Eden

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.

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.

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.

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.

7.5/10

I was surprisingly really drawn to the story, i found it fascinating and intriguing, and i thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish, the storytelling was strong and kept me engaged the entire time, which is a big plus, and Ron Howard definitely has that good filmmaking quality aspect in the film that are shown.

The cast, on paper, is absolutely stacke, just looking at the names, it sounds like a dream lineup, while i don't have any issues with Jude Law and Vanessa Kirby, i felt that the other three main stars didn't quite deliver their best performances, i've seen Daniel Brühl, Ana De Armas, and Sydney Sweeney doing a really great job as a performer, but in this film, their acting didn't quite hit the mark.

The main issue, in my opinion, was the accents they had to use, acting with an accent is like acting on top of acting, it becomes a double task, you not only have to perform the role but also maintain an unnatural speech pattern, which can be distracting, in this case, i'd say they were decent at best, not terrible by any means, just not as compelling as i've seen them before, Sydney Sweeney, to her credit, did slightly better than the other two, but it's not bad, if it's bad then it's another case, decent is definitely more passable than bad.

The two male co-stars who accompanied Ana de Armas also had similar issues, just a little bit worse, but still fine, there are a few nitpicks here and there, but overall, Eden is a pretty well-made film with a compelling, engaging, and fascinating story, despite its flaws, i found it to be a genuinely interesting watch.