Ron Howard presents his new film Eden, featuring Jude Law and Sydney Sweeney. Available on Prime Video since October 24th, 2025, the thriller attempts to engage viewers but faces mixed reactions despite its impressive cast including Ana de Armas, Vanessa Kirby, and Daniel Brühl.
More than three years after Thirteen Lives, Ron Howard returns with Eden, a thriller centered on murder and survival. The story follows a group who abandons civilization to live on the Galápagos Islands, creating a tense atmosphere amid lush nature, unstable weather, and scarce resources.
Rather than portraying a paradise, the film explores chaos and power struggles within the survivor community. Inspired by true events, Eden immerses viewers in a raw, unsettling environment.
Despite the strong cast and intriguing premise, the film struggles to fully engage its audience. The main criticism lies in the characters' shallow development, described as overly caricatured, and a plot that progresses too slowly.
“Eden is inspired by a true story. Yet, the director fails to truly captivate the audience. The biggest issues lie in the character development – overly caricatured and barely developed – and plot. Overall it unfolds far too slowly.”
Ron Howard, best known for winning Best Director at the 74th Academy Awards for A Beautiful Mind (2002), takes a different direction with this thriller that has divided critics.
Author's summary: Ron Howard’s Eden offers a chilling survival thriller with a strong cast, but underdeveloped characters and slow pacing limit its impact.