Captive State

Captive State is a surprise for me. I went into this with low expectations, but ended up getting engrossed in the story and digging the film. Even though it has a PG 13 rating, it does not diminish the dark tone or seriousness of the movie. Captive State is a post alien invasion movie which deals with the aftermath of the aliens as an occupying force that infiltrated the government and controls society. This is a bleak setting with most of the populace living in poverty and squalor and is focused on the underground opposition trying to overthrow the occupying force. The acting is good with a lesser known cast with John Goodman as the lead. The special f/x are good, but this movie is more about the story and the characters fortunately. Captive State is based on The French Resistance in WW2, but the film brings this in a sci fi setting, with plot twists and a gritty style brings to mind lots of great classic dystopian science fiction and that is certainly not a bad thing in my book.

Captive State is a sci-fi movie directed by Ruper Wyatt who decides to take it easy and tell a completely different story than the typical Hollywood blockbuster. It is in this decision where the film gains strength. But let's be clear, Captive State is not a perfect movie, far from it. But it is an extremely imaginative film, with such intriguing concepts as revolution and aliens. It is a master class that explains how a revolutionary cell operates in a fictitious situation and gives us a thriller that makes us tense at times and intrigues us in others. Despite not having fully explored characters, the film builds an intriguing world with well-shot scenes and an ending that will leave you glued to your seat and asking for more. Captive State is not perfect, but it is definitely a recommendation.

Very stylish and cool movie that really makes you feel like you are there, under pursuit/surveillance, in danger, fighting for your existence.

This could be any 'state' where a region is occupied by an aggressive agent, this time it happens to be aliens.

Throws up some great moments that I won't spoil.

However the element I really want to stress is the performance of Goodman, he is simply stellar in this!

Personally, I am glad such movies are made. "Rare" doesn't always mean "good" but in this case it does. That said, it certainly is far from entertaining and hardly suitable for some light-hearted Saturday night family past-time. Also, don't expect a sci-fi action - it's a (political) thriller and the alien invasion here could be replaced with any dictatorship. It is not fully clear whether the film-makers chose aliens for dramatic effect or just to make it easier for the audience to decide who the bad guys are. Sadly, history proved that not all freedom fighters make their country a better place. As for the story, acting, cinematography - everything works well together to create the atmosphere of oppression, hopelessness and despair. There have been complaints that the script is messy. Well, it is not. If you accept the fact that there is no main character, no hero, no saviour, no deus ex machina and just watch closely, you are in for a decent detective story as well where each scene has a purpose and makes sense (honestly, I was able to predict the final "twist" something like 30% into the movie and still enjoyed sitting it through). All in all, Captive State is bound to be misunderstood by those who want to unwind and is a rare gem for those who are open to a dark and thought-provoking story and are fed up with superhero extravaganza

This film went above my expectations, going into it blind I thought it would be a good alien film. But it's not what you expect it's a film that you need to watch 2 times to understand but the concept is quite brilliant. The music, acting, effects are all very well done and keep the film intense. It's a film that keeps you thinking and never makes you look away. But I definitely recommend paying attention cause every little detail and scene has a meaning and a future purpose to unfold. I highly recommend this film it's a hidden classic!