The Colony Directed by: Jeff Renfroe Starring: Laurence Fishburne, Kevin Zegers, Bill Paxton Rating: Not Yet Rated Release Date: TBA
Trailer Score: 5/10
Thoughts by TSR: Three main things went through my head as I watched this trailer for The Colony. The first is that the presence of Laurence Fishburne and Bill Paxton add a healthy dose of credibility that would otherwise be lacking in this mostly generic looking survival film. The second, which plays into the generic nature of it, is that it kind the trajectory of the story laid out here doesn't seem too far removed from a video game. The third thing, though, is the highest level of faint praise I have to offer. At the conclusion of the trailer, I just sort of shrugged and thought "Yeah, this looks like a perfectly decent direct-to-video experience."
Fishburne has the gravitas to make him a believable leader of the expedition exploring outside the colony, so his presence is probably the main draw. (Side note: it's not for the faint of heart, but everybody should should check out Fishburne, Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, and company on the recently concluded freshman season of NBC's terrific "Hannibal.") The pack of antagonistic crazies doesn't seem particularly interesting, and there looks to be plenty of generic plotting. The effects that create the film's snow covered world, however, are surprisingly passable. The Colony is far from something I'm going to actively seek out, be it in theaters or on Blu-ray. But like so many Syfy and Lifetime movies, if I stumble upon it and the remote goes missing, well, it might not be the worst thing.