2067
Basically every sci-fi movie that deals with the extinction of the human race is about finding a cure for mankind to survive. In the case of “2067,” that is in the form of trying to find a way for humanity to have more oxygen. Climate change has decimated the planet, with only a single pocket of survivors left. They have to wear masks when they’re out, and rely on artificial oxygen when they’re in their homes. There are a group of scientists whom are trying to solve the dilemma, but more people are coming up with breathing issues and illnesses from lack of real oxygen. What does that have to do with a machine that can send people to a different time and place? That’s for Seth Larney’s film to explain.
The main character of the film is Ethan Whyte (Kodi Smit-McPhee), and he’s a bit of a miner who is working to stave off a nuclear meltdown from the power source that is giving this one pocket of humanity energy. But, he has always seemed to have something unique about him. When he was a child, Ethan’s father (Aaron Glenane) put a bracelet on him that has flashed red his entire life. His father disappeared many years ago, and now, the people he worked for have come for Ethan, because of a message being sent to the machine they are working on. They only have one chance to send someone through it, and hopefully find a new chance for humanity. Ethan goes, but doesn’t find what he expects. Now, he must answer the questions of where he has been sent to help the people he left behind, including his wife, with a friend (Ryan Kwanten) who has been sent to help him.
There’s a lot to like in Larney’s film. He’s built a world that doesn’t need an overabundance of explanation. He has an plausible vision of what our actual future might look like if we do not course correct entirely on climate change. He also makes us question whether it is in our destiny to survive as a species. Are we supposed to survive? And if so, how do we remind ourselves of our connection to the Earth? “2067” isn’t an overt dissertation of man’s responsibility to nature, but the way it leads us to these questions is interesting, if a bit convoluted. Not really aiding the film is Smit-McPhee, who has always been a strong character actor presence, but struggles to carry this film on his own, and give it any emotional weight. You might find yourself thinking about “Interstellar,” in a way, as you watch this film, but, while it has good ideas, it doesn’t quite hold our interest the same way that film did.
