Once again, I am having to jam my thoughts on two seperate films together just to make life a little easier for myself with the relative lack of time I have to write reviews here.
On this first week of November, two notable films came out here in the UK. One being Eternals, the new entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the other being Spencer, a drama about Princess Diana. I was infinitely more excited for the former but was also interested in checking out the latter as well, so I was able to see them both and came out of each with reactions I hadn't quite anticipated.
First off, Eternals. This new MCU film comes from Chloe Zhao, who only just found great success with her film Nomadland. I wasn't crazy about that film, but it did leave me thoroughly keen to see where Zhao would go next, and the fact that an MCU film from her was on the near horizon was really exciting. Eternals looked great from the trailers and posters; I loved epic nature it presented with characters that seemed straight out of ancient mythology, it looked truly awesome. But, a sea of mixed reactions flooded in, including the MCU's first rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes, currently sitting at less than 50%. I don't really take RT scores as an accurate indication of a film's quality, but the fact that this was the first film in this franchise with over twenty films to get a score this low was interesting. So, suddenly I was a little cautious, but still mostly certain that I'd enjoy the film. It involves a team of ancient warriors known as the 'Eternals' who have lived on Earth for thousands of years, protecting the people from a group of nasties known as the 'Deviants'. After a long period of dormancy, the Deviants seem to be re-emerging as cataclysmic events begin to unfold, prompting the gang to get back together again.
Okay, so is the film as bad as you might have feared? In my opinion, definitely not. But, is it much good? Well, it's interesting. Eternals is successful in lots of places but falters quite significantly in others. What I liked about it most was the scale, it does feel truly epic and as if great things are at stake, which makes the film thoroughly exciting and visually spectacular. Also, while a lot of the characters were fairly underdeveloped, I still really enjoyed them and their interactions for the most part. Gemma Chan was really good in the lead, Richard Madden gives another solid performance, Kumail Nanjiani is as funny as ever, Brian Tyree Henry is really likeable, Barry Keoghan continues to prove he's a very versatile performer, and everyone else for the most part wasn't bad. It's also great to see such a wonderfully diverse cast of characters, reaching out to demographics that haven't really been represented at all in the MCU prior to this. The main problem is that the film was ultimately kind off a mess. It's structure relies a lot on flashbacks that go on and on and distract from where the plot currently is, there's an awful lot of exposition that is delivered in contrived ways, and these result in the film being badly paced and feeling really long, boosting the runtime to unjustifiable lengths. The humour was also very hit or miss, but mostly miss to be honest, and unfortunately, the action was slightly underwhelming, with some interesting visuals but ultimately boring stuff being depicted. I also feel like the narrative itself was a bit incomplete - I'm sure a future installment will tie some of these loose ends, but that meant this film didn't feel particularly cohesive on its own.
All things considered, Eternals wasn't as bad as I feared it might be, but it also wasn't as good as I hoped it'd be. I enjoyed it just fine and had fun, but that didn't stop me from recognising how it is a bit all over the place and definitely needs some work.
I'm going to give Eternals a 7.0/10
A few days later, I saw Spencer. I was intrigued to see this film as the trailers made it look fascinating, but I had an underlying sense that I probably wouldn't enjoy it. I'm not usually a fan of dramas or slow-movers, or even period pieces to be honest, so I suspected I'd just end up recognising things that are good but also feeling quite unengaged overall. The film covers a troubling three days for Princess Diana spending Christmas at Sandringham estate and struggling to adapt to the royal way of living and fearing what sort of future lies ahead.
I thought Spencer was a very impressive piece of work, and a lot of it comes down to how it depicts the events on screen. After watching this film, the royal life feels anything but enviable. Many scenes are so hard to watch because you're so caught up in how anxiety-inducing certain events are, even if they don't immediately seem that way. Eating a meal seems so uncomfortable and even horrific, having a wardrobe full of clothes to chosen for you to be worn at specific times and being forced to close your curtains is all so restraining, contributing to this extremely pessimistic atmosphere around a way of living that many wouldn't inherently connect. A lot of praise has been directed towards Kristen Stewart and her portrayal of Diana, and for good reason. I'm very unfamiliar with a lot of her other work, but she's really compelling in the film; you easily pick up all the awkwardness and uneasiness that she feels in this environment, to the point where I didn't even feel like I was watching a performance, I just thought I was watching the real Diana, having to remind myself that it was in fact an actor. Amazing stuff from her. The way the film is shot stood out to me as very effective. The choice to shoot on film is gorgeous, and it captures the nature of the setting so perfectly; it seems so bleak and so cold. It makes it all feel so old-fashioned as well, so much so that I almost forgot this takes place in 1991! I also liked how, for most shots inside the estate, Diana is framed to look really small, adding to the idea that she's out of her depth. It also goes without saying that the costumes and set design were all top notch as well, solidifying this film as a visual feast. I also think it's amazing that the film manages to convey this atmosphere (of anxiety, loneliness, bleakness, etc.) while also being set at Christmas. I mean, Christmas is literally the most joyful time of the year, and it's almost impossible for me to watch something related to it and not feel jolly in the slightest. But, somehow, it didn't prevent this film from doing what it did, not even serving as a form of relief for the main character in any way, just going to show how unattractive this way of living is. If there are any issues with the film, my main one would probably be that the overall tone of the film isn't something I'd instantly want to revisit, as successful as it may have been. Also, I'm not at all familiar with the way this story panned out in reality, but there were parts that did certainly feel quite on the nose and as if they were embellished.
Overall, I was very surprised by how much I got out of Spencer. I thought it was a really well made film anchored by a strong central performance and with an atmosphere that was executed masterfully. Is it something I'd love to see again? Probably not, but on this occasion, I thought it was remarkable and certainly worth my time.
I'm going to give Spencer an 8.5/10
So, let this week of new releases go to show that, sometimes, all is not what it seems. Something you assume you'd really like may not do so, and vice versa.
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