In the distant future, the Earth has become uninhabitable, causing the ruling elite to escape and settle on Kepler 209. But after two generations in their new, dry climate, these people have become infertile. So they establish the Ulysses project to send some astronauts back to Earth to find out if the plant is once again inhabitable, but lose communication with the astronauts shortly after they land. After several years, another team of astronauts, Ulysses 2, has arrived on Earth to complete the mission. Astronaut Louise Blake (Nora Arnezeder) also has an ulterior motive for joining this second mission—her father (Sebastian Roché) was part of the first mission, and she is eager to learn what happened to him. As Blake and Tucker (Sope Dirisu) land on Earth, they find a breathable, but somewhat harsh climate, with tides that nearly flood the land twice a day, and strong rainy winds. However, they also quickly discover that they are not alone. They are taken captive by the local people, called Muds, and thrown in an underground grot. Blake is surprised to see so many children, because back on Kepler 209 there were no babies. While Blake can’t speak their language, she makes a non-verbal connection with a young girl named Maila (Bella Bading), and her medical knowledge proves helpful to the tribe. But even the Muds are not the top of the food chain on this new Earth. The encampment is attacked by raiders in boats, who kidnap the children. Blake offers to help Narvik (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina) get her daughter Maila back, but the Mud woman doesn’t fully trust her. So Blake takes it upon herself to learn more about these raiders, discovering a connection to the original Ulysses mission—one that will test her faith and loyalty, and she will be forced to make a choice that could determine the future of mankind.

The Colony sets up an interesting post-apocalyptic world and society, exploring themes of indigenous people and colonization. The situation is like history repeating itself, mirroring aspects of the English colonizing America and affecting and displacing the lives and culture of the Native Americans. Those who had abandoned Earth in hopes of saving themselves discovered that things weren’t necessarily greener on Kepler 209 (figuratively and literally). In the meantime, the Muds adapted, grew in numbers, and made Earth their home. However over the decades, elites like Gibson (Iain Glen) haven’t lost their superior feeling, believing their ideals, manners and customs have more importance, and that others who don’t act in their idea of a civilized manner, such as eating with silverware and speaking English, are somehow lesser people who need to be colonized and ruled over. The Muds also have something the people of Kepler 209 don’t—the ability to procreate, and Gibson wants to control that as well, to shape the future of the planet in his own vision.

A good portion of the film is presented in the Mud people’s own dialect, which is a blend of English, German, Dutch and French, but the film doesn’t provide any subtitles translating this unique language. It is fascinating the way the film and character conversations still remain easy to understand despite this. One of the producers of the film is Roland Emmerich, who is usually known for his big budget blockbusters. While this is a much lower budget sci-fi film, it doesn’t feel that way. Instead, the filmmakers have utilized some creative filming techniques to make the world and effects feel much bigger than they are. I think the filmmakers have done a great job of setting up this interesting world, but the story itself is a bit lacking and paint-by-numbers, blending up elements from other various post-apocalyptic films—the flooded lands of Waterworld, the infertility of Children of Men, and the raiders of Mad Max—and the result is visually interesting but a bit middling story and performance-wise. I can’t say that I was ever bored watching the movie, but it was also not a film that left me fully satisfied and eager to watch it again.

Lionsgate’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great. The video presentation provides an excellent level of detail, even in the darker, greyer, cloudy climate of this post-apocalyptic Earth. The disc also includes a 4K Apple TV digital copy for those who wish to check it out in 4K. The audio track provides clear dialogue (though most of it is in the Mud language), and makes excellent use of the stereo and surround channels to put the viewer right in the middle of the action. Right from the start you feel the creaking and thrusting as Ulysses 2 rapidly makes its way to the planet, and then the blustery winds and storms of this post-apocalyptic new world. Throughout the film, the audio track provides an immersive ambiance. The Blu-ray disc comes packed in a standard HD keepcase, with a slipcover, along with an insert with redemption instructions for a digital copy of the film. The disc also includes a 20-minute behind-the-scenes featurette with the writer/director and cast, as well as an audio commentary track.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:44:55)

Blu-ray:

• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Digital (may not be valid after 10/26/2022):

• Digital Copy redeemable via Apple TV, Vudu or Google Play (not Movies Anywhere compatible). Redeems in 4K on Apple TV.

Extras:

• Audio Commentary with Writer-Director Tim Fehlbaum (1:44:55)
  Writer-Director Tim Fehlbaum focuses his discussion more on the practical aspects of making the movie, talking about his filming techniques and how effects and shots were done, the tricks of making low budget for sci-fi, the use of miniatures, creating the sets, shooting underwater, the documentary style of the film utilizing lots of close shots, editing the movie, the cast and their use of improv, and more. He also discusses Roland Emmerich’s involvement in the film and some of the advice and guidance that he provided.
• Visions of the Future: Making The Colony (19:26)
  The writer/director and cast talk about the premise of the film, finding the emotions of the characters, the filming locations in the German Tidelands as well as recreating the post-apocalyptic environment on sets, the physical struggle and physicality of the shoot, the Mud language, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with writer/director Tim Fehlbaum, and stars Sope Dirisu (“Tucker”), Nora Arnezeder (“Blake”), Nicola Perot (“Oogklap”), Joel Basman (“Paling”), Sarah-Sofie Boussnina (“Narvik”), Sebastian Roché (“Blake’s Father”) & Iain Glen (“Gibson”).

Final Thoughts:

While I found The Colony to be quite visually appealing, and the post-apocalyptic world it sets up to be an interesting one, the underlying story is a bit lacking, and more of a mash-up of ideas from other films in this genre. While I wasn’t bored by the film, I also wasn’t wowed by it. The Blu-ray presentation itself provides excellent picture and sound, and the disc also includes some solid bonus material. Fans of the film shouldn’t be disappointed and will definitely want to pick this up, but for new viewers it may be worth a rental first or picking it up on sale.