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 !

I do not want to include spoilers in my comment so I will keep it short. The reason for this is that the success of the film lies in the haunting atmosphere and the journey on which it takes the viewer more than in any actual plot. Indeed, the film is centred around one character and the viewer more or less watches events unfold from the character's viewpoint. The world first time director Frank Vestiel creates is truly haunting and very original, it is miles away from most of the clichés used to recreate a futuristic world. The atmosphere is eerie and dialogue is kept to a minimum. The soundtrack is absolutely beautiful. The plot is however a little unclear and some sequences are quite long, and they are the more oppressive as the viewer is plunged in darkness. But overall a very original film with very interesting camera work and haunting and beautiful visuals especially considering this is Vestiel's first full length feature with a limited budget at his disposal. Definitely one to watch on the big screen.

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.

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.

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.