Eden would feel like a flight of fancy if the events weren’t based in reality. It begins ominously but quickly devolves into a somewhat campy exploration of human behavior — often petty, dangerous, and competitive. For all that Friedrich opines about saving humanity, the irony here is that he hates people and becomes the very thing he accuses others of. Friedrich is the epitome of pretentiousness, and Eden plays out like an adult version of Lord of the Flies.
It’s less dark and more fun (seriously, the comedy is a big reason to watch the movie), exploring the way social class and the idea of survival of the fittest test the characters. Howard and Pink provoke us to take sides, just like the characters do. But the game the characters are playing isn’t one that’s fair, and the chess pieces are always moving. There are lulls in the story, as the initial setup starts to wane, but it paves the way for something more enticing and satisfying.
