You never know what you’re going to get with Ron Howard. He can be great (Apollo 13, Rush), uninspired (In the Heart of the Sea, Cinderella Man), or downright awful (Inferno). Eden unfortunately falls into the latter category, and the signs are evident from the very first minutes as the movie opens with a lifeless and bland score as a ship approaches the island where the story will unfold filmed in the most uninspired way possible. How do you fail an introduction scene that much?
Eden tells the story of Dr. Friedrich Ritter (Jude Law) and his partner Dora Strauch (Vanessa Kirby) as they leave Germany in 1929 to build a new life on an uninhabited island in the Galápagos. Once their story is published in the newspaper, other settles arrive looking to start afresh, leading to a tense and dangerous struggle for survival amidst conflicting personalities and ambitions.
For a film that promises to explore complex character conflicts, it is populated by one-dimensional caricatures whose motivations are spelled out the moment they appear, leaving little room for complexity or development. Also, the actors seem to inhabit different films—Sydney Sweeney and Daniel Brühl take a more serious approach, while Ana de Armas and Vanessa Kirby lean into campier performances.
De Armas, though fully committed, delivers a performance that comes off as irritating—not in a way that heightens tension, but in a way that makes you eager for her scenes to end. Kirby, similarly, relies on cryptic stares, offering little substance beneath the surface. The rest of the cast is passable but ultimately forgettable. There are 3 characters in particular (the Baroness workers) that are extremely uninteresting.
The narrative quickly devolves into a series of petty thefts, draining any potential emotion or tension. Even moments that should provoke a visceral reaction, like a teeth extraction, feel lifeless and flat. The physical and emotional hardships of island life are often mentioned by the characters but rarely shown. The cinematography is uninspired missing opportunities for beautiful vista shots (there is 1 in the whole film!), and Howard’s direction is by the numbers throughout. Also missed is more ensemble moments, as the movie only briefy wakes up when more than 3 are sharing the screen. Instead, the film resorts to gratuitous nudity and shallow drama.
Eden is based on a real story with far more intrigue and tension than the film delivers. With such a capable director and cast, it’s a shame how poorly it turned out.