In Eden, Jude Law and Daniel Brühl find themselves stranded on a tropical island with Vanessa Kirby, Sydney Sweeney, and a very horny Ana de Armas. Whatever will they do? Aside from those selling points, though, the drama is much less sexy than you’d expect (or want) and instead serves as a serviceable exploration of the destruction of paradise.
Based on a true story, Eden has Law playing a German doctor who has exiled himself to the Galapagos to write a treatise on humanity, traumatized by the horrors of WWI. He curmudgeonly accepts the arrival of another German family (Bruhl and Sweeney), but when a self declared baroness (de Armas) shows up ready to fuuuuuuck, shit hits the fan.
Power plays, corruption, and murder follows, but what could have been the sexiest drama of the year instead is a surprisingly and unfortunately even keeled portrayal of events that lacks dramatic beats or the flair that director Ron Howard’s best works have offered. There’s a lack of energy and urgency to the whole affair, a lack of desire to lean into the most compelling aspects of the story in powerful, profound ways.
To call Eden dull, however, wouldn’t be fair. Howard is talented enough to maintain an adequate pace, and the stacked cast make for an intriguing ensemble. No one here is at the top of their game—it’s hard to be when the screenplay doesn’t demand it—but Law and Brühl are both strong. Kirby is massively underutilized, while Sweeney isn’t terribly convincing. Ana de Armas, however, understood the assignment and seems to be the only actor actually having fun on screen.
It’s unclear how much fun Howard had behind the camera. When things in the story really start to spiral, he inexplicably keeps the tone and drama even-keeled, unwilling to lean into the plot’s momentum. Despite his past achievements, Eden feels more like a director-for-hire situation than anything else.
Eden has its virtues, but if anything, it needed less virtue. Despite starring Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Kirby, and Ana de Armas, Eden is unfortunately no paradise.
Review by Erik Samdahl. Erik is a marketing and technology executive by day, avid movie lover by night. He is a member of the Seattle Film Critics Society.