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I went into this film completely blind, not knowing it was based on a true story.

By the end of it, I was underwhelmed. I feel like there were the makings of a pretty strong movie with its beautiful scenery, strong cast and realism due to the true story.

However, the themes of psychological isolation and social interaction were under developed. I feel like the movie never got into full stride exploring these themes effectively. There was too much waffle in between.

The makings of a psychological thriller were there but never reached the heights that we wanted. I strongly believe the film was too long and could've definitely benefited from a short run time thus making the better moments of the film feel more impactful.

Unfortunately, I believe Eden will fly under the radar despite its strong ensemble cast, decent cinematography and direction.

The entire island setup effectively mirrors human civilisation, albeit in a simplified and somewhat a naive miniature form, with three primary groups of individuals embodying personas we encounter in our daily lives.

Dr. Ritter and Dora represent the educated individuals with rebellious spirits, striving for peace and advocating for a new world order.

The Wittmer family signifies the typical household, who having escaped a tumultuous financial situation in their homeland and now seeking refuge on this beautiful yet isolating island.

Lastly, the Baroness and her associates who epitomise the greedy and manipulative faction; while they pursue ambitious plans for personal gain, they ultimately become the primary catalyst for the disarray and collapse of 'social order' within this small island.

I appreciate how these diverse dynamics intertwine and influence one another, much like they do in the real world. At its core, this narrative serves as a survival drama that adeptly illustrates how personal ambitions can overshadow mutual benefits, ultimately leading to moral degradation among its inhabitants.

As for the performances, Ana undeniably stands out as she embodies the cunning and nefarious self with remarkable skill. I must also commend Sydney, who, despite inheriting a limited role in the storyline, maintained her composure and delivered a nuanced performance that is both subtle and essential to the narrative; the same can be said for Vanessa too.

Conversely, the male characters lacked depth as they were mostly operating on one note; it would have been beneficial if the writing had provided them with more substantial material to capitalise on.

Set in the Galápagos Islands, but filmed in Australia.

I was able to see the press conference that Ron Howard and the four main stars gave. Howard explained that he had the project in mind for a time, worked on it some during the recent COVID pandemic and lockdowns. He knew it would not be a project that a typical studio would go for so he went at it his way.

The movie is a fictional drama based on real people and their attempt to find their own Eden in the Galápagos Islands (filmed in Australia). It doesn't work out as hoped because, in the end, people are people and they can cooperate together for only so long.

This is analogous to the theme that played out in the year 2000 movie, "The Beach" with Leo Dicaprio. As I wrote in my comments for that one, "Even though these 20 or 30 men and women all went to the island for "pleasure seeking", ultimately roles need to be taken, duties accepted, not everyone agrees, jealousy starts to erode relationships, certain people seek power, and when some get seriously injured, "out of sight, out of mind" is the remedy so as not to upset "paradise." In other words, they end up creating on a smaller scale the same world that they sought to escape from. Eventually this "house of cards" starts to fall down, and ultimately everyone realizes paradise is internal, not some idyllic place."

Good for Howard to bring this story to the screen.

An extremely interesting story, based on true events, an accomplished director, a top cast, Hans Zimmer behind the score. A smash hit? At least not at the box office, the budget is not even close to being recouped. In terms of feeling, 'Eden' was not represented in the media at all, apparently these days there is a lack of the muse to be caught up in realistic darkness and human abysses. The only partially resolved 'Galapagos Affair' sheds light on the hopes and utopias of conquering a new land or escaping the old world in order to build an alternative civilisation there, and how human nature buries all dreams again. The supposed heaven turns into a hell of envy, jealousy, selfishness and vanity. Not forgetting the harsh reality of the supposed island paradise. All the supposed and proven events are almost unbelievable, which makes this survival trip all the more fascinating. A real true-crime story. The film adaptation does justice to this, the well-known cast performs excellently and there is little to criticise in terms of craftsmanship. The response does not do justice to the result, so I recommend it.

The film industry produces alot of films, and this is a good one. Everything about it was quality. Well cast (and nice to aee Jude Law again), beautiful dramatic filming of scenary as well as dialogue well filmed. Excellent pacing and not predictable. I felt the interactions between the well defined characters was fantastic such that it could easily be made into a stage play. To be honest I feel the whole team deserve to be congratulated on work well done.

