The Gritty Sci-Fi Thriller On Netflix Where Earth Is A Wasteland
The Colony on Netflix is an English language German-Swiss science fiction movie from Tim Fehlbaum. Originally titled Tides, it premiered at the 71st Berlin International Film Festival in 2021 and began streaming on Netflix in January 2022.
The post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller The Colony is streaming on Netflix.
Fleeing a global catastrophe, the upper class of Earth society escapes to the Kepler-209 space colony, but the colony proves unsustainable when the heavy radiation there renders the populace infertile.
In a desperate attempt to save humanity, the colony decides to see if Earth might again be habitable. After the first mission to return to Earth fails, the colony sends a second mission including astronauts Blake (Nora Arnezeder), Tucker (Sope Dirisu), and Holden (Hong Indira Rieck).
The survivors of the first Keplar mission from the colony to Earth were thought to all have perished, but instead have been gathering up the children of the remaining humans for their own machinations. Having given the Earth-bound population the less than inspired nickname of “Muds,” Gibson (Iain Glen), a survivor of the first Keplar mission, leads a band of raiders who kidnap these survivors to hold them prisoner on cargo ships.
Blake, the only survivor of the colony’s second mission, is taken in by the Muds and then kidnapped by Gibson’s people. Upon meeting the children of Earth, Blake decides to side with them, helping them to escape, attempting to prevent Gibson from sending any data to Keplar-209 that would cause them to return to Earth.
It is isolating and drab and covered in fog.
The plot of The Colony is straightforward classic science fiction and not exactly new. The approach to the issues with the class system is not revolutionary. While there is much to be said about the state of the environment, this bleak take that seems to want to be a warning isn’t realized enough to fully take form.
In what story there is, there are hints of a Mad Max: Fury Road style breeding program for the fertile residents of Earth and potentially the idea that Keplar residents’ infertility may be reversible, though it is unclear how.
Visually, The Colony is stunning. Wet and gray, half destroyed, and desolate looking landscapes fill the movie with a sort of dread at the idea that this might be Earth’s future face.
It is isolating and drab and covered in fog. The score, composed by Lorenz Dangel is tinged with interference on the edges of sweeping melodies and uncomfortable swells that are hauntingly beautiful but somehow still slightly ugly and industrial.
Factually, there are some issues with the premise as Keplar-209 being thousands of lightyears away. How the characters are able to travel from there to Earth is not explained at all. Keplar-209 is a real star but it is not thought that its planets could be potentially habitable.
The existence of fuel for ships is a bit unbelievable and the lack of plant material growing is also illogical, considering humans are able to exist there and astronauts seemingly don’t suffer any difficulty with the atmosphere.
The Colony has had less than stellar reviews with an average score of 54 percent from 28 critics and 35 percent from 100+ viewers. Common issues sited are slow pacing and plot holes.
Critics and viewers alike thought that the plot was lacking in many places and that the gorgeous aesthetic and the enjoyable first third of the movie couldn’t quite make up for the deficiencies. Still, the cinematography is heavily praised.
While it might be worth watching for the visuals, viewers shouldn’t expect to get their socks knocked off by this movie. The Colony might have an interesting premise, it is not a unique one.
Visually, The Colony is stunning.
After Earth (2013) had a similar premise and also struggled to please viewers. Probably the film that’s had the best luck with these kinds of themes is Pixar’s Wall-E (2008).
Television series, which allow for deeper character growth and complex plot lines have, fared better with these theme. Examples like The 100 and the Battlestar Galactica enjoy avid fan communities.
During its limited international run, The Colony (Tides) had an international box office take of $377,411 from just over 250 theaters predominantly in Russia and Turkey.
The Colony won several awards for design, production, and music at the Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival, the Bavarian Film Awards, and the German Film Awards. There are currently no plans for a sequel.
