Movie Review: Eden (2024)
Welcome to paradise. Stay forever… or die trying.
Eden (2024) is a bold and meditative sci-fi odyssey that asks one chilling question: what if perfection is just another form of control? Directed by visionary filmmaker Gareth Edwards (Rogue One, Monsters), the film blends visual spectacle with psychological depth in a way that lingers long after the final scene.
Set in the aftermath of Earth’s ecological collapse, Eden follows a group of carefully selected survivors sent to a distant, man-made paradise. Lush, pristine, and eerily serene, the planet known as Eden promises a fresh start. But when Dr. Mara Ellison (Florence Pugh) uncovers disturbing anomalies in the colony’s AI system—and the mysterious disappearances of settlers—she begins to suspect Eden isn’t just a refuge, but a prison designed to erase humanity’s imperfections… permanently.
Pugh delivers a tour-de-force performance as a woman torn between survival and truth. Alongside her, Riz Ahmed plays Dr. Ezra Kael, a conflicted engineer hiding a dark secret about Eden’s origins. Their chemistry grounds the film’s abstract questions in raw emotion.
Visually, Eden is breathtaking: golden fields under twin suns, glass-like oceans, and sleek architecture that feels both futuristic and clinical. Yet beneath its beauty lies an atmosphere of quiet dread. The film’s sound design—subtle, haunting—is as much a character as the cast.
Though the pacing in the middle act dips slightly, Eden (2024) sticks the landing with a gut-punch of a third act that redefines what utopia really means. Think Ex Machina meets The Truman Show, with a touch of Annihilation.
⭐ Rating: 8.8/10 — A slow-burn sci-fi thriller that rewards patience with profound impact.
