Eden: Should you or skip the latest survival thriller on Netflix? A viewer’s guide

Ron Howard’s latest directorial venture, Eden, dropped on Netflix right in time for the holidays. It’s this survival thriller, super dark, and has ignited a debate among viewers ever since it hit theaters back in August 2025.

The cast includes Jude Law, Vanessa Kirby, Ana de Armas, Sydney Sweeney, and Daniel Brühl. The story is based on European settlers in the ’30s running off to the Galápagos Islands chasing their dream of paradise, only to find out that people are the real monsters.

So, is Eden actually worth your precious binge-watching hours, or should you just scroll past it? The film has divided critics and audiences alike, with passionate defenders praising its performances and true-story intrigue, while detractors criticize its pacing and tonal inconsistencies.

We will explore what Eden offers, examine its strengths and weaknesses, and help you decide whether this psychological thriller deserves a spot on your watchlist.

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What is Eden about?

Eden puts you into 1929 with Dr. Friedrich Ritter. He is a jaded World War I vet who has had it up to here with Germany after the war. He bails on everything, grabs his lover Dore Strauch, and the two of them run off to Floreana, an empty island in the Galápagos. They are over fascism, sick of the grind of modern life, and Ritter just wants to write his grand philosophical masterpiece far away from all the noise. Meanwhile, Dore has her own reasons. She is hoping that nature and peace will help her with her multiple sclerosis, so she is really banking on some sort of miracle cure from the island.

But paradise never stays private for long. By 1932, the Wittmers come along: Heinz, his wife Margret, and their son. They have read all about Ritter and Strauch’s experiment in the papers and decide to show up with different priorities. These folks are just trying to survive and build a stable family life. They are practical, not exactly here to find themselves.

Shortly after, a third group arrives. The so-called Baroness Eloise Wehrborn de Wagner-Bosquet rolls in with a couple of lovers in tow: Rudolf Lorenz and Robert Philippson. She is a total character, and she has a scheme to turn Floreana into a fancy hotel for the rich and bored. Obviously, that doesn’t mesh with the others, who were all about escaping the rat race in the first place.

From there, it’s chaos in Eden. The three groups clash constantly. Dreams of utopia get tanked by reality: supplies run low, everyone is suspicious of everyone else, and things get dark. Instead of escaping society’s problems, they just wind up recreating all the drama and power struggles they thought they had left behind. The more cut off they are, the worse it gets: paranoia, scheming, betrayals, even violence. Eden is a classic ‘humans can’t get out of their own way’ theme.

Eden is based on real survivor accounts, especially Margret Wittmer’s memoir. The creepy and unsolved mystery of the deaths and disappearances on Floreana continues, making Howard’s adaptation even more mysterious. The movie sticks close to the actual events, using the real names and personalities, but of course, the screenwriter Noah Pink fills in some blanks with dramatic guesses.

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Should you watch or skip? The verdict

Watch if:

Watch if you are into true stories. The fact that Eden actually happened is the main draw here. People running off to a remote island to “find themselves,” only for everything to go off the rails, is the real story. The historical occurrences, disputes escalating into violence, a self-proclaimed baroness, and trying to construct a high-class hotel on an isolated island, are so unbelievable that they are capable of not only capturing one’s interest but also pushing one further into the investigation and learning about the events of the Galápagos affair.

If you dig actors going all-in. The movie itself is kind of divisive. But the performances are where everyone agrees. Ana de Armas is a scene-stealing queen as the Baroness, totally over the top in the best way. Vanessa Kirby and Sydney Sweeney also bring it, especially when things get bonkers near the end.

You can also watch Eden if you love a good “people vs. isolation”. Eden is all about what goes down when the dream of paradise smashes into actual people and their baggage. Can you really escape society, or do you just drag your drama with you? If you like The White Lotus or Lord of the Flies, this will probably scratch that itch.

You like good visuals and period themes. Queensland fills in for the Galápagos, and it looks gorgeous but kind of threatening at the same time. Costumes, sets, and Hans Zimmer’s moody score nail the 1930s feel. Ron Howard might be doing his darkest work here, but he still knows how to make a movie look and sound sharp.

Eden is an uneven piece, and it definitely oscillates between thriller, satire, and melodrama. However, if you are a fan of imperfection in movies and the like, then its crazy fall into insanity might be just the thing for you.

Skip If:

Skip Eden if you can’t stand slow stretches. The biggest gripe is the pacing. Since it sticks close to real events, the big moment hits way before the end, so the last act kind of drags. If you hate that feeling of why isn’t this wrapping up already, maybe skip it.

Bad accents make your ears bleed. Some of these German accents are not great. Daniel Brühl, Ana de Armas, and Sydney Sweeney’s accents are all over the place. If you are the type who can’t help but cringe when someone butchers an accent, brace yourself.

You want the movie to pick a lane. Eden can’t decide if it wants to be deadly serious, gloriously campy, or a sharp satire, and critics definitely noticed. If you are looking for a movie with a clear theme, this isn’t it.

You need characters that feel like real people. Even with a good cast, the script doesn’t give them much to work with. They are more like walking arguments than actual humans. If you are craving deep, believable people, this might leave you cold.

You want feel-good Ron Howard. This isn't Apollo 13 or A Beautiful Mind. It’s bleak, mean, and full of people being awful to each other. If you are expecting the usual Howard optimism, you are in for a bad time.

You only watch movies with good reviews. Eden is at a 57% with critics and a not-exactly-glowing box office. If you want a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, maybe scroll a little further on Netflix.