roster of films MJ. Nowhere near as prolific as Marvel and I love the DC heroes and villains. Watched Man of Steel again this week on Netflix and the Supe score always sends a shiver down my spine. Those simple trumpet sounds embody all our hopes and dreams in one somehow. I sometimes think we could do with Supe stopping by and sorting us all out!
DeleteThe Eternals is just overall a poorly written movie about (imo) 3rd rate superheroes. To be honest, I was never a fan of nor read more then 2 issues of the comics.
ReplyDeleteBesides just being boring, they have too many characters for an origin movie. What made The Avengers work was each character had their own origin movie(s) and then the established characters came together in the team movie to fight a new bad guy. The Eternals tries ti wedge multiple origins, a team up and new bad guy all into one movie. A three hour movie for a lesser property should have been a warning sign. It probably would have worked better if it was a series on Netflix/Disney+ etc.
As it is, box office attendance for it dropped 75% for its second week. The toys aren't selling. The Eternals is probably done after one.
That said, Ghostbusters Afterlife was wonderful. It starts a little slow but keeps you interested as the clues and story unfolds. It more than makes up for the minor sins in Ghostbusters II and the 2016 fiasco. Ghostbusters was a supernatural movie with a dash of comedy to give the audience time to relax. GBII had a bit too much comedy dumped into the recipe. GB2016 was a comedy (imo parody) movie with a dash of supernatural. GB:A follows the original recipe with just the right change of ingredients. If you watch it, there is a mid credit scene and an after credits scene.
Yep, Eternals was a bit pants Lance for sure, for all the reasons you said. I think I'd even struggle with it as a series. I'm already struggling with Marvel's The Defenders. There's just SO much talking!
DeleteAs for Ghostbusters Afterlife, with such a glowing report from you its now well and truly in my sights for a Christmas visit to the flicks. I just hope its still on in December when I next have chance to go!
When we saw Ghostbusters in 1984 our daughter was born the morning after! We nearly called her Slimer!
I really don't like today's multiplexes -just too impersonal. I feel like they are just a machine for separating money from patrons. I prefer our local family-run cinema in Glenbrook, at the base of the Blue Mountains. It has miraculously survived Covid and has lost none of its charm, despite mandatory upgrades.
ReplyDeleteI recently saw Shang Chi and the Ten Rings there, with the benefit of a subtitle gizmo (for the hard of hearing) that plugs into the pop corn holder on the seats!
I'm holding off on seeing the new Bond fillum until it screens there in early December...
I suppose it was inevtiable Looey that cinemas would be super-sized like everything else. I don't mind multi=plexes to be hinest. They're not packed anymore, which is a result of the Pandemic I think. Local cinemas are cool though and its ages since I've been to a small one like yours. I'd like to see Shang Chi. I loved the comics as a Kung Fu crazy kid and did a few drawings of the man himself. I still have them somewhere! That subtitle gizmo was handy. I'd like to see the Bond movie too but I'm running out of time this year. No Time to Go!
DeleteI'm probably in the minority, but I have not been as enamored of the Marvel films as others have become. From a technical standpoint the movies are well-made, the acting is fine, and the writing is (given that the base material is comic books!) fairly good...but my brain seems to turn off when a movie becomes a CGI spectacle.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean Captain. I prefer the DC films myself.
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