One of the better horror flicks to come to Blu-ray/DVD this year The Colony treats audiences with ghoulish panic. The film has a very good cast, a nicely paced 2 part script and mates both drama and terror successfully to provide some very cool thrills. If you are getting ready for a Halloween weekend it’s a nice little ghastly treat.
The film opens and we find the Earth has frozen over and those remaining people have survived in colonies living underground. At Colony 7 an outpost of people in the US they have been able to survive by growing their own food in greenhouses and using the seed to replenish. Having depleted their medical supplies however, the colony has dwindled from its 400 people due to an outbreak of flu that has been causing the deaths of about 20 people a week. To stop the spread Mason (Bill Paxton) has been in charge of eliminating the sick.
When they get a S.O.S. radio call from Colony 5 several miles from where they are located, Graydon (Atticus Mitchell), Sam (Kevin Zegers) and colony leader Briggs (Lawrence Fishburne) volunteer to travel though the treacherous snowstorms to investigate. Putting a very good cast through their paces director Jeff Renfroe spools out his film with an opening drama about the colony that has been surviving in the midst of a modern ice age. He gives a fair assessment of each of his main characters showing both their attributes and flaws. He adds interesting elements on the colony’s techniques for survival yet showing a changing attitude among them that has become more despotic due to the growing loss of life.
His film spools out in two parts, a story of survival of an apoplectic crisis much like Day After Tomorrow and then one of savagery similar to I Am Legend when the colony has to face a cannibal attack. Renfroe creates his film using an amazing amount of green screen and computer graphics to show his icy world with endless snow and frozen wilderness. His interiors are made of iron and steel that were once thriving factories and now the underground haven for his colonies. Costuming consists mostly of parkas and snow related outerwear since the temperature varies very little from interior to exterior. In one long scene the three volunteers on their way to Colony 5 have to cross a bridge that has taken a lot of punishment from the elements. It’s an edge of your seat tense chapter that’s very well done.
The Blu-ray comes with a 15 minute Behind the Scenes extra that features the actors and director talking about their roles. Some good footage of how they created the Frozen Bridge and exterior snowy wasteland are featured as well. The only disappointment is I would have liked that it have been longer and focused more on the special effects.
The video quality of the Blu-ray with the 1080p widescreen is excellent with no distortion and very clear shots of the frozen Earth and the well lighted interiors. The special effects are brilliant with great shots of the bloody rage of cannibals that make up the second half of the film.
Sound qualities using the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 played though the Blu-ray is clear and clean with no loss of value. The dialogue comes across crystal clear and the action sound effects work well on my television. My upgraded sound system adds a lot of depth and surround sound making the presentation even more theater class.
The Colony has not been rated by the MPAA but contains violence, language, scary images, gore and dismemberment. The film is best watched as a late night thriller with the room darkened and the sound turned up.
Specifications and additional film information:
Cast: Bill Paxton, Kevin Zegers, Charlotte Sullivan, Atticus Mitchell, Lawrence Fishburne
Directed by: Jeff Renfroe
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Running Time: 1 hr 34 min
Video Release Date: October 8, 2013
Original Film Release Date: September 20, 2013
Language: English
Format: Blu-ray
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Number of Discs: 1 disc
Distributed by: RLJ Entertainment
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
