Eden Review: Ron Howard Goes To The Dark Side In Uneven Thriller [TIFF 2024]

As a cinephile with a deep appreciation for Ron Howard’s body of work, I must admit that “Eden” came as quite the unexpected turn for the mastermind behind “A Beautiful Mind.” This dark survival thriller, premiering at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, seems to be a departure from Howard’s usual territory and leans more towards the style of Martin Scorsese.

Ron Howard is not typically associated with a “grim” director. Instead, he tends to create middle-of-the-road historical dramas, frequently softening the more challenging aspects of his subjects, such as the darker elements in John Nash’s story in “A Beautiful Mind.” His adaptations of Dan Brown novels also fall under this category. While Howard can certainly create intense films, it is worth noting that even when he has directed survival thrillers like “Apollo 13” and “Thirteen Lives,” these films ultimately focus on individuals who endure, or in other words, manage to survive their harrowing experiences.

In a twist, Howard’s upcoming film “Eden,” set to debut at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, presents an unexpected turn as it delves into the realm of a grim survival thriller, where numerous characters meet their demise at the hands of one another. While “Here’s a story from history I love” is a familiar muse for Howard, this specific narrative—centered around a doomed outpost on the uninhabited Galapagos island of Floreana during the late 1920s and early 1930s—seems more aligned with the storytelling style Martin Scorsese might employ.

As a gamer, stepping into the shoes of the narrator for “Eden,” I’ve got to say it’s an interesting switch, not perfect but bearable. The good news is that this series boasts an exceptional ensemble cast and moments that’ll make you do a double take – some straight from the bizarre yet possibly true tales of this societal experiment.

Hints of relevance to the present day

Ron Howard has wanted to direct this story for a while, but I wonder if part of his interest in getting it done now is out of a sense of atonement for unleashing J.D. Vance on the world with “Hillbilly Elegy.” Dr. Friedrich Ritter (Jude Law) and Dora Strauch (Vanessa Kirby) left Germany for the Galapagos in 1929 to escape the rise of fascism. Ritter hopes to save humanity with his manifesto, but he doesn’t have much love for humanity himself, preferring to live alone with his partner, who’s trying to recover from multiple sclerosis. With his isolation threatened by several new arrivals inspired by his voyage — first the war vet Heinz Wittmer (Daniel Bruehl) and his wife Margaret (Sydney Sweeney), then a party led by “the Baroness” Eloise Bosquet de Wagner Wehrhorn (Ana de Armas) seeking to build a hotel on the island — and the stress of living in an inhospitable climate, Ritter’s philosophy starts to sound an awful lot like the fascists he once opposed. Parallels to the guy who compared a President to Hitler before becoming that same guy’s Vice Presidential candidate?

Experience a sampling of the wilder aspects that “Eden” presents: Ally McBeal portraying raw and uninhibited, for those who have longed to witness young Dumbledore’s magic wand. Ana de Armas devouring the scenery with no leftovers, even in a humorous scene attempting seduction – if her character appears too absurd to be real, there is a purpose behind it. Sweeney surpassing previous efforts in “Immaculate” when it comes to disturbing pregnancy scenes. Numerous death scenes of varying levels of gore; the most brutal of these elicited a standing ovation from the TIFF crowd.

Not the most impressive production

Why wasn’t “Eden” more impactful on me, given its engaging and captivating aspects? I suspect that despite the intriguing details, its overall theme feels remarkably familiar to those who have read books like “Heart of Darkness,” “Lord of the Flies,” or other works exploring the concept of men becoming feral in the wilderness. It fails to delve deeply into unique themes such as Dr. Ritter’s philosophical aspirations, which could have been further developed. Additionally, its narrative style and leisurely pace hinder it from standing out among the more exhilarating or dynamic examples of this genre.

Ron Howard filmed this independently, working at rapid pace. When asked after the premiere screening how long the shoot took, he joked he couldn’t answer because if studios knew, they’d never give him a reasonable filming schedule ever again. On one level, that’s impressive, but the rush job unfortunately shows because there’s a sense of cheapness to some of the technical aspects. The cinematographer, Mathias Herndl, has only worked on TV movies and shows before this, and while Howard might want a theatrical release for “Eden” after the controversy over Amazon pushing “Thirteen Lives” to streaming, this looks like a streaming movie. The color scheme, draining the Galapagos of its greenery for dull grays, might have worked for the gritty tone they’re going for if they shot on traditional film (or even filtered for an appropriate digital approximation), but the images look too weirdly crisp for that to work. The framing is pretty bland in a lot of scenes, too, with the widescreen frame rarely utilized to its full potential. The sound mix is also rough, with Jude Law’s dialogue in particular often sounding fuzzy.

The movie titled “Eden” is likely to pique curiosity due to its powerful cast and its compellingly grim real-life narrative. It offers a decent 2-hour viewing experience, yet it may not be a film that leaves a lasting impression once viewed.

The movie titled “Eden” was first shown at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. At this point, it has not been distributed in America.

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2024-09-10 23:00