“That is not how we do things. We give people a choice. It’s theirs to make regardless of the outcome.”

ZombieDog’s rating: Just chill

ZombieDog’s review: What defines a B-movie today? Back in the day, it was something cheap, cheesy, and destined for a drive-in, monsters and spaceman running crazy in small town America. As filmmaking evolved, I think B-movies are the equivalent to the “B” side of record albums. They’re made with all the capability of your favorite band, not just the hit song that you hear on the radio (this really shows my age but hopefully it communicates the point). B-movies have the potential to be just as entertaining and soul moving as Oscar-nominated films.

And yes, some of them are still crap.

The Colony was a direct-to-DVD release, even though it feels a little better than that. It stars Lawrence Fishburne and Bill Paxton, and with a budget of $16 million, it produces surprisingly good piece of film.

It’s set in a frozen apocalypse where small groups of humans have managed to survive by burrowing underground. They maintain contact with one another, yet keep their distance because the spread of disease has become the number one killer. After losing contact with their sister facility, Briggs (Laurence Fishbourne) decides to take a small group and go investigate.

This decision instantly causes tension within the group and his subordinate Mason (Bill Paxton), as we sense that the group is starting to fall apart. Not to be outdone, the ice and cold feel ever present and even come across as a malevolent oppressive force.

I guess the thing that surprised me most about this movie is how they were able to grab two A-listers. Both of these actors have done Hollywood blockbusters and classics, with Fishburne doing Apocalypse Now (1979), The Color Purple (1985), and The Matrix (1999), while Paxton gave us Aliens (1986), Tombstone (1993), and Apollo 13 (1995). Out of the two, though, Paxton is definitely the most versatile and gifted actor whom we unfortunately lost in 2017.

Having these two heavy hitters attached made me feel a bit of a disappointment when I encountered The Colony’s twist. I don’t really feel like I’m giving anything away by saying that they encounter feral humans. My problem with this is more pet peeve than anything, it’s just humans have pretty big brains and to move from place to place, solving problems takes cognitive ability. Feral humans are just… anti-zombies. They do everything zombies do, kill and eat flesh; they just don’t have to explain how they became zombies. It doesn’t really add much to the story and it’s weak.

I don’t think I can pick a better film to discuss how making movies is a business. This is strictly my version of how events went down. So, imagine you’re a small production company and you get a hold of the rights to a script. After that you get some money ($16M) and you figure you can’t make something good enough to go in the theaters, however you can absolutely make something good enough for a direct-to-DVD release.

You then find two stars willing to work for a quick paycheck and throw this thing together over a couple months, then release it and hope you make your money back plus some.

This is the pure business of filmmaking, along with the gamble. I am beyond okay with this. I would say this is how it’s been done historically and let’s be fair, people need to be rewarded. I’m certain 2000 years ago it cost money to put on a play. If the acting troupe made their money back then some, they would be able to take the show on the road and thus spread culture.

My only problem with this approach, and it’s a big one, is that because you’re making a cheap movie, there’s a temptation to cut corners and accept laziness and shoddy work. I would argue the exact opposite; this is your chance as a director, writer, or anybody who works on the movie to do your absolute best. Yes, this film may be forgotten, but it nevertheless goes on your resume.

As a said earlier, I see this as the new modern B-movie. A movie that is made with artistic talent and effort, just not a lot of it. And that’s okay. I can only speak for myself but sometimes I just sit down and shut off my brain to a movie and B-movies are simply made for this.

So, is The Colony any good? I’m going to sidestep it just this once and say, “It is what it is.” Certainly, you have seen post-apocalyptic movies before, in fact there’s really nothing new in this whole film. I even played a game of my head that could this movie have been made in the ’50s. I said yeah although you probably would have to get rid of the zombies and replace them with some kind of ice monster or something.

Lawrence Fishburne and Bill Paxton really make the movie. They are hardcore pros, and they bring that experience to any project. The movie is absolutely watchable, and I know that sounds like a less than glowing endorsement. I think if you’re B-movie lover then you’re constantly looking for and maybe even collecting B-movies for future watching. This movie is absolutely worth your B-movie pile and some night when you reach over blindly and pull this one out, shut off your brain and enjoy.