Ron Howard’s tenure as a filmmaker has had its share of peaks and valleys. Eden, his latest feature, boasts an all-star cast with some of the biggest names working today. The story of Eden is steeped in historical truth and likely, broad fiction. It’s a story of survival against austere conditions and freedom from the status quo. But these ambitious elements drift toward survival against one’s neighbor and the freedom to be as selfish as one is capable. On paper, Eden has all the right conditions to be a Hollywood hit: Oscar-winning director, attractive and ubiquitous cast, and a compelling historical narrative that challenges human capabilities. Sadly, the potential stays on the page and never quite makes it to the screen. Ron Howard is in the valley once again. 

 

After the economic crash of 1929 and the rise of fascism in Europe, Dr. Friedrich Ritter (Jude Law) and partner Dore (Vanessa Kirby) abscond to the isle of Floreana, a small spit of land which is part of the archipelago of the Galápagos off the coast of Ecuador. Ritter intends to finish his manifesto denouncing the classist values taking over his homeland while his wife recovers from multiple sclerosis. 

 

Their isolation on Floreana is short-lived as Heinz Wittmer (Daniel Brühl) and his wife Margret (Sydney Sweeney), along with their son Harry (Jonathan Tittel), find their way to the island. The Wittmers were inspired by Ritter’s story, made famous after his letters detailing his new exploits were published in newspapers around the world. They also yearn to settle and find their own freedom in the world. 

 

Ana de Armas plays Baroness Eloise Bosquet de Wagner Wehrhorn. The baroness title was self-given. She enters the story last with her own ambitious dreams of settlement, but more in commercial terms, looking to set up an exclusive hotel resort on Floreana that caters to the super-rich. She is vain and narcissistic, toxically controlling her entourage, Robert (Toby Wallace) and Rudolph (Felix Kammerer). Eloise is easily the most interesting character, and de Armas leans into her vanity and cruelty. 

 

The story of the occupants on Floreana begins as a crowded neighborhood sitcom set-up, and spirals violently into a tale of warring nations fighting over occupied territory. There are the usual hostile ingredients every settler film needs: dangerous wild animals that eat crops and attack people, swarms of bugs, a lack of abundant fresh water, and the uncontrollable, dangerous weather. 

 

The true battle of Eden is the concept of people shrinking back to a primal form, shaking off their modern politeness as they scrap for their basic needs. Between the three camps of people, Ron Howard shows our human ability to make alliances, break alliances, demonstrate zero empathy, and forego every societal rule, all for the sake of protecting the tribe. 

 

The performances in Eden are complementary and serve what the story needs. Jude Law leans into the pretentious, a man who must wear metal dentures to eat, as he pulled his teeth out to avoid infection. Vanessa Kirby and Sydney Sweeney play strong, capable women who go through their character arcs the most fully. Sweeney has strong dramatic chops, and while she serves well in romantic comedies, her turn in Eden echoes the pain and hardship she gloriously displayed in Immaculate. She’s a good actress; she just needs to find the right movie. Daniel Brühl walks a tight rope between naïve and stoic. I hope he continues to find challenging work. 

 

Ana de Armas is the star in this film. Her villainous turn is delivered with delicious energy. Her Eloise character describes herself as “the embodiment of perfection” and expects the rest of the world, or at least the rest of the island, to understand that. Aside from a few rants, her character never really gets to let loose. Ana de Armas plays her with such cunning intelligence and ruthless resolve, and while this film will likely be forgotten, her performance should not. 

 

Cinematographer Mathias Herndl captures the rugged island terrain, the beaches, and the mountains beautifully with shots surrounded by darkened vignettes. Eden was shot in Australia, and Herndl capitalizes on the landscape to bring the idea of Eden to life with natural light in virtually every scene. Hans Zimmer’s score creeps through the film, reflecting the tenuous circumstances of uncomfortable island settlement and even harsher human interactions. 

 

The problem with Eden is that while it is visually and technically appealing, its emotional weight is vapid. The actors are all talented, but their characters, save for the baroness, are flimsy and opaque. The storytelling, which is ostensibly factual, tries to grip with slippery gloves. I knew the beats that were coming. The knowledge of what was coming was not the main issue; the quality was boring. There is something of an emotional climax towards the end that was so heavily telegraphed. I wonder if the film opened with this incident and then let the characters and audience use the rest of the run time to piece together how we ended up there, I might have cared a little bit more. 

 

Eden does not carry itself like a passion project, but more like a contractual studio obligation. The assumption that a bunch of current and rising stars working with a big-time director at the helm seems like page one out of a producer’s playbook. This maneuver does not always work, and Eden is proof of that. Ron Howard recently guest-starred as himself on Apple TV’s The Studio, trying to release a project called Alphabet City that the studio personnel were hard-pressed to get out. The episode was funny because of the absurdity and vanity of the director, and the stars and studio executives tiptoeing around to placate him. That meta commentary, which was humorous to sit through in the context of a television series, has come to life in Eden. Ron Howard has been here before, and it’s time to come out of the valley.