Eden

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.

A great story, great cast and performances.

A good movie is a movie that makes you want to watch more, think more, understand more. This is one of those.

The characters are based on real people and real events yet it feels like getting introduced to those events first hands.

Obviously there is quite a lot of over-dramatization but it serves the story well.

Watch advice: Recommended.

Set in the Galápagos Islands, but filmed in Australia.

I was able to see the press conference that Ron Howard and the four main stars gave. Howard explained that he had the project in mind for a time, worked on it some during the recent COVID pandemic and lockdowns. He knew it would not be a project that a typical studio would go for so he went at it his way.

The movie is a fictional drama based on real people and their attempt to find their own Eden in the Galápagos Islands (filmed in Australia). It doesn't work out as hoped because, in the end, people are people and they can cooperate together for only so long.

This is analogous to the theme that played out in the year 2000 movie, "The Beach" with Leo Dicaprio. As I wrote in my comments for that one, "Even though these 20 or 30 men and women all went to the island for "pleasure seeking", ultimately roles need to be taken, duties accepted, not everyone agrees, jealousy starts to erode relationships, certain people seek power, and when some get seriously injured, "out of sight, out of mind" is the remedy so as not to upset "paradise." In other words, they end up creating on a smaller scale the same world that they sought to escape from. Eventually this "house of cards" starts to fall down, and ultimately everyone realizes paradise is internal, not some idyllic place."

Good for Howard to bring this story to the screen.

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.

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.