CommentsXp
Best movie ever!
Humaira Grant
It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
Janae Milner
Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.
rodrig58
I can say bad things and good things about this movie. Where to start? OK, the bad ones: except Laurence Fishburne, who is very natural and is a very good actor, the others are under any criticism. The story, as it was screened, is predictable. The film does not have the tension it could have had, with another director and very good actors. Good things: The subject is generous and could have been an extraordinary film directed by, let's say, Stanley Kubrick or Franklin J. Schaffner, the director of "Planet of the Apes" (1968). Unfortunately, they both direct films in another dimension.
Wuchak
Released in 2013, "The Colony" is a post-apocalyptic movie about life in North America after the next ice age hits. Laurence Fishburne stars as the leader of an underground colony with Bill Paxton (R.I.P.) as his problematic assistant. Kevin Zegers plays a younger guy who rises to the challenge when contact with a neighboring colony is lost and a trio treks the winter wilderness to check on the status of its inhabitants. My wife watched this movie on DVD before I did and, knowing it was some kind of wintery post-apocalyptic movie, I naturally asked her: "Are there mutants in it?" By "mutants" I meant, of course, any number of antagonists typical to the genre – zombies, cannibals, diseased tramps, monsters, etc. She didn't respond, but I knew the answer and was right. So this is a hackneyed post-apocalyptic movie; the question is: Does it rise to the challenge within that increasingly stale sci-fi/horror/action genre? Is there something about it that's fresh and invigorating? The answer is "no." There are obvious elements of numerous similar flicks, like "The Day After Tomorrow" (2004), "Day of the Dead" (1985), "The Thing" (1982), "Aliens" (1979), "Aliens" (1986) and the first two "Planet of the Apes" movies (1968, 1970). That said, "The Colony" is solid for what it is, which is helped by the fact that it doesn't overstay its welcome at 94 minutes. The CGI backdrops are convincing, albeit a little cartoonish, and I found myself drawn into the world of the characters. It's a good thing Charlotte Sullivan is on hand as the protagonist's babe, though.The dramatic first half of the movie is a slow-build to the action-packed second half with its revelation of the main villain(s), which is underwhelming when revealed (I'm not going to give it away). I will say that there is a character played by Dru Viergever who's garbed like Pinhead's little brother or perhaps a rejected vampire from "Underworld" (2003). Whatever the case, I chuckled a few times upon eyeing his stereotypical menacing expressions/antics. The movie's further brought down by the predictable political correctness wherein the sage leader is a seasoned black man and his unofficial second-in-command is a moral, intelligent & beautiful white woman. These two are naturally contrasted by the selfish and sociopathic "aging white guy," a symbol of all that is wrong with the world (rolling my eyes). A Canadian production, the movie was shot at some defunct underground power plant in North Bay, Canada, with (I presume) establishing shots from Lapland, Finland, and studio work done in Toronto. DIRECTOR: Jeff Renfroe. WRITERS: Renfroe, Patrick Tarr, Pascal Trottier & Svet Rouskov. Atticus Mitchell has a small role. GRADE: CADDITIONAL COMMENTARY ***SPOILER ALERT*** (Don't read unless you've seen the movie):The aforementioned "mutants" turn out to be merely "humans gone feral," as Fishburne's character describes them. Cracked cannibals or not, wouldn't their priority be acquiring food supplies rather than senseless slaughter? Moreover, does it make sense to forgo a good take of fresh meat to wander the ruthless winter wilderness searching for even more food when it's not a for sure endeavor? Do farmers slaughter all their livestock at once? There are too many logical holes.
Michael O'Keefe
Jeff Renfroe directs this tale of horror in a cold, futuristic 2045. Extreme climate change and global warming has moved surviving humans underground into bunkers. Primarily two challenges, controlling disease and manufacturing sustaining foodstuff. A bunker, Colony 7, is led by Briggs (Laurence Fishburne) and Mason (Bill Paxton) ; both are at odds with rules of survival. They receive a distress signal from their closest neighbor, Colony 5; when they get there the bunker is covered in blood. When Briggs and Mason gather the expedition to return to Colony 7, they must out run a clan of feral, degenerate men. For sure, count on some red snow and disturbing situations.The pace of action is a bit slow; but THE COLONY does have its moments. Civilization and morality is wiped away. There will be disparate measures for disparate people to survive.The cast also includes: Charlotte Sullivan, John Tench, Lucius Hoyos, Kevin Zegers, Kimberly-Sue Murray, Atticus Mitchell and Dru Viergever.
The Couchpotatoes
I saw a couple post-apocalyptic horror movies this week and this one could have been one of the better ones if the story would have been more believable. Because honestly I don't see how heavily armed survivors could not win against a couple of dozens of cannibalistic humans with machetes and axes. The beginning was good and intriguing but the end was just poor in my eyes. Could have been much better. The actors were all good, much better then in the other post-apocalyptic movies I just saw, but then again it will just stay a movie that I will forget about in a couple of weeks. The filming was also good, nothing to fault there. Too bad the story was not that good.
