After being postponed for nearly a year thanks to the ongoing global situation that we shall simply refer to as The Event, Marvel's Eternals has finally premiered, and the first reactions are now in. While the official review embargo for Marvels latest outing lifts at 11 a.m. PT, Oct. 24, the social media embargo was lifted following the premiere, meaning we finally know whether Eternals was worth the wait. Put simply, yes, yes it was.

Aside from praising the work of Chloé Zhao, some critics have claimed that the movie sees the Marvel universe leap over to DC for inspiration in Eternals...though they assert that they mean this as a compliment.

One audience member even goes so far as to compare Eternals with the recent Zack Snyder's Justice League, a comparison that could be interpreted all kinds of ways, and will no doubt leave some fans not knowing what to expect.

Eternals picks up following the events of 2019's comic book blockbuster event Avengers: Endgame, introducing audiences to the Eternals, a species of immortal aliens from a distant planet who arrived on earth thousands of years ago and have been protecting humans since the dawn of time. Created by the Celestials, a race of powerful extra-terrestrial cosmic beings who have secretly lived on Earth for over 7000 years, the Eternals must reunite to protect humanity from their evil counterparts, the Deviants.

Written and directed by Oscar winning filmmaker Chloé Zhao, with Patrick Burleigh also contributing to the screenplay, Eternals stars a stellar ensemble cast including Hollywood icon Angelina Jolie as the fierce Eternal warrior, Thena, Richard Madden as Ikaris, the tactical leader of the Eternals, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, an Eternal who can shoot cosmic energy projectiles from his hands, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, an Eternal with the gift of super-speed, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, who poses super-intelligence, Salma Hayek as Ajak, the leader of the Eternals, and Don Lee as Gilgamesh, the strongest Eternal.

The general consensus from these early reactions is that, after more than a decade of Marvel movies and much criticism for each installment feeling the painfully similar to the last, Eternals finally finds a new way in.

In fact, Eternals seemingly tackles more than one well-known MCU fault, with many finding that the movie even allows director Chloé Zhao to put her own stamp on proceedings, something which the franchise has been criticized for not allowing from filmmakers in the past.

These sentiments were shared by many of those lucky enough to attend the Eternals premiere, with one audience member describing the movie as "cinematically beautiful" and calling it "so different from the MCU, like it's own universe."

Another even went so far as to describe the Eternals as "not a Marvel movie; it's a Chloé Zhao movie," which certainly suggests that the franchise's newest superhero outing will vastly differentiate itself from what has come before.

Of course, not everyone was so enamoured with Marvel's latest effort, with one critic saying that Eternals "(barely) gets by on scale, a few affable actors and some eventual intrugue [sic]." While far from a scathing reaction, it may cause some fans to temper their expectations a little.

The disappointment for some viewers sadly continues, with this critic wondering why, when so many of the elements are so different from the usual MCU fodder, that it still results in super-powered people battling against CGI monsters.

One viewer also found Eternals to be a disappointing, finding the story to be "an expository convoluted mess" and disagreeing with the majority in claiming that "Chloé Zhao's distinctive style is sadly absent."

Whisking with super speed back over to the positive side of things, the praise for Chloé Zhao's visuals continues, as well as how expertly the Eternals handles its epic scope and story.

Several early reactions make sure to mention Eternals' secret post credits scenes, which, unlike some MCU stingers, sound like they are well worth staying in your seat for.

While details of what's included in the two post credits scenes remains unknown (for now at least), director Chloé Zhao recently teased their importance to the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe saying, "Don't just stay for the first one - also stay for the second one, too. They are equally as important in weight, and both have big surprises for you." Clearly, this pair of post credits additions live up to the hype.

Finally, one critic found a lot to love and admire about Eternals, even suggesting that, after all these years and 25 movies, the movie is a sign that things in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are about to change; "The franchise is matured & this is only the beginning of what is possible."

Eternals will be released theatrically in the United States on November 5, as part of Phase Four of the MCU, and is one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's longest installments at 156-minutes (2 hours and 36 minutes). "The story takes place across two time periods," reads an official Disney press release for the movie. "One storyline is set in the past when they operated as a formidable team and a close family unit. The second storyline is in the present, when the group has fractured and split apart, content to live among humans, hiding in plain sight. The prevailing threat of the Deviants, which once again threatens the existence of mankind, means the Eternals need to put their differences aside and regroup."

Eternals is just one of several exciting projects in Marvel's Phase 4. Following the recent martial arts fantasy epic, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Phase 4 includes several sequels that will bring back many of the MCU mainstays. These include Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, The Marvels, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. If that were not already enough palpable excitement, Phase 4 will also have the honor of finally introducing Marvel's beloved superhero family, The Fantastic Four, to the fray.