According to almost every movie made on the subject, the future of our species and planet is pretty bleak. The question seems to be not whether we’re headed towards a dystopia but how we’ll get there, and what it will look like. Faith in humanity doesn’t put rumps in the seats, or cause streaming sites to flow. In that dour spirit, we have the sci-fi drama THE COLONY, the latest piece of pessimism for your consideration. I eschewed the term “entertainment,” since I prefer less gloom with my doom than this one offers.
A few years before the story of THE COLONY begins, the rich and privileged left Earth because of imminent disaster. Unfortunately, the new planet they found supports life but suppresses reproduction. Apparently, we’re such an annoying life form that we could only qualify for a short-term lease, not a multi-generational tenancy. Wise planet, based on how we’re treating this one – in the film and otherwise.
So they send a team back to Earth to see if it’s habitable for them now. The first mission vanishes; we open with the crash landing of the second, which includes the daughter, Blake (Nora Arnezeder), of the main brain behind the first. She’s the only one who survives, arriving in a gray, gray world that’s mostly flat and wet. There are handfuls of humans who’ve adapted but they’re living primitively and in fear of other groups who have less than peaceful agendas.
After all the players have appeared, including Iain Glen (Jorah in “Game of Thrones”), we’re treated to more dialog than any sci-fi fan could want, explaining all the whys and wherefores driving everyone’s actions. It all seems like more trouble than it was worth, even for a relatively low-budget opus. Minimal sets and costumes, no big marquee names, not much lighting and, apparently, inexpensive writers. If you’re in the right mood, its dim view (literally and figuratively) of our possible destiny may prove intriguing. Just don’t expect an adrenaline rush, since this one aims more for the mind than the gut.
COLONY opens 8/27 in theaters in some locations, on digital and VOD on Netflix and other services.
RATING: 1.5 out of 4 stars
