3 Short Paragraphs: The Colony

2013, Jeff Renfroe (TV like Haven, Being Human) -- download

Last year the genre movie blogs (the impetus for much of my downloaded viewing) were both learning about movies taking place in post-apocalyptic, snow-covered environs. At first, the reporting merged the two, but we learned that there was to be Snowpiercer by Joon-ho Bong (The Host) and this mostly Canadian production.  Considering how quickly this came, or didn't, to the cinemas and disappeared, we can guess what was meant for the OnDemand world and what was to make a good popcorn muncher in the theatres.  The blogs are still talking about Snowpiercer but if it was possible for digital systems to have dusty shelves (i.e. Netflix) this movie will soon be relegated there. It is a cut above those terrible, SyFy-produced disaster movies but not by much.

Post-apocalypse. Snow covered landscape. The last survivors of the human race are hidden inside well-stocked and powered bunkers, doing their best to live, but really, all hope is lost. From many bunkers, they are down to this one. And this one, from hundreds of people, down to a couple of score. Though doing OK for food and water, what is killing them are viruses and most likely, the common ones like the cold and flu. Medicine is basically non-existent so if one person gets a bug then it can easily kill many. If you get sick, and do not recover quickly, you are sent to walk in the snow.

Could be a compelling plot? But its just the B-plot, the one that is written for conflict between main characters. The real plot is the loss of communication with a neighbouring, and possibly the last bunker. So a couple of guys gear up and trek across the ice & snow to see what happened. From there it turns into your typical postApoc movie, as our heroes (and its no real spoiler alert, as every blog rolled their eyes at the reveal) discover the place has been the latest buffet for a band of cannibals. The cannibals, insane and not bothered by the cold, follow the surviving heroes back to their bunker for a standoff. Even though a few people survive, and with hope of a future, I don't give less than a dozen people much of a chance to repopulate ice age Earth.