'Tides' (aka 'The Colony') is a science fiction thriller that follows an astronaut - Blake, on her journey back to Earth after a global catastrophe has wiped out nearly all of humanity and left the planet unsuitable for humans due to violent shifts in weather, with patterns of mist and tides making it hard for people to settle in one place.
The film opens by showing the 'Ulysses' II crash landing on Earth. The crew of three suffer a casualty, with Blake and Tucker remaining to carry out recon and collect data to send back to the colony of humans settled on Kepler 209. With Tucker severely injured, Blake ventures out on her own to collect data, testing the flora and fauna she finds in the desolate wasteland that surrounds her, focusing on testing the reproductive capacity of the specimens she comes across. On her return to the pod, Tucker is ambushed by a group of survivors and dragged off. On tracking Tucker, Blake is also captured and the two are trapped in a well, where Tucker succumbs to his injuries. Soon after, a larger armed group attack, capture and drag off some of the group members. Prompted to recover the data she has gathered and hoping to discover 'Ulysses' I in order to send signal to the colony, Blake infiltrates the tugboat dragging away the kidnapped people.
On reaching the destination, Blake realises that Gibson, an astronaut from 'Ulysses' I is in charge of the armed group, working towards what Blake's father, also crew on the 'Ulysses' I, had planned in order to establish a settlement by constructing a seawall in order to keep out the tides and provide space for civilisation to flourish. Saying that Blake's father had passed on, Gibson shows Blake around the abandoned ship that the survivors occupy. On further investigation, Blake realises Gibson had lied to her, uncovering that her father is locked away in the ship. In speaking with him, she is disenchanted by her father, as she discovers that her father was part of a group going against Gibson in trying to establish the settlement, going against their precept and motto - 'for the many'. Later on, Blake grows increasingly suspicious of Gibson, and realises that his approach to re-establishing humanity is forceful and evokes the worst in terms of approach to governing people. Having found Blake's gathered data, Gibson attempts to send a message to Kepler, prompting the colony to return to Earth and start anew. Trying to stop him, Blake ultimately drowns him and is rescued by the survivors she had previously helped escape Gibson's capture. The film concludes with an open-ended proposition, suggesting that the colony may come to Earth, as the group of survivors leave behind the old naval ships and the seawall.
'Tides' is an atmospheric feature, creating a distinctive mood on the outset by establishing the drab and dreary situation that remains of the Earth as a result of human mismanagement of its resources and disregard for the environment. The film opens with an intense scene where the 'Ulysses' II is crash landing on Earth, interspersed with title-cards establishing the setup of the film. The opening provides for an intense kick off to the movie, yet does not manage to maintain that same pace throughout. There are a number of fast-paced action sequences throughout the feature, but the scenes are too few and far in between to generate a stimulating and tense viewing experience for the feature to be considered a weighty and stirring thriller.
In terms of the story, 'Tides' opens with a curious premise, posing a lot of interesting questions regarding the state of the Earth, the position and circumstances of the survivors and the state of the future for humanity. Through its runtime, the film slowly reveals the answers to these questions, but does not manage to deliver a deeper contemplation in that regard. We find out that humans can still live and procreate on Earth, that Gibson is proceeding with a warped sense of duty and basically instilling a tyrannical state of affairs and leaving the future of the survivors and colonists open-ended. As the film unfolds, the development of the story seems sluggish, with each new revelation being predictable and adding little to the feature. At one point, a shortcoming of the film can be felt when Blake is speaking with Gibson about a rebellious uprising that took place, where the viewer is lead to consider that event rather than focusing on the story laid before them.
The cast comprises of Nora Arnezeder as Blake and Iain Glen as Gibson as the protagonist and antagonist respectively. Arnezeder delivers a strong and solitary individual that has a clear mission. As a character, there is not much that Blake embodies besides a tactical approach to things and the capability to handle herself in tough situations. Without Blake showing attachment to little else besides her duty, it is hard to relate to the main character, resulting in a fairly detached viewing experience or investment in the duty that has been imposed on her, rather than being her own choice. Opposite to that, Glen portrays Gibson, a character with the same ideal in mind as Blake - to perpetuate and carry on the human race, offering the people a chance to develop a culture and start fresh. However Glen's Gibson has a different approach to the practical terms of the plan. In first meeting Gibson, it is evident that the character is harbouring unspoken thoughts towards his plans, detracting from the story as it is easy to discern that the character has sinister undertones. In all, Gibson seems like a standard 'bad guy' that lacks distinguishing characteristics in his misdoings, adding little to nothing to a pantheon of tyrannical villains.
Even though 'Tides' is a beautifully shot and composed feature, delivering a true sense of dread and hopelessness as the astronauts and survivors have to make their way ahead in a desolate and dismal Earth, the feature fails to evoke any deeper thought in relation to our treatment of the planet or in what manner the next generations will treat our home world. Even though 'Tides' presents the Earth as bleak and ruthless, the feature rarely manages to illustrate the severity and harsh circumstances with which the survivors must cope, thereby undercutting the tension of the film and ultimately failing to convince the audience of the merciless nature of our planet.
Score: 2/4
Comments