#eternals movie review

[moviepixie]

Eternals

subtitle: saviours or fools

So this review is going to have spoilers because I have a lot of opinions to express.

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I thought the movie was giving discount Justice League when I saw Ekeret. But then they quickly changed my mind. Funny enough, this movie exceeded my expectations but still disappointed me. If you enjoy action with a balance of talking, plot twist and plot then have at it. The movie is a fresh view of Marvel and a different perspective on everything we know so far. I had no idea of the celestial's existence before watching this movie. They actually gave me encouragement to read the comics. They may have mentioned it briefly in Guardians of the Galaxy or something but I didn't really pay it much in mind. This movie specifically brought them to mind and widened our lore on Marvel which I loved.

That being said the celestials are quite ugly and looked like traffic lights on a stickman body but I digress. The plot of this movie was stopping a celestial from being born because Earth would have to be destroyed in the process. In most Marvel movies, I side with the heroes but this time, I'd have to side with the bad guys. Celestials create universes and in turn they create worlds and bring forth new life. This means a single celestial's birth brings forth millions if not billions of worlds.

The birth of a celestial is said to occur every billion years therefore it is not a frequent occurrence. Earth was chosen to bring forth a celestial, while in theory that is sad for humans, it is for the greater good and we have no idea how not allowing a celestial to be born with deter the balance of universes in that world. The celestial to be born from Earth was Tiamut. From what I gathered (I looked up a list of the strongest celestials). Tiamut is one of the strongest to ever exist but in this movie, he was killed. Which doesn't make sense to me.

The original plan was to delay the celestial from being born and allow the humans of Earth to escape. The plan then changed to killing the celestial which like I said we have no idea what that would do to the balance of the universes. I also wanted to see the birth of a celestial in full and vivid detail. Now after all the fighting and plot armour, two of the other Eternals decided that wanted to tell others like them in other worlds the truth of the birth of a celestial. Now firstly, if telling them the truth would mean that they would try to save the planets in turn then this is an absolutely dumb idea.

There is no wisdom in going around and killing celestials, it only further fractures the state of the universe! By saving these lives they are killing multitudes more! Now if the celestial was going to create only a world I would be against it but millions of worlds for one? Sure it might have worked out once but continually doing it is going to have consequences from a general standpoint.

One thing I didn't understand is the connection of the head of the Eternals to Arishem. If he really is their god/ creator, he should have a failsafe aka a means of managing them if they became sentient enough to tip over the balance of the universe. He also should have been aware of their thought process and have a way of tweaking their memories. Like if you're going to be a god then do it properly. He only came after the damage had been done but the fact that he even came in the first place actually eased the itch I wanted scratched.

Either way, I don't think I'd watch it again but seeing as the majority of my complaints stemmed from the bigger picture, I enjoyed the movie to a decent extent. I'd rate the movie a 7/10 on the general scale and a 6.2 on my personal scale.

[bellemagedon]

my favorite letterboxd reviews ‼️ letterboxd is my form of twitter

[montageofme]

[thesolitarysoul]

[scarabjewels]

The Perfect Ending of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

I watched that movie during a time of immense heartbreak, I was with someone and we were taking a break. That person talked about this movie so much, and honestly, his head is way up his ass to think he is like Joel.

As you might have figured, we ultimately broke up and boy, was I glad.

But enough of that, let's discuss the movie's ending.

The Journey to the End

Essentially, Joel and Clem's relationship became rocky, and both of them goes under an experimental procedure to erase each other I their memories, Clem did it first, unbeknownst to Joel. Joel, in protest and anger, undergoes himself.

What we were revealed with was memories of their relationship, and in my opinion, their relationship was based on high highs and low lows.

They were complete opposites of each other, and while they adore each other , their views are opposing each other. Clementine's personality is what you could call a passionate flame, she warms you up and sometimes she could burn. She was well aware of how she is seen by the men she dated: a quirky fun charismatic lover/ saviour, and had warned Joel that she is no concept, but a person looking for peace of mind.

