The enormous collective effort involved in making a feature film or a television series deserves respect. Even when it turns out to be as unsuccessful as welcome to eden (since 2022), for which Netflix has brought together two opposing filmmakers; the veteran Joaquin Gorrizscreenwriter of Isi/Disi: Love to the beast (2004) or The consul of Sodom (2009) and creator of Anyone there (2009-2010), Angel or demon (2011) and trapped (2018), and the almost newbie William Lopez Sanchez.
To begin with, it uses the well-known trick of presenting us with a strange situation in half res who needs explanations and jump back in a big flash back in order to comply with it. And, immediately, they add details that want to stir up our interest more; but the composition without real strength in his auctions it makes these narrative mechanisms of always, so recognizable, suffer and do not capture us in the right way.
There should be no arguing that welcome to eden seems intended for the public that likes arguments similar to those of Elite (since 2018); with messes and youthful chaos; and on the other hand, with a few touches reminiscent of The fantasy island (1978-1984), the squid game (since 2021) already a milestone on the small screen. Hence, for the first, his dynamic montage but quite topicalunimaginative and with a certain insignificance.
‘Welcome to Eden’ does not work due to its insurmountable script problems
Its audiovisual style perfectly matches the background no real dramatic depth from welcome to eden; that also uses crude sketches and set phrases, and is not able to build any link between the protagonists, whose personality they do not elaborate too much, and the spectators. So we don’t give a damn what happens to them, and the villains, who even appear suddenly depending on who, don’t impose at all.
As if these problems were not enough, the main premise and the maneuvers of the story about it, which also remind us of certain points of lost (2004-2010), they don’t hold as it should. Moreover, to the surprise of any observant movie buff, even some opening scenes remind us of another unforgettable television fiction about the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815; but without the ability or the intention to leave us confused.
On top of that, there are manipulations, ways of reacting from certain characters and ignorance with an amazing inconsistency pure ridiculous; and a few violent twists without justification, just because, and not relevant while waiting for questions about the mystery to be answered. And another inconvenience, which prevents conceiving an oppressive tie, is often taking the focus off the stage where the protagonists find themselves.
Unnecessary villainy and sadism
Apart from all of the above and between arbitrary appearances, superfluous slashes and a cast that behaves, the fundamental rush of welcome to eden lies in that the origin of the dramatic conflict is not plausible. The vile behavior of the antagonists fails to be credibly backed up, much less their unusual sadism. It is not necessary for them to act like this, nor does it make the slightest sense. Especially if it is mixed with an ideology flower power chupiguay.
The transitions between scenes with images of the environment, and the passage of hours sometimes in fast motion, is similar to those of season ten of American Horror Story (since 2011). The closing of the fourth episode rises above the rest of Netflix’s proposal due to the wise audiovisual decisions of Daniel Benmayor; and the climax of the eighth was mounted well by Alberto Gutiérrez. But these virtues they cannot save her from her inconsistencies.