Marvel’s Eternals has been review-bombed by users on IMDB — but one of its stars apparently doesn’t care.
Per The Direct, hundreds of now-deleted one-star reviews for Eternals were logged on IMDB, despite the fact that the film hasn’t received its wide release yet. The tactic, known as “review-bombing,” has been used against many movies in recent years by disgruntled viewers attempting to tarnish the reputation of projects they don’t want to succeed. In the case of Eternals, some people have taken a stance against the decision to introduce gay superheroes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Actor Kumail Nanjiani, who plays Kingo in the film, weighed in on the subject, tweeting, “Looks like we’re upsetting the right people. Eternals opens November 5th.” The post has since been deleted, however.
Marvel’s Eternals focuses on an immortal race of powerful beings who step up as humanity’s protectors in the wake of the events of Avengers: Endgame. Amongst their ranks is Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), who is married to a character played by actor Haaz Sleiman. Sleiman, who is openly gay, has spoken at length about how he feels the film humanizes LGBTQ+ families. The actor considers the role an honor and wishes he had been able to see a similar kind of representation as a child. Sleiman also hopes that queer youth who watch Eternals see themselves in the film, which he considers potentially life-saving.
However, as the recent review-bombing shows, not everybody is happy to see Marvel embrace the LGBTQ+ community. The film was given a “Mature” rating in Russia, meaning that anybody who wants to watch Eternals must be 18 or older. Additionally, the inclusion of a same-sex couple may result in the movie being heavily censored for overseas markets, something director Chloé Zhao says she and Marvel are actively fighting against.
Outside of having the MCU’s first LGBTQ+ hero, Eternals will also feature Marvel Studios’ first deaf superhero with the character of Makkari, played by actor Lauren Ridloff. Ridloff, who is also deaf, spoke on what Makkari means to the deaf community, saying, “We need a superhero that represents us. Growing up, I didn’t dream of becoming an actor because I didn’t see enough of myself on the screen. I didn’t get to dream that big, so now, with Eternals I’m hoping that more people will be able to dream bigger.”
Though the disparaging reviews for Eternals have now been removed from IMDB, it remains to be seen how general audiences will receive the film. According to its Rotten Tomatoes score, critics’ negative reviews have resulted in Eternals being the worst-reviewed MCU film so far. However, with less than a hundred reviews at the time of this writing, that score is still likely to change. Viewers will get to decide for themselves when Eternals hits theaters on Nov. 5.
Source: Twitter
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