‘Eden’ Review: Jude Law Leads a Starry Cast Marooned in Ron Howard’s Odd and Off-Putting Survival Tale

‘Eden’ Review: Jude Law Leads a Starry Cast Marooned in Ron Howard’s Odd and Off-Putting Survival Tale

As a seasoned gamer with years of experience under my belt, I must admit that I was initially intrigued by Ron Howard’s foray into uncharted territory with ‘Eden’. The concept of a 1920s German philosopher setting up an experimental society on a remote island in the Galápagos sounded like a thrilling adventure, especially with a star-studded cast.


It’s perfectly reasonable to assume that, with over two dozen genre-blending movies under his belt across six decades, Ron Howard might feel the urge to try something new and venture into an area beyond his familiar comfort zone.

It’s just as plausible that the means of transporting him there would be an extraordinary yet authentic tale about a 1920s German philosopher who established an experimental community with his lover/disciple on a secluded Galápagos island, but this utopia crumbled when intruders arrived and disrupted their peaceful existence.

Despite an intriguing premise and an impressive international cast such as Jude Law, Ana de Armas, Vanessa Kirby, Daniel Brühl, and Sydney Sweeney, the film Eden, which premiered at Toronto, unfortunately fails to strike a satisfying balance. The excessive dramatic tone comes off as exaggerated rather than satirical, and its prolonged duration highlights the movie’s shortcomings.

The film begins quite intriguingly, effectively establishing the world of Dr. Friedrich Ritter (Law) in 1929. To escape German society and its conventional ways, he builds a home on the isolated island of Floreana. There, he co-exists with his survivalist companion, Dore Strauch (Kirby), utilizing meager natural resources for their livelihood.

However, the secluded life of the couple is disrupted when Heinz Wittmer (Brühl), a veteran from World War I along with his younger wife Margaret (Sweeney) and their son Harry (Jonathan Tittel) arrive. They have been tracking Ritter’s reports and believe that the pure air of this land might heal Harry’s tuberculosis, as it seems to have helped Strauch manage multiple sclerosis.

Showing a lack of warm welcome, Ritter and Strauch gaze sternly at the novices in their safari attire and butterfly nets, thinking they might not last until the initial rainfall.

However, despite the family showing remarkable resilience, constructing their home and preparing for their upcoming newborn, their peaceful existence is now under threat. This is due to the arrival of Baroness Eloise Bosquet de Wagner Wehrhorn (de Armas), accompanied by a group of young men, who plans to develop the most exclusive resort in the world on this rocky land.

As time goes by, it’s evident that the Baroness, adorned with a lengthy string of pearls and an accent reminiscent of Anna Delvey’s, is a cunning manipulator. She skillfully sets the residents against one another, which eventually results in a downward spiral into chaos and madness.

Despite an inspired setup that might suggest Werner Herzog’s Gilligan’s Island, Howard and screenwriter Noah Pink (Tetris) shipwreck the Queensland-shot vehicle in a mishmash of styles. Neither quite satire nor thriller nor murder mystery, the film cries out for a sharper attack.

As a gamer, I’d say this story could easily have been penned by the masterful mind of Mike White, whose knack for crafting intricate, devious narratives, as seen in his work on ‘White Lotus’, would have made it shine here. However, while Howard manages to create some chilling scenes, like the harrowing moment where Margaret has to deliver her own baby, the overall consistency of ‘Eden’ seems lacking.

In my gaming world, I’d say: “I give it a mix of hits and misses, honestly. De Armas puts in her best effort as the femme fatale, but the role seems to lack the wit and edge that a more experienced actress could bring to make it truly memorable.

Simultaneously, Law’s portrayal (so captivating in another TIFF production titled “The Order“) transforms into a tedious character, Dr. Ritter, who becomes increasingly smug and pompous. By the point where he eventually loses his sanity, it’s hard not to wish for him to escape.

Throughout the story, it’s only Sweeney who keeps the audience empathetic towards her character and maintains Margaret’s mental balance as the strong, steadfast pillar of resilience. As the closing credits and historical footage unveil, Margaret would continue living on the island until her passing in 2000, with her descendants now welcoming tourists to Wittmer Lodge to this very day.

Now that premise sounds more like something in Howard’s wheelhouse.

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2024-09-14 02:54