The Colony

Why are movie writers so bad at research? SpaceX and Blue Origin are capable of landing a space craft without a parachute, but for some reason, in about 160 years, they can't do this? A small tepid story, which might have worked well as a Dr Who episode. It falls short of its goal to challenge and entertain for those who believe Sci-Fi is about a hopeful future, not some dystopian hell hole where man is always the bad guy. This idea that primitive man is somehow better off is purely a Victorian fantasy for wealthy elites who have a Gaia Cult *. The Climate Change trope is done to death and has become a tagline. Maybe they should frame it as Earth after "Build Back Better" was implemented, with Schaub stroking a white cat. If you're having trouble sleeping, give this a watch before bed time.

Another boring indie movie set in a decimated post-apocalyptic world that's been transformed into a barren icy wasteland. A lone female astronaut traverses this empty kingdom and says very little, while the cinematography feels contrived and too arty, with look-at-me direction throughout. Things enliven a little towards the climax with a welcome supporting role for Iain Glen, but by then it's too little, too late.

Lack of clarity in the story robs this of its potential. Some questions are never resolved. One big plot hole involves the immense distance to the extrasolar colony in the Kepler 209 system. At 587 pc (1,914 light years), they would have to have FTL technology. And if they had FTL technology, they would likely have chosen something far, far closer to Earth. Better than that, with the right use of FTL tech, they could have terraformed Mars in a few decades. Great acting, nice cinematography, but pacing seemed too slow in places. A movie like Das Boot could make boredom seem interesting. That time of deep creativity was missing, here.

For starters, this German/Swiss film was shot very well, with excellent cinematography, and outstanding production design. Adding the spot-on eerie score, and you feel like you're right there, in that dystopian future. It's one of those unique set designs and atmosphere that you'll remember for a long time. The directing couldn't have been any better. The casting and performances were great and convincing. What bothers me, is in that 104 min runtime, the story needed much more substance, more action, and a better pace. Aside from some typical plot and technical issues, I was confused with the mission; the plan starts with the need to contact the colony and have them come back to Earth. Then No. Then yes? Or no? It really didn't make much sense, nor were there any good reasons for the changes back and forth. To make matters worse, the ending was so rushed, it added so many plot holes and leaves you with so many questions. It feels like the budget ran out and they wrapped up in 5 mins of filming. Had the pacing been faster, and/or added an extra 10-15 mins of story towards the end, a real and possible great ending could've been achieved. I instantly played 5 more minutes in my head when the movie was over that would've been a perfect ending, and even fill in some of the story's gaps. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed it, and it's one sci-fi I'll remember for sure. I really hope they come out with a part 2. It's a well deserved 8/10 from me.

I'm a nut for sci-fi... always have been but this sucks in every possible way. To waste $7 on this I feel ripped off. Good grief I could do better than this in my backyard.