Bloodtype Online
For the best of the Horror/Cult/Exploitation film experience
Eden Log (2007)
Prior to seeing this film I was excited about it for two reasons. One, the recent films in the “Six Shooter Film Series” that I have seen were pretty good. They were all somewhat original films that I thought were trying to do more than your average horror/sci-fi films. The second thing was that the director Franck Vestiel was the assistant director on “Ils” better known as “Them” to American audiences. That was one of the best films I’d seen period last year and I was super excited to see what Vestiel was going to do on his own.
“Eden Log” starts out with a man awaking inside of a cave. He has no clue how he got there, where he’s at, or even who he is. It seems as if there is a strange creature following him around and must continue on to find out where he’s there and why. With very little answers apparent and no one around to explain it, he has to go on a truth seeking mission inside the dark and damp cave to find out what’s happening. Along the way he figures that something has to give as far as the structure he’s in and the information he finds in his journey. But for whatever reason he’s going to have to fight for survival with lots of strange occurrences happening throughout.
“Eden Log” starts out well enough attempting to disorient and confuse the audience much like our lead character Tolbiac. In the first fifteen minutes or so of the movie, it’s a pretty interesting and engaging experience. Unfortunately for the viewer though the remainder of the film is a strangely frustrating experience. It’s overly complicated, you’re never informed enough as far as what is going on in the story and in the end you’ll end up not caring that much anyway. At least that’s the way it was for me. I really was trying to grasp what was happening in the film, but there are certainly no big revelations that make it worth while to pay close attention either. The movie just drags on until it’s rather anticlimactic ending. Sadly, the film succeeds in so many areas visually, but can’t hold it’s weight as far as the story goes.
The movie also really struggles with it’s own lead character and the way it wants to make you feel about him. One moment he’s painted as a victim, to one point where you think he’s the cause of everything and another in which you have no idea what to think of him. Either way you cut it, it’s a sad waste of time. The movie doesn’t seem to understand the way it wants to depict him either which doesn’t make any of it easier.
Overall I would have to say that the movie is just a failure. Although it does achieve some good visuals and interesting set design, it manages to fumble it’s way through the running time with a mediocre script and barely there plot points that you don’t care about. Something else that I was happy about in the film was the scaled back use of CGI but that’s completely destroyed during something that happens during the end of the film. Either way, I’m going to have to recommend you AVOID this one.
Rating - *1/2
-Ed Demko
