Eden (film): A step away from what we expect from Ron Howard

Eden is one of those films that kind of just rolled out. They didn't do a great deal that I am aware of to make the public know that this thing was coming and I guess since it is a Ron Howard thing that probably isn't going to "land' in the Asian markets that might be the reason why they didn't go after it so hard. It's not exactly something that has talking robots in it or any sort of magic. In fact, there is probably very little in the way of CGI in this thing at all.

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The story is about a group of people, 3 separate groups actually, that all for various reasons decided to head to one of the Galapagos islands and have a go at living there. As crazy as this sounds the movie takes place in the late 1920's so not having access to electricity wasn't really that big of a deal.

The film begins with a single settler couple on the island, but the population grows to one additional family, and later to a 3rd party that isn't like a family at all.

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There is no main character in this film and the focus of the story changes from time to time and this is actually kind of interesting because it makes us wonder who the story is actually about because most films in the end are about one particular person primarily. Not this one.

we start out with Dr Friedrich (Jude Law) who along with this wife, were the original inhabitants of the island and a couple who are not less-than-thrilled that there are other people turning up on "their" island. Dr. Fred (he's never called that in the film) and his wife are the opposite of welcoming towards Daniel and Margret when they turn up, and while they do "show them the ropes" at the start about where they can and should set up their property, they are kind of giggling at how they are going to fail and will be leaving the islands shortly after they arrive.

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Dr Fred and his wife leave them alone after showing them the spot of land that they are meant to build on, expecting them to fail, then proceed to be downright dismissive of them every time they stop by or ask for even the slightest amount of neighborly assistance including when they ask to borrow things that Dr Fred and his wife aren't even using at that time.

Despite all of this, one day Dr. Fred actually needs something from the new inhabitants and when he stops by their parcel of land he is stunned to find out that the duo are actually quite skilled settlers and have managed to build better than he and his wife did.

The next addition to the island is a more strange one

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Baroness Eloise Bosquet de Wagner Wehrhorn (yes, that is her character's name and is played wonderfully by Ana de Armas) thinks of herself as a bit of a goddess or ruler and treats all of those around her as if they were her subjects. She brings a tremendous amount of supplies to the island with her and has notions of setting up the world's most luxurious hotel there. She has brought along an engineer, a bodyguard, and another man, most of which she is involved with romantically.

She is certainly a strange human but she also draws people in and can be quite charming but hidden behind this false exterior is an extremely manipulating individual who has only one person's benefit in mind with almost everything that she does.

So maybe this doesn't sound so exciting right now, not in the way that I have explained it but when you combine these very different sort of people on an unforgiving and difficult to survive island with no governance and very little in the way of actual drinking water, things can bring out the worst in people, and I think that is what the real point of this movie is.

It isn't about the trial or failure or success of attempting something that seems impossible, but about human nature and while watching it I think you will start to see parts of yourself in the people that inhabit this very real part of the world. Apparently, this story is based on actual events and I am not going to spoil why it is historically important.

The actual events that made the papers back in the day might not seem all that special now, but at the time when they had extremely limited technology, what they were attempting was in fact, extremely brave and filled with hardships.

This film points out the evil that can exist in people towards other humans and how virtually none of us are exempt from it, it is just a matter of time that we reach our tipping point. Watch the film, you will see what I am talking about.

Should I watch it?

I honestly can't understand why this film has less than 6/10 and a pile of dogshit like 28 Years Later has more than 7/10. There is, IMO, zero comparison between the two. Eden is categorically better than the other and I think that the people who rig these online polls must have been out en masse for one and not for the other. Eden is a good watch as the tension builds all the way through while having wonderful performances from a star-studded cast. There are going to be some people out there that are excited that Ana de Armas gets naked in this and Sydney Sweeney does too (again.) These moments are not cheap tricks to get viewers though, as it is all logical that these moments would be in the film. There are also several moments where we get full frontal from the men in the movie as well. haha

Everyone that has a role in this movies executes their roles perfectly and I was particularly impressed with Sweeney and de Armas who I often believe are cast because of their beauty rather than ability: They both completely proved my bias incorrect in Eden where they both shine.

I didn't realize that this film is based on a true story until after it was over and that makes the entire thing even more impactful. I will say this though: part of the movie kind of drag out and for today's generation of short-attention-span people, you may need to put your phone in the other room and focus just on the film in order to get it all. If you can manage 2 hours without a phone, I think you will really enjoy this one, because so much about it is so different, so artistic, and so good compared to a majority of the slop that Hollywood and others chug out these days.

_{This movie cannot legally be streamed anywhere at the moment, I received an advanced screening copy via a friend who has access to those sorts of things (shhh), it will be released in cinemas on the 22nd of August, 2025}