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Hot Or Not? This Is What The Critics Say About The Thriller 'Eden' With Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Kirby, Ana De Armas, And Jude Law
Ron Howard’s new film ‘Eden’ has gathered much attention, but is it truly worth seeing in theaters? Critics are still debating its merits.
This week Ron Howard's brand new mystery-thriller Eden, based on a true story, arrived on the big screen in a lot of countries. But is this film worth a trip to the cinema? Critics don't seem to agree.
Eden is set in the 1930s and follows a group of people trying to escape the pressures of society. They seek peace, freedom, and a new beginning on the remote and then-uninhabited Galápagos island of Floreana.
The first to settle on the island are German doctor Friedrich Ritter (Jude Law) and his partner Dore Strauch (Vanessa Kirby). After some media attention, they are soon followed by war veteran Heinz Wittmer (Daniel Brühl), his young wife Margret (Sydney Sweeney), and their son.
Life together is rough, but trust and cooperation slowly develop, until peace is disturbed by the eccentric self-proclaimed baroness Eloise (Ana de Armas), who has grand plans for a luxury hotel on the island.
At the time of writing, the thriller holds a score of only 95 percent from 44 reviews, of which 26 critics have given the film a Fresh score and 18 have labeled it Rotten.
Most critics have pointed out that the film is, as Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter describes it, a "melting pot of styles". "The film is neither satire, nor thriller, nor murder mystery," the reviewer states.
"The more its characters engage in very bad things, the clearer it becomes that Howard may have been very miscast for the film. The film ends in a deep low," writes Benjamin Lee of Guardian.
Owen Gleiberman of Variety also did not mince words in his review, writing: "For Howard, the film is certainly different. But there’s another word for that: the word is terrible."
Fortunately, some were pleased that the film is "different". For example, Mark Asch of White Little Lies wrote: "Eden is at its best when it unabashedly tackles history and turns it into a dazzling campy movie."
Eden is set in the 1930s and follows a group of people trying to escape the pressures of society. They seek peace, freedom, and a new beginning on the remote and then-uninhabited Galápagos island of Floreana.
Peace Disturbed
The first to settle on the island are German doctor Friedrich Ritter (Jude Law) and his partner Dore Strauch (Vanessa Kirby). After some media attention, they are soon followed by war veteran Heinz Wittmer (Daniel Brühl), his young wife Margret (Sydney Sweeney), and their son.
Life together is rough, but trust and cooperation slowly develop, until peace is disturbed by the eccentric self-proclaimed baroness Eloise (Ana de Armas), who has grand plans for a luxury hotel on the island.
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A Melting Pot
At the time of writing, the thriller holds a score of only 95 percent from 44 reviews, of which 26 critics have given the film a Fresh score and 18 have labeled it Rotten.
Most critics have pointed out that the film is, as Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter describes it, a "melting pot of styles". "The film is neither satire, nor thriller, nor murder mystery," the reviewer states.
A Deep Low
"The more its characters engage in very bad things, the clearer it becomes that Howard may have been very miscast for the film. The film ends in a deep low," writes Benjamin Lee of Guardian.
Owen Gleiberman of Variety also did not mince words in his review, writing: "For Howard, the film is certainly different. But there’s another word for that: the word is terrible."
Campy
Fortunately, some were pleased that the film is "different". For example, Mark Asch of White Little Lies wrote: "Eden is at its best when it unabashedly tackles history and turns it into a dazzling campy movie."
