Settlers

Sofia Boutella is a fantastic actor, and this movie is full of wonderful landscapes, paired with great sound design. It's everything else that is the problem.

The story feels trite, with little importance on dialogue. Remy (young and old) and Jerry are just... boring. Very unfulfilling to watch as an audience member. The scenic design of the home is... boring and ugly. Genuinely looks like they ran out of money.

The vfx artists did a great job on the landscapes and the robot, and the ending before the epilogue is the only good part after the first 30 min (but the scene itself is really well done, with great acting from Remy).

Overall this movie felt like a first draft. Clearly could've been better with more time and money.

...to appreciate this film, and even then it could be better.

Mars does have water, btw, and a breathable atmosphere could be produced through various processes. The huge dome for just one farm is a bit of a stretch.

But this isn't really about Mars, and the sci-fi elements are mainly window dressing.

Many questions are raised, but answers are scant and no more than hints. If you can be patient with that, it tells an interesting story about human nature and desperation, but it is a rather grey and grim story with nothing uplifting.

That, in the end, is why I don't give it more than 5 stars, despite good performances and accomplishing a lot on a limited budget. It's very dystopian, in the most depressing sense.

Most bad reviews are (in my opinion) based on the assumption of the (re)viewers that they will get something like a post-apocalyptic survival action movie on Mars, but instead got a drama touching topics like bonding, loneliness, guilt, revenge and forgiveness and the like.

Settlers for sure got also some issues regarding world-building, and the tempo of the unfolding narrative is rather slow, but on the other hand, it got a fine meditative, dark and melancholic quality, that I liked. What else? Acting and production are solid to good, effects too.

So beware: if you expect or want some action or adventure movie in a sci-fi context, Settlers is in all likelihood the wrong choice for you.

This is a story that could take place on Earth - when for any reason you decide to write a scenario for a story om Mars, you MUST take into consideration AT LEAST basic facts about Mars, otherwise DO NOT PUT YOUR STORY ON MARS. If you do not have enough BUDGET to shoot a Mars-based film, DO NOT DO IT, PUT IT AN AN IMAGINARY PLANET... Subsequently it does not matter whether the storyline or the actors are decent, the whole film becomes just 'unacceptable', it is as simple as that...

Ilsa (Sofia Boutella), Reza (Jonny Lee Miller), and their daughter Remmy (Brooklynn Prince) are living in a remote settlement by themselves. They are attacked by a group led by Jerry (Ismael Cruz Córdova).

The movie doesn't do a lot of expositions or clarity. It doesn't do flashy things. It's lowkey serious tone and the deliberately stripped down story telling leave the movie feeling a bit empty. There are lots of missed opportunity. It hints at a dangerous world outside. It would have been great to have the characters run around in it.