Basis of story is a very private and intellectual doctor and his adoring wife go to the Galapagos and then a highly practical German couple arrive, followed by a very devious and morally dubious woman qnd her two lovers. What results is a character interaction which creates tension, drama and some twists.

If you compare the movie to other ones with similar themes of being on a deserted island such as Cast Away or the numerous Robinson Crusoe movies, this movie was more interesting. The story kept you engaged to find out how it all ends. The hero of the story is not who you expect it to be. A 2013 documentary on the true story which the movie was based on can be found on youtube it is called The Galapagos Affair:Satan Came To Eden. I recommend watching the documentary after you view the movie. The movie took some liberties and made some assumptions that may or may not have taken place to complete the narrative. Overall one of the better movies you can watch this year.

An uninhabited island in the Galápagos is paradise and hell at the same time for a trio of couples who settled there in 1929. At one of the remotest areas on earth there is a clash of personalities; philosophical, libertine, and practical. While one couple seeks solitude, another wants to build a luxury hotel, and the third desires a nourishing place for family. As bugs and boars bite hard, and food and water become as scarce as doctors, police, and dentists, each couple is in for a shock. Darwin would be pleased, for on the island that gave him his fame it is survival of fittest all over again.

In this true story it is intriguing to see the starkly different personalities battle it out like in a miniature world. Ron Howard who was present at this screening at the Toronto International Film Festival, was captivated by the zany stories of the characters, and the good and bad of each of them. If anything, he said, he had to dial the antics back. It is hard to choose a side. Jude Law and the other actors are capable and convincing. Hans Zimmer orchestrated the playlist. How many soundtracks can one person do? I wish there was a little more depth to the dialogue, but Eden is a pleasure to watch and contemplate.

There are a lot of things this movie does well. The acting is incredible from virtually every cast member. The cinematography is outstanding, complete with some stunning views of some gorgeous landscapes that are pretty obviously not the Galapagos. The dialogue is also usually good.

What fails miserably is every other aspect of the writing. The characters are all either over-the-top cliches or one-dimensional drones, none of which have any depth whatsoever. Most of them are written to be unlikable, and the writers are a little too successful in that regard. (The only slightly sympathetic character is the insufferable nihilist, who just wants to be left alone when a bunch of twats show up at his door) There's really no good reason for these people to go to an island just to get at each others throats, and the writers REALLY stretch to justify that progression. A lot of people doing irrationally bad things to each other for no particular reason, just to contrive tension. There is more than one point where the movie starts feeling (weirdly) like an episode of Survivor. You'll catch what I mean if you're reading this before watching.

I have a feeling the writers have never actually set foot in nature, but have taken everything they know from other movies. There's a lot about the island, animals, and plants that just doesn't make sense. From what I've read about the real-life events, I think the writers tried to include key points but didn't understand them enough to do so realistically. I'm pretty sure one of the characters was planting manure at one point. Not fertilizing with manure, digging a hole and putting a chunk of manure in it. Is that how people in Hollywood think farming is done? They don't seem to know how dogs (wild or otherwise) behave either, which is kind of baffling. There's a scene in which the dogs could have shot laser beams from their eyes, and it wouldn't have been much more absurd than what was actually on the screen.

This is supposed to be based on the true story but as with a lot of movies the key points are there, but the details are completely made up. And in this case, poorly. It's pretty bad when so little is known of the real story, and it still feels more realized than the dramatized version.

"Eden" is a mesmerizing and thought-provoking film that delves into the complexities of human nature, community, and our relationship with the natural world. Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Galapagos Islands, this movie follows a group of individuals who embark on a journey of self-discovery and transformation.

The film's cinematography is stunning, capturing the harsh yet majestic beauty of the Galapagos landscape. The direction is deliberate and nuanced, allowing the audience to absorb the characters' struggles, triumphs, and introspections.

The cast delivers powerful performances, bringing depth and authenticity to their characters' experiences. As they navigate the challenges of their new environment, they must confront their own demons, desires, and motivations.