Joel on the other hand is a reserved artist. He is not an enthusiastic animated happy person, but a reserved person who need to time to process things and takes time to answer. Joel is easily content, but finds it hard to settle.

In their first run-through of their relationship, I truly think that Joel and Clem are in so many ways toxic. They were never going to work with who they were during that time.

The scene of them trying to mend their fight. TRIGGERING.

Clementine is clearly communicating her wants and concerns, but hearing what she is saying is quite aggressive and explosive. Joel mumbles and is mostly quiet, which can be worse to the person being clear. When he does talk, he is passive-aggressive. At the end of the conversation, Joel tries to cosy up to probably comfort Clem, but Clem moves away, with a face of annoyance.

That is where it was clear that they could not work. Joel is passive-aggressive and incredibly self-deprecating. Clementine is an emotional wreck and defends herself by offence.

I really am basing my observations along with CinemaTherapy's video essay of this movie.

The customized "lobotomy" experiment

Clementine leaves one night after another argument with Joel, where Joel completely implied that she was a sl*t. Being the Aries queen, she immediately decided to undergo a memory erasing procedure in a clinic named Lacuna. The procedure is basically a customized lobotomy, pinpointing specific memories to be erased. Clementine chose to erase memories of her relationship with Joel, of which he learned days after Joel went to make amends with Clem, who has completely forgotten about him and has a new suitor for an added salt burn.

Joel decides to undergo the same procedure, and thus, the movie’s main plot play.

I think this sci-fi aspect of Lacuna's experimental medical surgery is a fun idea that would only have worked with Eternal Sunshine. The 90s to early 200s had a lot of futurism themes, such as Spicy City, Evangelion, Ghost in the Shell, The Fifth Element, and Men in Black and Hackers. The media is incredibly aesthetic but usually is either cult following and are of the trend at the time. They are iconic, but the theme was scattered heavily as it was trendy. Eternal Sunshine had psychological thriller and drama ingrained, with its sci-fi themes kept at a minimum, albeit hugely practical to the plot. I can not believe just how great the screenwriting is, but I do feel weird about what Jim said Gondry (the director) told him in the cast meeting.

Back to the memory erasing surgery, I think it's also something a lot of people dealing with grief wished existed. It might be a manifestation of a desire of a solution to instantly soothe grief, and it is a direct point from the main moral of the movie, which I will get to in a moment.

The Role of Memories

I have seen movies using losing memories as a major plot device for a certain character. In this case, it is used as a literal device and its effect on characters. Domino effects.

Joel realized his wrongs as he went through memory lane. He loves Clementine, and halfway through the procedure, he immediately regrets the decision and tries his hardest to keep the memories that will eventually be erased. He engages into conversation with the Clem of his memories, reliving the wonderful and ugliest memories they have. In the process, he faces a lot of his underlying issues and grows as a person (not by much but a good amount. Remember, growth takes LONG). He also wanted another chance with Clementine, another go.

In Clementine's journey, memory loss proves to be damaging. She was going emotionally insane like something was missing. She was frantic and triggered every time Patrick (her new lover in the movie) would use Joel's memories to seduce her (unbeknownst to her knowledge). It was like she was simultaneously trying to either relive a similar memory or go away from it. She was confused and honestly, in my personal opinion, somewhat very guilty of what she was doing. She can't go about her day normally. I remember the two scenes of Joel subtly insulting her and calling her a sl*t. The argument and the recording. In both times, she was firm and offended. However, the second time, she communicated her feelings firmly but gently. She wasn't a person who gets around that way, and I think her relationship with Patrick was the proof of that. Even without the memories of Joel, she somehow felt like she was cheating on him (imo).

