April 5 2013 – When a new ice age engulfs the world, micro pathogens becomes the new menace as the newly stricken are given the choice, take a bullet or take a walk, to face certain death by being released into the sub zero wilderness to freeze. These are the fundamental tenants that govern the survivors in the new post apocalyptic sci-fi thriller, The Colony.
Colony 7, a remote outpost lead by Briggs (Laurence Fishburne), is short on supplies and plagued with internal conflicts as they struggle to survive deep below the earth’s frozen surface. The last vestiges of hope for the colonists comes in the form of Kai (Charlotte Sullivan), who searches frantically for any signs of heat sources throughout the world. Power struggles continue within the colony until they reach a head with Mason (Bill Paxton), a former comrade-in-arms challenging Briggs on his preferred solution for all those in quarantine. But, when Colony 5 mysteriously go silent, differences are put aside as Briggs leads an expedition to discover what happened with Sam (Kevin Zegers), and Graydon (Atticus Dean Mitchell) in tow. The Colony echoes strong images to Roland Emmerich’s 2004, The Day After Tomorrow and that’s not a bad thing. Bleak aerial landscapes and grinding arctic winds magnifies the difficulties in journeying to, then descending into the bowels of Colony 5.
What awaits our trio is an unspeakable horror of feral but resourceful sub-humans that has them fighting for their lives. Director, Jeff Renfroe makes refreshing narrative choices during the returning bridge confrontation that resets the direction of this thriller for the better. Location scouting rarely gets praise in movies but in this case it deserves an extended accolade. With ground zero being the decommissioned NORAD base in North Bay, Ontario, this stark cavernous location, lit to perfection, sets an eerie feeling of isolation long before any dialogue.
Verdict: 4/5 With strong Canadian content in front and behind the camera combined with a smartly paced story, The Colony is able to shake off the long held low budget moniker that plagues most Canadian feature films. Jeff Renfroe dystopian vision and journey for salvation holds up to the most rigid sci-fi genre standards and succeeds admirably.
In The Colony, a cough can get you killed.
Genre: Sci-Fi
Director: Jeff Renfroe
Writers: Jeff Renfroe, Svet Rouskov, Patrick Tarr, Pascal Trottier
Screenplay: Svet Rouskov
Stars: Laurence Fishburne, Kevin Zegers, Bill Paxton, Charlotte Sullivan
Theatrical Release: April 12 2013
Budget: $16 Million
Review by John Dash
 |
| Get the T-Mak World Toolbar to get all the info you need |
