Eden Log

Didn't expect much when I started it and thought it might be some kind of horror like "The Descent" to pass some time...

At first, especially during the first 5 minutes I was kind of confused and might've even turned it off, the constantly flashing light and the grunts of the main character put me off quite a bit, until the story started to unfold and I got to watch one of the better Sci-Fi's I've seen in the last few years.

I guess the movie is either underrated because people turned it off in the very first few minutes or because they expected a horror-movie/didn't pay enough attention to understand the plot.

It was great to see the hero start with a completely clean slate, while discovering what is going on all around him and uncovering the plot and the setting of the movie-world to finally even find out about his true identity and still do what he deemed right with all of his newfound experiences and pieces of information in the back of his mind.

For me it's somewhere between a 7 and a 8, I gave it a 8.

Imagine waking up in an futuristic underground cavern, in a mix of soupy mud. You don't who you are, what you're doing there, or anything. And to make matters worse, there are mutants and high-tech forces who are anything but friendly. Finding a way out, realizing who you are and what type place this is all while trying to survive is basically what's going on in Eden Log.

The flick has an undeniably cool atmosphere and look to it. Shot in a sort of black and white manner, with good lighting and a truly cave-like, claustrophobic feel, the movie definitely succeeds in creating a life-like, but nightmarish environment.

With unique ideas and a cool look the movie succeeds. But overall the movie just didn't grab me. I was never really creeped out, drawn into the story, or pretty much anything. I was into the whole mutant dilemma, and I was curious about who our mysterious guy was, but it's obvious those issues will be resolved, and when they were, they were less than mind-blowing. You may think otherwise.

Eden Log had loads going for it visually, but when it came down to what matters when you're supposed to care for a film, it kind of just exists. Very average in anything else besides the look, but nevertheless the flick was original and I wasn't bored for any of it. It just had so much potential, I felt kinda disappointed when it was done. Kind of a head-scratcher as well, but it's not brain surgery. 6.5 rounded up to 7 for IMDb.

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* The verdict.

Eden Log could be the first in a series of films on the topic and, if that were so, it could herald a project ambitious enough to rank among history's top Sci-Fi features along the likes of The Matrix and Artificial Intelligence. At present, it feels like an artistic short film and a 90 minute long one at that.

* The nitty-gritty.

If you decide to watch Eden Log, do not expect a large dose of entertainment. The film can be appreciated as a work of art, can be admired for its unique feel, but it leaves the audience unsatiated.

The world presented in Eden Log is severely limited in scope, awkward and, at times, presents frustrating problems. It takes a moment to adjust to the pace of the film, since the tempo would not have to be slowed down much to make Eden Log run in real time. A word to bear in mind over the first ten minutes of the film is 'patience'. It appears that the strategy employed by the director is to immerse the audience in the world of Eden Log through long exposure to its Sci-Fi elements. As such, one has to be in the right frame of mind to appreciate the attempt.

The plot could be summarised in about four sentences, but, to judge Eden Log on the plot, is to miss the point. The focus here is on appealing to the senses and a more complex plot would be a distraction.

All in all, Eden Log was an experience, but with a dead end. It is just one of those productions, which has the feel of the first part of a splendid trilogy, but which is not actually going to be a trilogy, because of the conceptual limitations placed upon the project at its outset by the director.

* Vote.

None can be given.

It all starts off in atmospheric style, pitch blackness pierced by the occasional flash of light, only giving you brief glimpses of the strange subterranean world the amnesiac protagonist awakes in. It fills you with the same sense of intrigue and unease that "Cube" did so brilliantly, but whilst that movie managed to sustain it, the constant darkness and drawn-out pace of "Eden Log" soon starts to grate.

There's some nice looking shots in here, and a genuinely interesting premise, but the movie literally keeps its audience in the dark for far too long about the details, meaning that it outstays its welcome and by the time the admittedly impressive finale comes around you're unlikely to care anymore.

I am glad to read the positive comments about this film, but also I can understand those who found this film slow and were not able to enjoy it. I think film is dedicated to a narrow audience: One must be moved by archetypal imagery alone (I mean the lack of gripping plot here) and enjoying just the atmosphere; without motion, without anything for the conscious mind.

At the beginning I was at once gripped by the atmosphere. Scenery, camera motion is the best part of the film. (If you don't watch this film in the cinema, complete darkness is advised.) The nearly-monochrome images, the play with light and darkness is used artistically and originally to keep us perplexed and uncertain; to show us the struggle for consciousness of man.

The viewer is so to say forced to identify with the protagonist. Here the camera viewpoint is very important and very well done. The camera shows the scene always from the protagonist's viewpoint or he himself.

While watching the viewer (or at least I) constantly tries to grab a wider view of the actual place, but he can not do that; his view is narrow as is the protagonist's. Thus the viewer is able to empathize with struggle of the protagonist, feel hes fear, anger, struggle, anxiety. This is combined with the lack of information and understanding about what is going on so again we feel uncertain and perplexed.

I love archetypal imagery and I am satisfied by them alone. Thats why I didn't feel the movie lacks the plot. But I cant deny it lacks. I actually love the uncertainty it has. I must admit, that I don't understand everything, and that is maybe not the end I would write to it. But thats it. I still love it this way.

And just because I read in an other comment... The rape-lovemaking scene is just perfect. It is so natural. And again I like the play, the uncertainty.... is it rape? is it love by first sight? is it a natural ground-and-earth way that ADAM and EVE meet? who knows....

So... thank you for this film!