Wyatt Rockefeller wisely abandons the fantasy of settling Mars in favor of contemplating the very real complications posed by life on an unestablished, uninhabited planet
in the ranks of cinematic journeys to Mars, "Settlers" ranks among the less fancifully and lavishly invented, yet it's all the more effective for its earthly restraint: You can change the planet, but humanity stays pretty much the same
despite being mostly bleak and slow-burning, Wyatt Rockefeller's debut feature keeps the tension high and manages to illicit a sense of dread around every corner of the stark, claustrophobic setting
an interesting sci-fi western in a starkly pessimistic vein, with an audaciously developed narrative and nice performances; all in all, the work of someone serious about cinema; "Settlers" isn't perfect; But it's a quietly impressive piece of work
an elegiac and haunting but ultimately underwhelming and mystifying sci-fi mood piece; it's a well-made film; Ultimately, though, Settlers is more about setting a mood and painting a picture of hopelessness than explaining what happened before the story
"Settlers" is a pessimistic sci-fi yarn about the limitations of human nature; "Settlers" allows for weighty themes to play out inside a cramped domestic setting, wary of easy answers or moral platitudes