Eden

Ron Howard is never afraid to explore new genres and here he definitely immerses you in the social experiment of posh post-war expats trying to make a way of life an island in the Galapagos. Unfortunately the vision of Dr. Ritter and his wife Sue Storm as well as the machinations of the Baroness along with the stresses of the environment prove too much for the bourgeois marriage of Margaret Wittmer (cutie Sydney again!) and her husband Daniel Bruhl. Still, the cast is gorgeous, the island indeed like a paradise from another era, and Howard reiterates yet again a lesson learned by every wannabe Robinson Crusoe and Hemingway in the 1920's: just find your favorite cafe in Paris, spend six weeks writing a novel about your friends which when they read will have them hating your guts, then thirty years later move to Cuba and create your own Eden. Those are your and my happy days.

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.

An extremely interesting story, based on true events, an accomplished director, a top cast, Hans Zimmer behind the score. A smash hit? At least not at the box office, the budget is not even close to being recouped. In terms of feeling, 'Eden' was not represented in the media at all, apparently these days there is a lack of the muse to be caught up in realistic darkness and human abysses. The only partially resolved 'Galapagos Affair' sheds light on the hopes and utopias of conquering a new land or escaping the old world in order to build an alternative civilisation there, and how human nature buries all dreams again. The supposed heaven turns into a hell of envy, jealousy, selfishness and vanity. Not forgetting the harsh reality of the supposed island paradise. All the supposed and proven events are almost unbelievable, which makes this survival trip all the more fascinating. A real true-crime story. The film adaptation does justice to this, the well-known cast performs excellently and there is little to criticise in terms of craftsmanship. The response does not do justice to the result, so I recommend it.

I went into this movie blind, it was a Monday Mystery Movie at Regal.

It's a philosophical journey of the human condition and the troubles that we have with each other. As the story unfolds you could definitely find something in it that resonates with the way you see the world. Finding out that this was based on a true story makes me want to read the two perspectives of what happened on the island. Not a bad movie, I think the critics might have been too critical of the movie.

I just got done watching it, and I can't really knock it very much. It's not a bad movie by any stretch.

Firstly, it's based on a true story and very accurate based on the true events.

Second, it is very entertaining. Say what you will about certain things, but it's definitely entertaining. There is lots of humor sprinkled into this twisted tale of survival, and Jude Law leads the way. I found his acting truly humorous (at times, hilarious) throughout the entire film, while De Armas finally takes over with her acting chops as things get messy. Sweeney is very likable and becomes the underdog you want to win.

Third, there is plenty of suspense and some dark twists, and that is what I want in a movie to draw me in and keep me glued. Director Ron Howard keeps the pace riveting and the story full of unexpected surprises.

On a negative side, this might be a film that leaves people wondering what its' message is because it doesn't dive very deep into the themes (although they are obviously there on the surface and in Dr. Ritter's writings). The moral is ambiguous and open to interpretation, but there is something within Sweeney's Margaret that has some meaning, as she plays a bigger role into the development of the island thatn anyone through the present day. Howard could've done a better job elaborating more on the meaning, but he probably didn't want to force any agenda. Dr Ritter is also full of insights into his quest for the meaning of life, but once again, Howard marginalizes these realizations in favor of a predominantly twisty suspense and thriller film.

Overall, it's a solid movie to rent and will definitely pass the time to give you some things to think about.

7/10.