I really truly think their last memories of each other were about Montauc. They met there at the same time, like reliving a memory. They were the same people but grew a little, enough to have some actual compatability with each other. Let's be honest. She and Joel, in the first time around, were intrigued by each other by attraction, but their polar oppositions made them impossible to have common ground except highly joyous emotional situations such as celebrations, small moments of creativity, sex etc. Their issues held them back and mixed like fire and ice.

However, the second time, they were BETTER. Maybe not the best versions (this movie is about realistic growth, so the best versions will be very much not to our knowledge). Joel was still a quiet private person who isn't very confronting, and Clem was still overreactive and defensive. But what changed is their ability to take accountability and better engagement AND BETTER COMMUNICATION. Honestly, that is the major improvement, the ending scene of them actually TALKING to each other. I was like "an actual conversation".

In the end, him and Clem while having some growth and a successful memory, erasure, we're fated to meet and fall in love all over again.

It is an unorthodox love story which I tell you is oddly realistic, their fate is now up in the air, will they go back to their turbulent cycle or actually work this time around?

The Hope of The Ending

When I first watched it, it was around the time of a huge argument that is similar to one of Joel and Clementine's volatile fights. I was reactive and hurtful, he was pointed and quiet.

At the time, I thought the ending is that they were continuing a toxic cycle, even when I humoured my then boyfriend at the time that I think they'll get together in a better light. Because I wanted out argument and feeling fixed. But I think my thoughts during that time should have been the sign I took to actually break up with him. I was the only one working in that relationship, and he broke up with me. I'll admit it. He was a piece of shit. He revelled in the fact that he was wanted while wanting someone else.

Now, after a year after breaking up with him, I do not miss him at all, but my thoughts on the movie changed. I realize that Joel and Clem really were already established people. They just had to work on their self-esteem on their own for a bit, and they did. In the movie. They already did. So the toxic cycle wasn't exactly going to happen anymore. It was a matter of choosing to really work with someone on a relationship. Mistakes will happen, but that's the lesson. They have a choice to work through and move forward or break up and move forward separately.

I think Clem wanted a person who would be there for her, and while I think she can make friends (she needs to), I think the new version of Joel could actually work. I truly think they worked on their insecurities and anxieties during the Lacuna procedure. It's just that they need to grow continuously on their own a little while longer. Growth is an active choice and habit in the long run. Joel enjoys being alone but is now more open-minded and engaging. He matured a little more. These two could work. Or not. But those are choices they are given to take.

The ending gave the audience the lesson of choice. Either direction can set them free.

I made my choices in relationships. Some were the strongest and even solid ones I knew would work with me until the end, yet even those I made a choice to end.

This film taught me that it will be okay, it is better to have loved than lost, I have memories with them and that was enough.

[mostafamahmmoudalhusseiny]

أنا مريض بالفيلم دا...

[todayisafridaynight]

Since you mentioned it, what did you think of Speak No Evil? I was thinking of watching it myself :0

i really liked it ............ my friend scoffed at me when i told her i was watchin it so take my opinion with a grain of salt tho </3

[love-from-sasha]

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

dir. Michel Gondry

"what a loss to spend that much time with someone, only to find out that she's a stranger"

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a gut-wrenchingly raw depiction of what it means to love someone

the film revolves around Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) who discovers that his former lover, Clementine Kruzcynski (Kate Winslet) has completely erased him from her memory. upon learning this, Joel consults the company responsible for this erasure, Lacuna inc, to do the same for his memories of Clementine

the narrative core takes place within Joel's memories, whilst he relives them as they are being erased. as a result, the relationship between Joel and Clementine is revealed in reverse, which makes the gradual descent into turmoil even more intense. in midst of the erasure process, however, Joel comes to the realisation that he would rather the memories of clementine be unpleasant in the context of their relationship, rather than for them to not exist at all

letting go is one of the most difficult things a person can do. we hold on to things we value as if they will cease to exist when we let go, and in that way we grieve for what is not truly dead