"Eden" raises important questions about our place within society, the importance of community, and the human need for connection with nature. This film is a must-see for fans of character-driven dramas, environmentalism, and philosophical explorations.

Overall, "Eden" is a hauntingly beautiful and thought-provoking film that will linger in your mind long after the credits roll.

I will start off with the biggest problem, which is minor to some, but very annoying to me. For some reason, since the main characters are German, they decided to do the opening and closing narration, as well as the names of the seasons during the film, in German, no subtitles (unless you have the option to turn them on when you stream it.) The opening narration gives the basics of how these people came to remote island of Floreana in the Galapagos to escape the society that they felt was in decline. There was no good reason to put them in German, except to "act artistic", which I personally hate. I would also recommend doing brief research on the interesting prologue of this story, AFTER watching the movie, unless you don't care about spoilers. The actual movie was very well done, great acting, atmosphere, settings, and the plot had some unexpected twists and turns. If you speak German, you might give this film a 9, but wasting my time with pretentiousness costs my rating 2 stars lol.

Well what could possibly go wrong... an impressive A-list cast, a renowned Oscar-winning director and a 'true' story adventure set on the legendary Galapagos Islands... ultimately none of it matters though, because the movie itself is boring, downbeat and rubbish!

In a nutshell the story is about three different sets of post WW1 Europeans looking for a fresh 'off=grid' life on the fabled remote Islands, the various interactions between them and the inhospitable landscape that consistently consumes them.

The always dependable Jude Law takes top-billing as a selfish ex-doctor who is writing a book and taking care of his MS affected other half (Vanessa Kirby), and both are well= played.

Meanwhile a toned-down Sydney Sweeney soon arrives with her PTSD affected husband and ill stepson, swiftly followed by gorgeous femme fatale Ana de Armas and her small entourage of debauched hangers on.

Never living up to its initial promise, the main problems here are that none of the characters are likeable, the screenplay is dull and depressive and there really is no sense of excitement, wonder or inspiration anywhere to be found. It's all so dark, dour and boring.

In summation, this widely missed opportunity has to rate as one of Ron Howards weakest efforts - the only saving grace is De Armas, who wonderfully hams it up in her pivotal antagonistic role. Other than that i'm afraid Eden is more like purgatory for both the cast and audience alike. Where are Tom Hanks. Wilson or Robinson Crusoe when you need them...

There is Eden in the title. But Where is the Eden?

The story sets on a beautiful island, should have been bright and vivid colors, but pictures of the movie looks like covered by some kind of filthy substance... well, let's not say that word.

Why are modern Hollywood movies full of grey yellow filters? Several other new films I've watched recently are also like this. Thunderbolts, Ballerina, Lilo & Stitch, all in "ugly color grading". Why?

Nowadays Hollywood films have already been poor quality in terms of story, at least make the picture pleasing to the eyes, not?

Back to Eden, this is a movie based on a true story. The story itself is fascinating enough. "A murder took place in Heaven". Color grading for dark atmosphere is completely unnecessary.

Because by doing this, you're erasing the drama of the story in strong contrast with its background, making it into a ordinary melodrama: "A murder that can happen anywhere"

Furthermore the setting of this story is also a character. What the audiences want to see is a murder story on a picturesque paradise-like island. Without it, the charm of the story will be greatly reduced.

Ron Howard's Eden, based on a true story and featuring a powerhouse cast, had all the ingredients for an emotionally resonant survival epic. But instead of rising to the occasion, it leans too heavily on Lord of the Flies tropes, allowing its characters to unravel into chaos without the emotional scaffolding to make us care.

The film quickly devolves into the animalistic mentality of what a small group of people running high on survival brain could fall into. While this might reflect a raw, primal truth, Eden fails to provide the psychological build-up to make the descent feel meaningful. We are dropped into conflict too soon, with characters reduced to instincts rather than explored as individuals with complex motivations.

It also feels like Eden falls victim to a recurring Ron Howard pitfall, over-characterisation in the face of uneventful truth. When the real events do not deliver Hollywood-level drama, Howard compensates by pushing characters and scenarios to the edge of believability. Instead of trusting the quiet horror of survival, the film opts for dramatization that feels contrived and overly theatrical.

