Eternally Ending Supervillain Threats
Eternals is the latest Phase 4 Marvel movie, introducing a brand new set of superheroes ready to take on a world-ending threat. If you’ve finished watching this one, you may be itching for more of the same. Well, fret not! We’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle with our top 10 picks. Of course for all the movies we’ve reviewed, we’ve also added a handy link so you can check out our full review. So without further ado, we present 10 movies to check out when you’ve finished watching Eternals!
Zack Snyder’s Justice League
Zack Snyder’s Justice League is quite simply the definitive cut of a 4 year old movie that deserved better. It’s a film that shows one Director’s true vision and does so with as many of Snyder’s trademark cuts and ideas along the way. The story here essentially revolves around Batman recruiting the various Justice League members across the globe, in order to stop the global alien threat of Steppenwolf. Justice League is as good as one could expect given the circumstances; a movie cobbled together from the ruinous ashes of 2017’s Frankenstein’s Monster and assembled in a way that looks less grotesque and more competent. At over 4 hours long though, this one’s quite the hefty watch.
Avengers: Infinity war
With so many characters to juggle and a run time of around 2 and a half hours, Marvel do a great job bringing everything together for Infinity War, the first part of a 2-movie story. Every fight plays into the bigger picture here, and whether it be the opening skirmish between Thanos and Hulk or a battlefield-spanning epic to protect one of their own, Infinity War is a beautifully balanced superhero film. It’s the perfect way to reward fans that have stuck with the franchise over the years. The story opens right at the heart of the action on board the Asgardian Ship housing characters from the after-credit scene at the end of Thor: Ragnarok. After a brief skirmish that sees Thanos brush aside Hulk and Thor, it’s revealed that this unimaginably powerful being is after the Infinity Stones in a bid to become the most dominant being in the Universe. The heroes on Earth and across the void of space join up in a bid to stop Thanos and his children from collecting all the stones. The future of the universe itself hangs in the balance.
Avengers: Endgame
Although it is a little overlong and a few of the characters feel under-utilized, Endgame is a highly enjoyable way to close out Phase 3 of Marvel’s big-screen universe. After a brief prologue, the film picks up after the events at the end of Infinity War. The remaining survivors on Earth band together to destroy Thanos once and for all, with hopes of collecting the Infinity Stones and snapping everyone they’ve lost back into existence. Of course, things aren’t that simple and after a devastating truth is revealed, we cut forward five years where the real story begins. The group formulate a new plan, with the help of Ant Man, and remain determined to stop Thanos and reverse everything that’s happened. While this is essentially part 2 of Infinity War, the movie delivers some great action and a satisfying conclusion.
Seven Samurai
Seven Samurai is the quintessential “team-up” movie. If you’re looking for a long slow burn with lots of characterization and a big fight pay-off at the end, this is an absolute must-watch. The story here centers on a poor village that are under attack by bandits. In order to stop that threat, they recruit seven unemployed samurai to help them defend what’s theirs. Seven Samurai is an incredibly well-made film, boasting a 98 on Metacritic and easily deserving of its place as one of the best movies of all time.
The Suicide Squad (2021)
The Suicide Squad is a real marmite movie; you’ll either love it or hate it. In its simplest form, this is a soft reboot/sorta sequel to the original 2016 picture. While a couple of players survive the jump to this movie (namely Harley Quinn and Amanda Waller) it’s largely a whole new ensemble to play with. An ensemble, interestingly, that feels very similar to 2016’s team. This team are tasked with shutting down a secret military project called Project Starfish. In order to do that they need to break into a top secret facility called Jotunhein and enlist the help of a being known as The Thinker. It’s your conventional good guys VS aliens story, with a romance thrown into the middle for good measure. Fans of Eternals should find a lot to like here, given the large ensemble of characters.
X-Men
When it comes to philosophical debates and ideas about our own place in the world, no other superhero movie does it better than X-Men. The comics are rich with detailed worldbuilding, and the first movie in this long-running franchise actually does quite a good job capturing that conflict. The story takes place in a world where superpowered beings are known as mutants and discriminated by humans. Within the mutant ranks though are pacifist Charles Xavier and warmongering Magneto. They essentially split the ranks of their own species into the Brotherhood and the X-Men. With humanity caught in the middle of this threat, the world is plunged into chaos as Magneto formulates a plot to destroy humanity. This dark comic book adaptation does a great job capturing the mood and tone of the comics, with a decent story and plenty of fan service to boot.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.1
Guardians of the Galaxy is another movie about a motley gang of heroes teaming up together to stop a world-ending threat. The story here revolves around Peter Quill, a human on earth who finds himself the main target of a manhunt. The ringleader is a villain known as Ronan the Accuser. In order to fight off Ronan’s threat, Quill creates a team of space heroes known as the “Guardians of the Galaxy” to fight back. Well-written, funny and armed with a great soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy is well worth a watch.
Watchmen
Complex, dark and absorbing, Watchmen is one of the best superhero films ever made. It’s also one of the most fascinating too, especially on a thematic level as it asks big questions around humanity. The film itself takes place in an alternate 1985 America where costumed superheroes are just part of everyday society. The Doomsday Clock is set for five minutes to midnight and one of our heroes is murdered. To make matters worse, Nixon has just passed a law to prohibit the use of masks in public. Inevitably, the Watchmen disband completely. It then falls to masked vigilante Rorschach to figure out who’s plotting to kill all past and present superheroes. In order to do so, Rorschach reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion and uncovers a disturbing conspiracy along the way. This movie has all the usual Zack Snyder hallmarks you’d expect but it remains a fantastic movie and a must-watch.
Chronicle
Chronicle is a found-footage superhero flick, adopting a pretty unique premise despite its cliched storyline. The story is pretty straightforward and revolves around three high school friends who gain superpowers after making an incredible discovery underground. Soon they find their lives spinning out of control, with things taking a dark turn as they grapple with their own powers. The main question here is whether the kids can cope with the responsibility this brings. It’s a nice hook to allow the characters to work around, and for the most part Chronicle does a great job keeping things engaging until the end.
The Incredibles
The Incredibles remains one of Pixar’s best movies, centering on a world full of superheroes. Unfortunately an accident causes the government to rethink this and ban heroes. Jump forward and we follow a family of undercover superheroes, who do their best to blend in and live a quiet suburban life. Only, a world-ending threat sees them forced into action to stop the Earth from being destroyed. While a lot lighter in tone compared to Eternals, The Incredibles does have some great themes about purpose and finding your place in the world. So there we have it, our 10 Movie picks to keep you busy after watching Eternals! What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!
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