the film ultimately arrives to the conclusion that having a spotless mind does not bring eternal sunshine, as you may forget a past memory but you cannot forget the intrinsically linked emotions. this is explored in the subplot following Mary Svevo (Kirsten Dunst) who discovers that she had her past love affair with Dr Howard Mierzwaik (Tom Wilkinson) erased, and she arrives to that discovery through the rebirth of her love to him

the core message is that pain is what fundamentally shapes us into who we are. we can wish it away and repress it, but the thoughts and memories will always remain, no matter how hard we try

the film opens with a scene that takes places following the memory erasure. on valentines day, Joel feels the inexplicable urge to go to Montauk instead of work, and there he meets Clementine, as she too had experienced that impulse. on that cold day at the beach, they fall for each other all over again

after Joel and Clementine learn they had their memories erased when things didn’t work out, they somehow decide to try again - they know what is waiting at the end of that road and yet they choose to go through it anyway. their journey had been erased after all, and they therefore have an opportunity to re-experience it. perhaps that’s the only way they can understand the nature of their previous destination, or maybe, they share a mutual hope that there could be a different outcome

CLEMENTINE: I'm not a concept, Joel. I'm just a fucked-up girl who is looking for my own peace of mind. I'm not perfect. JOEL: I can't think of anything I don't like about you right now. CLEMENTINE: But you will. You will think of things. And I'll get bored with you and feel trapped because that's what happens with me. JOEL: Ok. CLEMENTINE: Ok.

meet me in montauk,

sasha

[stickyvoidpaper]

firm believer that eternals would've been 10000% better as a TV show. Please please please they are all decent characters, great special effects (in my nonprofessional opinion) but every single time they scrape the surface of something that would be really interesting

in an episode of a TV show.

they have to move on.

I'm losing it.

[emmassecretgardens]

Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind

2004. With Kate Winslet and Jim Carey. Mark Ruffalo and Kirsten Dunst

Saw this movie last night. Been a while since I've wanted to see it. Lot of actors and actresses that I like in it.

I knew about the plot but even so, the first minutes were a little bit obtuse, music was opressive.

But then what a masterpiece. I knew I was going to enjoy the movie but it's not so much the movie in itself but the acting and the writing and the views.

It feels like I was too awed by so many details that I didn't take the movie as something whole but as fragments all incredibly put together.

I feel it's a movie you need to see more than once to really understand it all.

[brettesims]

My Favorite Films:

These are favorite films of all time; my comfort movies. I can watch them again and again and never get tired of them. As I grow I also find new levels of understanding in each film as they are consciously very layered films. I have such a passion for well done indie films. I wish there were more black indies at this caliber because I know we have a passion for them and are misrepresented. But until then I will keep running these back!

~ B

[sinnermannn]

Doom has always been badass and this trailer is so damn sick. What do you guys think.

[2amvoicemail]

God, I can't get over how much I love Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I've rewatched it 3 times since I first viewed it last week, and it's just PERFECT.

To begin with, there is not a single character (Except Howard's wife, who was only in about 30 seconds of the movie, but her lines were still extremely impactful) who is either perfect or villianous. Every character has made mistakes, exhibits questionable morals, but in a way that is perfectly balanced to make them perfectly human.

Jim Carrey is not dissimilar to Steve Carell in the fact that they are both primarily comedic actors who SHINE in dramatic roles. They both capture the essence of what it means to be an emotional person so well. Hearing Jim Carrey as Joel speak from the soul of his heartbreak gives me chills, and I'll never not cry during the scene of him driving away from the beach house, watching his memories be erased, knowing this is the end, and finishing with "she was just some girl."

And the SOUNDTRACK, oh my god. It makes the movie. The scores are perfect for each scene. That one piano song that plays during the scene where Joel and Clementine are kids, and while Joel is letting go of his last few memories makes me yearn for this kind of bittersweet sadness that drives me to write.

