Settlers is a slow-burning, often gorgeous film that attempts to graft the tropes of a classic Western—isolation, land disputes, and violent survival—onto a desolate Mars landscape. While it succeeds in creating a palpable sense of dread and claustrophobia, it unfortunately forgets to build a compelling narrative, leaving the audience with an atmosphere that is, at times, as dry and empty as its setting.
The film is visually stunning, making brilliant use of its low budget to create a truly believable, dusty, and lonely Mars. settlers
It raises many interesting questions about the world it inhabits—how did Earth become uninhabitable? What is happening in the other colonies? The film rarely answers these, choosing to remain frustratingly vague. Settlers is a slow-burning, often gorgeous film that
Brooklynn Prince (as young Remmy) proves her talent, carrying much of the tension. Nell Tiger Free (as older Remmy) and Ismael Cruz Cordova (as the volatile intruder, Jerry) are also standouts, managing to bring emotional depth to a very minimal script. It raises many interesting questions about the world
Title: Audacious Sci-Fi Western Struggles Under Its Own Weight