StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Raymond Sierra The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

adriangr Return to Eden is an overblown "bonkbuster" style romantic thriller in which a wronged woman seeks revenge against the husband and best friend that betrayed her. Stretched over three episodes, each one being 90 minutes long, the story does not rush, although having read a synopsis I was surprised about the pacing of the tale (some spoilers below...)Episode 1 sees our heroine Stephanie married, cheated on, pushed into a river and the jaws of an awaiting crocodile by her husband and best female friend, assumed dead but washed up and nursed slowly back to something like health by a hermit, visit a plastic surgeon and get transformed into the beautiful "Tara", work her way back into life and society with this new identity until she feels ready to plan her revenge. That's a lot for episode 1, and I was wondering how they would keep up this level of plot propulsion for the remaining two.Well, they don't really. Episode 2 sees Tara revealed to the world as a beautiful woman, seemingly much younger than she looked as Stephanie, she then makes it as a fashion supermodel and finally she begins a game of cat and mouse with her husband and former friend, both of whom have no idea who she really is. After some careful plotting she summons both of them to her remote family country getaway home to prepare the final trap! Episode 2 is definitely the slowest of the three.Episode 3 sees all the main characters ensconced in the remote holiday home, and Tara begins her revenge. I won't say any more about episode 3, but rest assured that by the end of the final 90 minutes, you do get to see some satisfactory come-uppanceTo it's credit, the whole thing is fairly straight, There's no (well, very little) ridiculous ham acting or overblown flouncy bitching. The actors do a very good job. Best performance comes from Rebecca Gilling as the heroine. Her suffering as she recovers does seem to take a realistic amount of time and effort, and her dramatic "unveiling" as the foxy Tara did actually make me blink once or twice and wonder if they'd swapped to another actress - they didn't - so the makeover job is pretty good, it has to be said. Wendy Hughes does a very realistic job as the best friend, but if there's a weak point, it's James Reyne as the slimy husband, he seems to have very little charm. I guess all ladies do love a bad boy.The biggest drawback of the series is that it looks hysterically dated in the sequences where Tara becomes a "top model" and prances about in the most god-awful 80's "high fashion" outfits that you have ever seen. It's a shame really, as I am sure this all looked like hot stuff at the time, but time has not been kind. Other than that, it stands up pretty well. Stephanie's revenge, when it finally comes, seems like a fairly subdued pay off for such a long wait. But as Stephanie (the character) is not a vindictive woman, it's also fairly understandable. You'll probably enjoy the drama and plot of "Return to Eden" if you generally enjoy soap operas. The acting is nearly all very good, and no characters act in silly or counter-realistic ways. Sometimes Tara's refusal to reveal her true identity to even her most cherished loved ones (her children!) seems hard to take, but at the end of the day it's still a soap opera, so enjoy it.

domino1003 Stephanie Harper is newly married to Greg Mardsen, a washed up tennis pro. Little does she know that her new hubby and her best friend Jilly are having an affair. She also doesn't know that her hubby is after her money, and he tries to get rid of her by means of throwing her to the crocodiles at her estate called Eden. The keyword is "tries" because she survives (Unknown to everyone)and makes her way to a clinic. After a surgeon fixes her face, she returns...as Tara Welles, the newest fashion model on the scene. She also returns to settle the score with her hubby and best friend, who has become a lush. This is a great 80's mini, and one of my all-time favorites. I wish that it would hit DVD so I could add it to my collection.

LiamP76 Return to Eden is a film of rubber and wood. Rubber faces and crocodiles and wooden acting. It is hilarious. The story is as follows: Rich lonley heiress Stephanie Harper (Rebecca Gilling)falls in love with a gold digging tennis star Greg Marsden (James Reyne). They marry, and not long after this he attempts to kill her by pushing her into crocodile infested waters where she is mauled. She is rescued by a kindly hermit (isn't this always the case) who nurses her back to health and gives her his life savings, consisting of a bag of opals which she sells for $2000. Stephanie then goes to a plasic surgeon who falls in love with herand has her appearance changed, no mean feat for that sort of money. After this she changes her name to Tara wells, becomes a 'Supermodel',and seeks her revenge. The funniest thing about this is that nobody recognises her. As stephanie, she wears a grey Putty nose and jowls, which makes her look as though she has done 2 rounds with mike tyson. As Tara she is the most graceless, unattractive 'Supermodel' i have ever set eyes upon. (the 80s' fashions are hilarious). James Reyne, as Marsden, said in an interview on a DVD i purchased that he wanted to make his character look and act as though he has a rod up his arse. He was succesfull. Although he looked like a man with terminal piles, with a rod up his arse. I was expecting the revelation the he was an android, alas this never came. The plastic surgeon, Dan Marshall, is an actor of fine quality, or would be if this were dinner theater. From the sound of his voice he acts by day and does the top 40 on the radio by night. This mini series is absolutley hilarious try to get a copy, but have a box of tissues with you!

MaRX-4 A riveting performance from the superb actor, Rebecca Gilling.This mini-series is a Mile Stone for Australian Television. A heart breaking story about a young woman disfigured in a fight with a crocodile, who falls in love with the plastic surgeon from whom she seeks help.This is Australian Television at its absolute best.Oooo, GOEBBS.A must for all Australians.