Vanessa Kirby, whose intensity and presence could have added much-needed nuance, is frustratingly underused. Her character floats on the sidelines, never quite given the narrative space to matter. Daniel Brühl, meanwhile, is saddled with a vague family subplot that adds confusion rather than emotional depth. At one point, I genuinely questioned why his family was even brought to the island at all.

For a film grounded in true events, Eden often feels more like an abstract thought experiment in human depravity than a character-driven survival story. What is missing is the soul, an exploration of who these people are and what survival does to them beyond violence and fear.

Not the film you'd expect from Ron Howard, but interesting and compelling tale of people's ego writing checks their body (and soul) can't cash.

It is the dream of our intellectual betters everywhere: to escape the humdrum grind of daily existence to see if it is possible to think their way into the "better world." In the film, a would-be philosopher attempts to throw off the shackles of convention (along with luxuries like electricity, running water, and antibiotics) and build Eden anew with himself as Adam and his consort as Eve.

Predictably, things go badly with the introduction of, well, other humans.

The landscape is stark, the settlers are variously misguided or mendacious, and in the heat and privation, envy boils into murderous rancor, while the musical score weaves doom-haunted themes under the visuals.

Some of the characters are so obviously manipulative that parts of the film are very frustrating to sit through. You keep wondering "why don't the other decent human beings do something?" Annoying as it is, it's accurate to human behavior. "Nice" people can tend to expect other humans to be "nice," and will let themselves be walked on by the manipulators. When the nice people grow tired of that kind of abuse, terrible things can happen.

A very well-done movie, with Sidney Sweeney delivering an unexpectedly touching performance. Worth your time, but it does take its time to arrive at the conclusion.

"Eden" is based on real events, but it doesn't tell you the truth. It wasn't filmed on the Galápagos island Floreana and the actors don't look like the historic persons, whose bodies were wiry, not athletic. It would be nice to watch a documentary about the Floreana drama, with the real Floreana Island and the conflicting testimonies of what actually happened. "Eden" doesn't do that, it is just a movie. A good movie. It is well made, suspenseful and surprisingly well worth watching. Ron Howard is a reliably good director. He created great entertainement in nearly five decades, with movies like Cocoon (1985), Edtv (1999), The Missing (2003) and Rush (2013). Directed by a less competent director, "Eden" could have easily turned into a boring mess.

This Eden is no paradise, it's a place where dreams die. Friedrich Ritter (Jude Law) is an intellectual on a back-to-nature trip. On Floreana he is fighting a losing battle against reality. His fictionalized reports about his "amazing" island life met the zeitgeist in European countries and are very successful. They are the reason, why everybody else arrives on the island.

The Wittmers are serious settlers, who want to live in the utopia, Ritter wrote about. The Baroness, a con artist, has grandiose plans to turn the fame of Floreana into her own golden utopia. Ultimately, the misanthropic Ritter had the best reason to go to Floreana. It was uninhabited and far away from any human civilization. This barren island could just barely sustain his life and that of his wife. The scarce resources are the basis of all conflicts, but the Baroness, with her entourage of young men, really mixes everything up. Without this flamboyant character there wouldn't be much of a story to tell.

The island never looks very appealing, making the fight for it so much darker than a struggle for an actual paradise. Ana de Armas, the villainous Baroness, is fun to watch. The most intense scene, featuring a pack of aggressive wild dogs, might be too unrealistic, but it's movie magic, making moments memorable.

Eden starts off with a strong survival-thriller setup and solid performances from the cast, but quickly loses its footing as it descends into melodrama and chaos. The film is packed with unnecessary twists, exaggerated violence, and shallow characterizations that prevent it from leaving any lasting emotional impact.

While the visuals are often striking and a few moments of tension work well, the overall execution feels messy and unfocused. The pacing drags in parts, and the film seems more interested in shock than in storytelling.

It had potential, but in the end, Eden is more style than substance. Disappointing.

