Eternals star Kumail Nanjiani has spoken out after the MCU film was ‘review bombed’ ahead of its release due to its inclusion of LGBT+ representation.
There are just a few days left until the epic Marvel movie directed by Oscar winner Chloe Zhao is released, introducing fans to the immortal alien race who have been living on Earth in secret for thousands of years.
The story features the MCU’s first openly gay superhero, Phastos, who is played by Brian Tyree Henry.
Despite it not yet being out for general release, it’s been reported that IMDb was flooded with negative reviews with the intention of bringing its rating down.
According to The Direct, there were more than 400 one-star reviews for Eternals on IMDb a week before its launch, many of which referenced its LGBT+ representation and inclusion of a gay kiss.
The site has reportedly now removed the option for audience reviews until cinemagoers are able to catch the film on the big screen.
In a since-deleted tweet, Kumail – who plays Kingo in the action-packed adventure – responded to the report of Eternals being ‘review bombed’, writing: ‘Looks like we’re upsetting the right people,’ before promoting the release date.
This isn’t the first time a film has been targeted by negative reviews before audiences have even had a chance to watch it.
When Captain Marvel came out in 2019, starring Brie Larson in the titular role, it was claimed it had been inundated by negative comments on Rotten Tomatoes ahead of its release, with trolls criticising the actor’s feminist beliefs and the movie’s perceived promotion of feminism.
Earlier this week, the stars of Eternals arrived in London for the blockbuster’s UK premiere, with Angelina Jolie opening up to Metro.co.uk about how proud she feels to show her daughters that ‘they can be feminine and imperfect’ through her character, Thena.
‘What I was happy to show my daughters is that being a strong woman also means being feminine and vulnerable and open and imperfect,’ the actor said.
‘That’s what I like most about, is that she struggles to be strong, and that kind of makes her stronger.’
Eternals writer Kaz Firpo also revealed that there were nine post-credit scenes that didn’t make the final cut, saying that there were some ‘really spicy ones’ that had to be left out.
Metro.co.uk has contacted IMDb for comment.
Eternals is due to be released in UK cinemas on November 5.
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