Eternals and Slow River
Nov. 7th, 2021 09:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alobearDave proposed a spontaneous visit to the cinema on Friday night to see Eternals. And Marvel continued in its (very short) recent trend of not disappointing me, as I really enjoyed it!
I went in with low expectations, since the trailer hadn't massively enthused me, and I was very pleasantly surprised. Based on both poster and trailer, I had assumed that Ikaris (the straight white guy) was the main focus of the film and the leader of the Eternals. But, it turned out Salma Hayek's character was in charge, and Gemma Chan's character was the main focus, so that was great! (Presumably, the marketing department assumed all the straight, white, male Marvel fans wouldn't go and see it if they knew the truth???)
I also originally thought the design and planning of the Eternals' powers wasn't very sensible, if their main purpose was to fight large monsters, since only four of the ten had powers that naturally leant themselves to fighting. But, over the course of the film, nearly all of the others found creative ways to help out in the fights.
It was all very visually striking, most of the characters got layers and interesting arcs (with the women very much getting most of the attention and depth), it was pretty funny in places, and the ridiculous run-time didn't drag. So, yay for another good entry into the MCU!
This week, I also finished reading Slow River by Nicola Griffith. It's an SF Masterwork, but difficult to describe. It tells the story of Lore, through three different timelines (her childhood up to her kidnapping, the period after her escape when she lives with Spanner, and a few years later when she's trying to build a new life). Its set in the future, but there isn't all that much futuristic stuff in it (mostly social media type online stuff, which must have been very prescient in 1995). It's really very much more of a character piece, gradually piecing together the experiences that have shaped Lore's circumstances and attitudes. It's about perceptions of relationships, surviving abuse of different types, and finding a place in the world to feel safe and loved. I found it compelling from start to finish.
I went in with low expectations, since the trailer hadn't massively enthused me, and I was very pleasantly surprised. Based on both poster and trailer, I had assumed that Ikaris (the straight white guy) was the main focus of the film and the leader of the Eternals. But, it turned out Salma Hayek's character was in charge, and Gemma Chan's character was the main focus, so that was great! (Presumably, the marketing department assumed all the straight, white, male Marvel fans wouldn't go and see it if they knew the truth???)
I also originally thought the design and planning of the Eternals' powers wasn't very sensible, if their main purpose was to fight large monsters, since only four of the ten had powers that naturally leant themselves to fighting. But, over the course of the film, nearly all of the others found creative ways to help out in the fights.
It was all very visually striking, most of the characters got layers and interesting arcs (with the women very much getting most of the attention and depth), it was pretty funny in places, and the ridiculous run-time didn't drag. So, yay for another good entry into the MCU!
This week, I also finished reading Slow River by Nicola Griffith. It's an SF Masterwork, but difficult to describe. It tells the story of Lore, through three different timelines (her childhood up to her kidnapping, the period after her escape when she lives with Spanner, and a few years later when she's trying to build a new life). Its set in the future, but there isn't all that much futuristic stuff in it (mostly social media type online stuff, which must have been very prescient in 1995). It's really very much more of a character piece, gradually piecing together the experiences that have shaped Lore's circumstances and attitudes. It's about perceptions of relationships, surviving abuse of different types, and finding a place in the world to feel safe and loved. I found it compelling from start to finish.
