Even it comes to Marvel films and critical reception, many of them have been highly regarded, placing on critics’ year-end lists and even receiving award nominations. But the mixed reception of 2021’s Eternals showed not every MCU release will be a critical darling. In particular, the film’s Rotten Tomatoes score grabbed headlines as it was the first Marvel film to be marked as “rotten.” It shocked many viewers as the ensemble film was the follow-up to director Chloé Zhao’s historic Oscar win. For months, the Eternals director has remained silent on the low RT rating until now.
The Nomadland director finally broke her silence on the matter by taking to her Instagram. Her response came as a rebuttal to a story from… you guessed it – Rotten Tomatoes. The site questioned whether Eternals deserved its low ranking amongst all MCU projects. Of course, Zhao couldn’t pass up the opportunity to give her two cents on the debate. To see her witty comeback to the lauded review site’s question, check out Chloé Zhao’s Insta Story below:
You must give the Oscar-winning director credit for seizing an opportunity. Of course, Rotten Tomatoes opened the low rating debate to their followers. Instead of being upset or defensive, Zhao was open to the debate as she pushed viewers to watch the film and judge for themselves. Plugging Eternals’ Disney+ release with extras was genius on the director’s part. Her proposition will, at least, intrigue those who haven’t seen the MCU film to see if RT’s overall score was correct.
As outstanding as Chloé Zhao’s Oscar win was, it may have tainted critics’ reception of Eternals. Marvel producer Nate Moore pointed out the combination of the pandemic, Avengers: Endgame’s overwhelmingly positive reception and Zhao’s win led to lofty expectations for the ensemble piece. The film appeared to have too much riding on it as Phase Four’s possible answer to The Avengers. He was right in that the hype was overwhelming for a film featuring a relatively unknown group of superheroes. Of course, it worked before with the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy. But this time, the MCU had to combat its biggest foe yet – a world reeling from a still-rampant virus.
While RT’s critics may not have enjoyed the film, moviegoers were highly satisfied as Eternals scored a 78% audience score and over $401 million at the global box office. As many fans have pointed out, the ensemble piece acted more as a set-up for more Eternals and the MCU’s future. There’s been no news of a sequel, but that doesn’t mean Chloe Zhao isn’t already making plans. Hopefully, this debate over the film’s score will lead to a reassessment.
Marvel fans will get the opportunity to enter the RT debate by streaming Eternals once it arrives on Disney+ on Jan. 12.