Jude Law was just awesome. What a interesting film. I had no idea of this story. It gives an interesting look at peoples internal motivations and another look at people during that time that were trying to flee a more and more radical Germany. Honestly between Sydney Sweeney very tough/kind character and Jude Laws (savior of the planet) character you really were dealing with all types of people put into a difficult situation surviving on Flortenia (Galapagos). I really loved the plot and pacing and the tension slowly increased to what you can imigine was an interesting and captivating breaking point.

This is supposed to be about the Galapagos Islands but 90% of the movie is on 1 set. Almost nothing of the island is shown.

The characters are mostly unlikable and while Ana's character brings a bit of color to the movie, her character is morally bankrupt.

Sydney Sweeny plays the only character you can actually cheer for but for what? Winning for her means a life on a baron island, there was no "Prize". The Galapagos are seen as a near lifeless, full of danger Hell hole. No real reasons were ever given for them being there.

Law is writing something, "not a book" but something. Sweeny's camp are just there for some reason and Ana wants to build a Millionaires paradise with little planning or ability to do so. She can see the end product but has no ability to actually build anything.

Really a waste of a great deal of effort. I like Ron Howard but I have no idea what he was trying to show here. Life is hard? People suck? I knew all of that before I watched this. It just made it worse...

I went to watch this film with expectations, as it won the Camera d'Or at Cannes 2024, however very quickly I realized what a mistake i've done. The main actor is very talented, however the story is getting awkward after about 30 mintutes, so there is nothing to do from that point on, but sitting bored and waiting for the film to be over. I won't make any spoilers here, but only urge you to use your time better than I did and go to watch something else. God, I even saw some people leaving before the end, but I have a motto never to do that, even if the film is boring and awful. And this film is.

Set on the beautiful Galapagos islands this is a story of escaping the rat race for nature and a more serene lifestyle.

Its all based on a true story and takes inspiration from a silent movie made in the 1930s by a wealthy American who used to visit the island on his boat and got friendly with the couple who lived there.

A family then decide stay on the island followed by a baroness who plans to build a hotel.

Three sets of neighbours on an island creates a situation that is a very interesting watch and involves murder and intrigue.

The setting of the film is a cinematic treat, the film is not full of action but it does have some intense moments and has you thinking from the off about how we get on in society and the struggle of neighbours you don't like so much.

The philosopher, the working man and the manipulator struggle to see eye to eye and small power struggle ensues. This is a very well filmed and put together movie, the tension and suspense builds at nice pace bit for some this will be too slow.

There is more than enough source material for this film and it seems to play out as history has it written using letters, the silent film and records available.

Its a solid 8/10 films like this are rare these days.

Without knowing what I was getting into here, aside from "Eden" being a thriller, I opted to sit down and watch it here in 2025, as I had the opportunity to do so.

All I knew about the movie, aside from it being a thriller, was that it had Jude Law on the cast list.

Writers Noah Pink and Ron Howard failed to pen down a particularly interesting storyline. It was a sluggishly paced narrative, and it was just generally not interesting. As for it being a thriller? Well, don't get your hopes up. The narrative in the movie was so disinteresting that I couldn't finish the movie. I tossed the towel in the ring 40 minutes into the 130 minute runtime. It was just painfully and brutally dull and boring.

Aside from Jude Law, the only performers on the cast list that I was familiar with was Richard Roxburgh, Sydney Sweeney and Ana de Armas. The acting performances in "Eden" were good, despite the fact that the storyline was a steaming pile of rubbish.

This is definitely not a movie I would recommend anyone to waste 130 minutes of their life on. Nor is it a movie that I will ever return to and attempt finish watching.

My rating of director Ron Howard's 2024 movie "Eden" lands on a two out of ten star.

Although the story of the film was true, it was extremely boring, the acting of the actors was very bad... What a waste of 2 hours! The film had no specific message.

What the heck is that, ceremony for the pictures!

Repit?

Although the story of the film was true, it was extremely boring, the acting of the actors was very bad... What a waste of 2 hours! The film had no specific message.

What the heck is that, ceremony for the pictures Again Although the story of the film was true, it was extremely boring, the acting of the actors was very bad... What a waste of 2 hours! The film had no specific message.

What the heck is that, ceremony for the pictures.