The Colony

After finishing this film, I was both understanding and a bit puzzled by the reviews. I thought this film had good cinematography, decent acting, an interesting premise, and a simple but well-executed plot that conveyed the entire narrative well. It is important to note that some events happen abruptly, but by in large the plot was steady and smooth. I did sense some undertones regarding climate change, humanity, and other important themes. But, the film seems to insert the messaging in a subtle manner, which I think was executed in a fine but not perfect manner. With these criticisms aside, this was a well-made film that has a hopeful message for humanity, with a well-crafted narrative that I was content with following. It's a good watch!

Not bad at all. Story is good, not slow, not too fast. After decade of superheroes, battles, cgi fights… Simple story with start, culmination and end :)

I wanted to like this more because it's a great twist on space colonization but the development of the story doesn't grab me the same way throughout and I can't quite put my finger on it like, on the other hand, I know that the ending bothers me because [spoiler]it shifts the focus completely back to the POV of the main character when the movie had been about us discovering that we shouldn't do that.[/spoiler]

All in all, it's still far better than what I expected going in.

If you keep your expectations low, you may enjoy this movie. It has a very simple plot and screening but it is not so bad at all. Rather than a sci-fi action movie, It is a kind of drama with little action. It gives messages of climate change, extinction and some discrimination.

The setup and first 30 minutes are extremely intriguing. However, it then takes a bit of a turn and dives into some unsubtle exploration of colonization and manifest destiny. What the film is trying to say is worthwhile, but it's so on the nose that it takes you out of things. There's some good world building and messaging, but I just wish there was some more depth to the plot.

Not a bad movie - but it's also nothing great. It's a Sci-fi drama all of it taking place on Earth. It deals with the standard "future" issues.

How I rate:
1-3 ❤ = seriously! don't waste your time
4-6 ❤ = you may or may not enjoy this
7-8 ❤ = I expect you will like this too
9-10 ❤ = movies and TV shows I really love!

[Sitges FF] This dystopia between "Mad Max" (1976) and "Waterworld" (1995) raises some interesting concepts that have to do with the ethics of domination, the idea of colonization from the point of view of the colonizers and of the "common good" as justification for sacrifice. But it isn't fully developed, and the script seems more comfortable finding conventional ways of survival genre than exploring new horizons.

While it's a nice Hard Science Fiction film for the masses, many of the foundational premises made absolutely no sense. Why would the human elite go all the way out to the Kepler system, almost 2000 light years away (a system that also doesn't have any habitable planets in the Goldilocks' Zone), when Mars is right next door and could just as easily maintain a closed-system colonization? That's like driving from New York to California because there was a chemical spill in your hometown and you needed to evacuate. Furthermore, if they have the technology to travel 2000 light years in 10 real-years, why are they still using Apollo-styled reentry capsules instead of something with a controllable reentry ability like a shuttlecraft? Then after only 40 short years (2 generations according to the opening scenes), you decide to try to return to Earth instead of finding a better environment closer to where you are now? I know, most people don't know the location of the Kepler system and its planetary make-up but still, with Google, all things can be learned within mere seconds. Once upon a time, serious Science Fiction authors wrote smart because they knew their audience was also smart. Today, not so much.

After all that, then you start running into the standard fare of post-apocalyptic issues. It's been at least 60 years since the fall of man. The planet is given the appearance of constant marshland that floods every 12 hours with the tides. Where are they getting the diesel to run their boats? Where are they getting the replacement machined parts for the engines? When nobody has seen a tree in years, where are they getting the wood for their arrows, the cloth for their clothes and food for their tables when no coordinated farming can be done and only the seas provide nourishment. You see why Hollywood prefers to stick with Space Opera instead of actual Science Fiction?

Anyway, if you can stop yourself from asking questions and just watch the movie, it's pretty much a mediocre tale. Most of the film is purposely hard to see, to probably save on the budget, often shrouded in fog, mist or darkness. The only actor in the cast that I recognized was Sebastian Roché. Finally the dialog and character interaction was minimal at best. While this may seem so negative, trust me, I've seen worse. It gets a "Meh" rating. Watch it if you have no better options.

A little bit of mystery and betrayal in a Sci fi setting

If you search for “The Colony”, a film a year has been named with this title. How does Hollywood churn out movies with the same title? Does cast and crew think whatever “The Colony” is most current wins the Queens prize? This “The Colony” movie is a 2021 Fogtopia (note how I didnt say “dys”) and can neatly be placed in the hot garbage category. Seems like a tax write off for the producer. I want to diss this harder but cant be bothered. Enjoy!