From a completely aesthetic point of view, the way this movie was filmed, directed and edited was gorgeous. Every visual detail represents something, from the books at the library slowly disappearing to Clementine's hair colors representing whatever season the memory takes place in. I feel like every time I watch this movie, I notice another small detail that I hadn't before, Shoutout to the post-production team, every detail matters and the editing pushed this movie beyond how perfect it already was.

This movie is the epitome of what it feels like to experience heartbreak, loss, regret, and then the down-the-road realization that even though you were hurt, it was all worth it to experience love. It left me considering the beauty of failed friendships and relationships.

[spiritsurfers]

🔴/🔵 --> ⚪

https://spiritsurfers.substack.com/p/video-decoding-the-blue-ray-through

[thesolitarysoul]

Memories can be painful, yes, it is because they belonged to a happier era, but is erasing them the answer? Forgetting won't bring joy; it doesn't make you carefree, it would render you hollow, empty, like releasing a treasured fragment of your being. Even pain, however undesirable, is a part of your human experience. And it's the memories, that cause pain, they're the eternal sunshine of our unblemished, childlike spotless minds.

📽️: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

[lserver362reviews]

It's hard to sit down and do the viewing experience justice when it comes to a movie like this. But since they gave us it, it's my duty to try my hardest to convey my gratitude by giving this a go. Show me a movie that has the even half the commitment to each character that this one does. In a movie where there are multiple selves, I was reminded just how complex every one of us is. All the unseen motivators and life experience that leads us to where we are at this very moment. Nietzsche's "Eternal Return" states that we are destined to be Everything Everywhere All at Once. If the Universe is infinite that means that every combination of matter exists in one area eventually, but also because matter is finite but goes on forever, the sequences repeat. This is an explanation for the multiverse. Because of this infinite sequence repeating or "Eternal Return" that we face, our commitment to the present is so incredibly important. It's all there is, simultaneously forever. So if everything just is and doomed to forever be, why not look at everything as important? If every action holds the same meaning because elsewhere everything else exists (chaotic, no?) we're free to make decisions that bear consequences in this current life and fully accept that responsibility. It takes an awful lot of faith to be kind in the world, but what kind of self do you want to live with forever? I've always found a lot of comfort in the multiverse because it gives the opportunity for existence in every single way. It soothes the feeling of life being subpar here. Elsewhere my dreams take shape, and it's a good reminder that it could always be worse. This idea presents endless possibilities and ways beyond imagining. This movie, oh yeah I'm making a review of a movie here, dares to imagine. BUT what strikes me the most about this movie besides all of the above philosophical stuff that it brings up, is that it's about what gives life meaning, whatever the life you're having/living looks like. Love, connection, grace, understanding, and acceptance are so genuinely and lovingly portrayed that I wept as I watched. I know what it's like to be queer, depressed, crave an everything bagel, be in love, and live with dynamic, often difficult, relations to my parents. I don't have an experience of being an immigrant or audited or facing a divorce, but I don't need to have experienced it to know that these experiences are complex, compelling, and human. This movie just nails every single portrayal and communicating these complexities with each of its characters, in their own way that feels full and without bashing you over the head with the themes. It cannot be said enough, yes the visuals were really stunning but the film is carried by this cast. There's so much play, and so much heart in this movie that the run time really flew by. The opposite of chaos is intention. The music, the humor, the design were all powerful tools to make true cinema here. I'm not using hyperbole when I'm say that I could feel this movie changing my life. Much like Nietzsche, even though I'm a Kierkegaard lady, the philosophy of this movie is to affirm life, however it may present and that you do get a role in that presentation through your actions and/or mindset. This movie reminded me of being a depressed kid and just wanting to be alone so I didn't have to try to explain what I was experiencing and let me tell you I've never related to and been so moved by two rocks sitting on the side of a cliff. This movie really has everything. Also Ke Huy Quan stole my whole heart. We love a quintessential dad, who puts googly eyes (the inverse of the bagel) onto stuff to introduce whimsical chaos into the recurring day to day of laundry and taxes. Love is still the most powerful force on the planet