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As we shift our attention towards climate change, it is becoming clearer and clearer that Earth is on the verge of demise. Which leaves us with the question, what is in store for humanity? Plenty of science fiction works have touched on this very notion so it is not new. The theme of humans leaving Earth is quite popular and has been around for decades. However, a majority of people focus on the aspects of man having to set a new home, coping with the changes that come with moving to a new planet, and the attempts to create a new utopian society. These thoughts are quite interesting but also far too idealistic. Colonials, however, chooses to focus more on the individual left behind and the futuristic conflict that follows. What happens to humanity is indeed an interesting concept, but to determine who is left behind, and what conflicts occur in the future surrounding these individuals, is a more riveting concept.
In other words, Colonials choose a specific point of view. Silas as the protagonist, is a Mars colony graduate embarking on a mission to planet Earth. The scope of this mission, however, is yet to be disclosed.
After the crash landing, he loses his memory and The Exiles, a society mostly based on the moon, are fighting against The Resistance, from which Silas was rescued. The exiles managed to save Silas and then he joined them. As Silas began remembering his identity and discovering his past, things became more complicated.
In the few years after the review of Colonials, the impact that film was made during its production needs to be factored in. It is clear this is a low-budget indie film and not a Hollywood blockbuster. The budget hardly seems to be present, especially when it comes to the CGI. There are moments that come across as leaps too far in terms of the financial abilities of the filmmakers. While the effort may be appreciated, context is important too. The effects, albeit distracting and terrible, have a reason for being there. These details serve as a reminder not to expect higher-level illusions while analyzing the criticism. But yes, this stands sternly where Colonials falls short and it does succeed in taking the audience out of the enjoyment.
It does an excellent job making practical effects work for it and the cinematography is particularly great when there are sequences on Earth, that in turn visually stunning and believable dystopian world it paints.
There are some issues with the effects that are justifiable, but the ones with the writing in Colonials are far too glaring to ignore. At times the plot is so convoluted that focusing on it becomes challenging and the many characters in it with different identities, loyalties, affiliations, and intentions truly complicate things. It even seems that some of the parts of the dialogue are on the rough edges, which in a way, is too much information to be provided. The fact that there is way too much exposition in the dialogue adds to the puzzling nature of the story in Colonials because there appears to be no plausible reason for the absence of idea clarity.
There are some more than decent acting scenes in Colonials, and that is good to see. Greg Kriek particularly stands out in his role as Silas, also, Sean Kanan (Zeke), and Jamie Bernadette (Zoey) give good side performances. I wonder how some of the other cast, who are all decent in their respective roles, would have fared for an improved script.
As pointed out, Colonials is a movie that has a number of issues, and this is certainly one of them.
But it does have a few positive aspects. Independent science fiction movies are usually difficult to do well, and for the most part, Colonials manages just that. Sadly, it’s a genre that needs big ideas and often even bigger budgets, and those two elements have to be in sync, and that is clearly not the case with Colonials. This should not be a criticism in any form, and if nothing else the efforts at creating a plausible world set far into the future, all the while trying to reflect today’s world, should be praised. Yes, Colonials could, and possibly should, have been more, but the ambition and potential from the premise, and the moments in which it actually manages to define the team behind this film as a future one, are the moments that work. Though Colonials has its share of issues, it is still more engaging and more stimulating than anything one can expect from an average cable sci-fi network or Asylum production, even if the visuals do not always do justice to the scope of the film.
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