The Colony

Image Entertainment | Release Date: September 20, 2013

5.3	USER SCORE Mixed or average reviews based on 53 Ratings

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quincytheodoreMar 6, 2015

The Colony could have flourished with good visual and cast, but it squanders the potential before it enters the second act. The main issue is how stagnant and predictable the plot progresses, screenplay it uses is the very generic templateThe Colony could have flourished with good visual and cast, but it squanders the potential before it enters the second act. The main issue is how stagnant and predictable the plot progresses, screenplay it uses is the very generic template for sci-fi genre. It barely possesses any unique qualities, and by the time the movie is over, it will be either forgettable or interchangeable with any mediocre films.

Story follows the survivors on Colony 7, led by Briggs (Laurence Fishburne). They have been plagued with the dangerous common cold, in which everyone who even shows symptoms are quarantined, possibly exiled or even killed. They also receive strange message from Colony 5, their neighbor colony and must go to examine whether it's real or not. The overall concept holds some promise, but there are far too many boring narratives and stupid behaviors from the characters to fully realize its prospect.

Script is highly foreseeable, down to the sob stories of the survivors, which to the film's credit, would be salvageable if it actually portrays them instead of having guys talk about it. Characters also perform a few needless monologues that don't help setting the tension, they merely drag the movie by a few minutes. Furthermore, many of the characters' decision are moronic, the film tries to convince audience with stress or fear excuse, and even if that's true, it's still stupid by any stretch. This is the equivalent of seeing someone decide to split up in horror flick.

Visual is pretty exceptional, it has good sharp contour and vibrant color. However, most of it are used in ordinary hallway full of pipes or barren wastelands, the most notably landmark is broken bridge which could very well be featured in half dozen other sci-fi films. The actors aren't that bad either, it's just the material is too thin and lacking any suspense for them to capitalize on.

The Colony might have bits that could've worked, but with too predictable execution and uninspiring plot, a visit isn't exactly recommended.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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dagirlsJun 3, 2014

This is one of the rare occasions when a contemporary science fiction movie leaves me cold. The film went left when it should have gone right, turning a promising mew project into just another zombie film. It cost me 20 bucks brand new. AndThis is one of the rare occasions when a contemporary science fiction movie leaves me cold. The film went left when it should have gone right, turning a promising mew project into just another zombie film. It cost me 20 bucks brand new. And it was not worth the money. There were a few other less than stellar science fiction films that have come out in recent years like 'Absolon' with Christopher Lambert & 'Impostor' with Gary Sinise and both were low budget SF, but bother were better than Colony.The main characters dialogue in Colony was a bit stilted so I thought it did not deserve a 'pass go and collect 200 dollars' from this viewer. Apparently it was filmed in a now not used underground military facility in North Bay Ontario & the folk who let them film there said they were never letting anyone else film there because it had been such a big hassle. Access to a unique staging area didn't seem to help this film much. Don't bother.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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MamaTLFSep 21, 2013

The idea for the story is good, the twist in the story excellent and cast promising. But the plot development has flaws in logic that turns the story on a path full of unnecessary events and character development. That coupled with naive lastThe idea for the story is good, the twist in the story excellent and cast promising. But the plot development has flaws in logic that turns the story on a path full of unnecessary events and character development. That coupled with naive last half of the movie and the ending that seemed rushed with no explanation, the movie is just a shell of what it was supposed to be.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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wyvern300Nov 4, 2013

The trailer looks much better than the movie really is... It is not bad, althought i do not recommend you spending your time watching this.. The story starts nice but the rest of the movie is

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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masterjohnson1Mar 18, 2014

Not as good as I thought it would be judged on the trailer that I saw but it was not the worst film I have ever seen it was good for what it was and I would not recommend this to anyone

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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BunkerfoxOct 6, 2014

Good visuals and great acting can't quite elevate this film above it's lackluster writing and predictable plot and characters

It's a great post apocalyptic setting, and the visuals really reinforce that, whether it's how the colonies areGood visuals and great acting can't quite elevate this film above it's lackluster writing and predictable plot and characters

It's a great post apocalyptic setting, and the visuals really reinforce that, whether it's how the colonies are shot or the CGI they've used, they all create a brilliantly bleak atmosphere.

The acting, especially from Fishburne, Paxton and Zegers, is very good. Fishburne especially excels. It's just a shame him and Paxton aren't given more screen time. Paxton as well could have done with a lot more chances to build his character, who in the end is let down by lazy and cliché writing

The story is ok but a bit by the numbers. It does feel a bit like like the creators had a great idea for the first half of a film but then couldn't think what to do with the rest of it. they set up a great situation and setting but they don't go anywhere with it and instead fall back to a by the numbers monster movie and the characters are never given enough time to really develop

It isn't a bad film by any means and is quite enjoyable to watch, but its plot and characters mean it will never be a must-see film… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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RevRonOct 18, 2013

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. While I dug the premise of this movie and felt it could have resulted in an average, mildly decent sci-fi film, the end product just felt like it wasn't fully developed or even finished. The threat (a roaming band of cannibals) feels pointlessly tacked on--and they were the MAIN THREAT! It just felt like the cannibals were stand ins for what the real threat was going to be but production just never got around to actually coming up with the actual antagonist so they just left the cannibals in. The characters don't really feel that there either as there is very little character development in them. Bill Paxton undergoes a change in his character but it happens off-screen and it just makes the turn his character takes feel lazy. Granted Bill Paxton and Laurence Fishburne are great in the movie but there's just not enough of them in the screen time to carry this weak movie forward.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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