La mansión

This made for TV suspense thriller had lots of potential but just seemed to fall flat. John Ritter stars as a security expert of the high tech scale who moves his family into THE COLONY an ultra exclusive community that appears on the surface to be perfect in every way.

Shortly after moving in they soon find all is not what it appears. An elaborate set of rules and regulations abound that at first seem to be ridiculous but in reality are taken seriously by those who run The Colony. The family encounters staff members, who come into their home to do various environmental checks, remove outdoor plants that are deemed inappropriate for The Colony and perform surgery on their pet dog. Security guards shows up at the home of another family when the man of the house decides to paint his dwelling with a color that The Colony does not approve of. Slowly this utopian community begins to show it's dark and sinister side as Ritters family begins to catch on.

The film attempts to have a Stepford Wives type plot to it but too many topics are touched on and compressed to allow the film to have a build up for a suspenseful ending which also falls somewhat flat. The characters seemed to be miscast which hurts the picture. Hal Linden as the BMOC (Big Man On Community) who runs the Colony and wants everyone to love, respect and fear him at the same time just doesn't seem believable as a sinister individual. John Ritter who is fine in comedy roles also just doesn't seem to click in this picture.

The story is there and if redone with good casting and directing would make for a suspenseful film along the same lines as The Firm. If you've never seen it it's still worth viewing.

In this mid-90s TV movie John Ritter plays Rick Knowlton who has designed a security system. He is also a family man with a wife Leslie (Mary Page Keller) and two kids (Alexandra Picatto and Cody Dorkin). While feelings the effects of living in a big city of L.A. and having their car stolen Rick is looking for a new and fresh place to live without the stresses and fears that city life creates. A super-rich tycoon Philip Denig (Hal Linden) wants to buy this security system and move the Knowlton family to his community. Rick is ecstatic, but soon finds out that this community isn't as great as he first thought.

Unfortunately this flick doesn't make the cut in my eyes. Not scary enough or spooky enough and the messages that are delivered could have been done in different ways to be much more effective. I do believe they needed to amp things up for it to strike any real chords with me. Might work better for those who have not seen this type of movie before. Sad though, because I think Ritter was perfectly cast for his role, but needs more meat on the bone for me to become more concerned for their well-being. Also starring Frank Bonner from WKRP IN CINCINNATI.

This could have been a good movie, except it was too tame. Not enough menace in the menace, if you know what I mean. If you want to at least read it done right, read a novel called The Association, by Bentley Little. It's almost the exact same concept, but it actually makes you fear the big boogey man.

Security specialist Rick Knowlton (John Ritter,) upset by a life-threatening incident is invited to live in a securely closed society "The Colony". At first, the parents, children, and family dog are happy. Then people get over antsy about nitpicky rules. This masks something more sinister.

If you are familiar with computers, you may notice this movie is a little dated.

If you are thinking the colony is nowhere as bad as a Homeowner's Association, then you may be interested in the filming location of Rancho Palos Verdes, California, USA.

Warning if you cannot watch cruelty to dogs and ferns then you may find this upsetting.

Welcome to the Colony. It's very sleek, effete, modern and totally upper middle classish. Externally it's a well constructed paradise replete with its own efficient private security enforcing the C&R, the fine print covenant and restrictions which govern life, but what lies behind the pleasantries and the security screens?

Colony featured excellent performances by Hal Linden as the evil genius who created the colony and John Ritter the neophyte who allowed to enter the circuit walls engirding the Colony is drawn into discovery of the hidden secret.

I never liked John Ritter's personal philosophy of endemic liberalism but it is strange to watch this 1980s made for TV movie and witness its eerie prophesy for life in a nearly paranoid state.