Eden Log

Eden Log is somewhat of a good surprise for a french scifi movie. Think of a arty and elaborate form, beautiful black and white photography with rare under lit colors.

What matters here is the mood more than the script, the first half of Eden Log is just the claustrophobic graphic story of a guy covered in mud trying to get out of a dark and low-tech labyrinth, with no memory at all of how he got there. There are very few dialogs, and there aren't even necessary.

Unfortunately, the last third of the movie doesn't quite lives up to it's beginning, the script is somehow too confuse and too explicit at the same time, and the dark and mysterious image of the beginning vanish due to the necessity of writing an acceptable end.

Still i would recommend this movie, it has a very original tone and form, rarely seen these days, and manages to create something on its own, aside from both the Hollywood scene, and the overall shitty genre french scene (if you've seen Chrysalis, you exactly know what i mean !) More than that : If you're fan of graphic and kind of arty movies like Tarkovsky's Stalker, Cube, Aronofsky's Pi, Caro & Jeunet's Le Bunker De La Dernière Rafale, that Forsaken thing or Guy Maddin's pictures you should definitely check it !

Hands down. A truly interesting picture held in the gripping nocturne atmosphere of the dark sci-fi. Very simple, little dialog and few action-filled scenes with lots of details and original ideas. Eden Log is something like a debut from the french director and with this stylish calling card I am helluva sure we will be hearing from this guy again. The story is compelling the viewer making him no less confused than the main protagonist and that was the whole point. The viewer becomes the main persona searching for answers while tripping balls through the dark corridors of the tech cave. The director could easily made it clear with one sentence in the beginning like the most of the crapbag movies today. "The year is... this is... he is... an experiment... and he... " and the rest would be just blank silence with no reasonable point at all. Indeed. Different approach is needed worldwide. I can't even remember the last know good sci-fi movie I've enjoyed and Eden Log came like a small shotgun blast in the head. The black/white editing is very convincing, make-up effects, acting and the ambient sounds and music are very horrific. Man, I really loved the deep voice and look of the Guards. Reminds me of F.E.A.R. from Monolith and this is the funky thing. The whole movie seemed like a filmed game to me. So, if you like sci-fi, this is the movie for you.

"Eden Log" is one of those rare films that puts you into a surreal environment, forcing you to figure out throughout the film what the hell is going on, along with its main character. The awkward environment, the modest budget and the slow (for a recent film) pace may scare off many people. Nevertheless, this film has a lot to offer to those who's looking for something different. "Eden Log" is anything like any film I've ever seen.

This film is not for everyone. The plot and the scenery are anything but mainstream, however those who're into a more experimental kind of movie may what they're looking for. Watch it at your own discretion.

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.

A very impressive first feature. It has the shortcomings of it's qualities, but the overall feeling is that of being immersed in an alien landscape for a journey before regaining the planet earth again. It's obscure, not very clear of it's intentions, maybe even a little naive at moments, cold and detached most of the time, but it has the balls to be different. I must admit that i was only a few times during the film awed by what i witnessed, but constantly admiring the fact that it didn't compromise the fact of not searching for the approbation of the largest number. Whatever my feelings at the end, and i'm still not quite sure, i did feel intrigued during the whole duration, and i'm glad that films like this exist and get to be made. The other commenter's have labeled this as "arty", but i'd rather say it has a style and sticks to it, for better or worse. Sure it's eye-candy, and as such doesn't hurt the viewing, but i wouldn't say it's style over substance, i really felt it like an uncompromising vision of of a first time director. It's no Dark City, but it's a pretty damn fine effort, and i'll be waiting for the next one from the director. The music was excellent as well, not really your typical movie score, and added to the immersion. And all this for a certainly meager budget...

All in all, i'd recommend it, a very serious effort, and for that it gets a 7 out of 10. I guess i did like it after all...