Captive State

Written and Directed by Rupert Wyatt, CAPTIVE STATE follows several characters and multiple perspectives in a Chicago neighborhood in a world completely operated by an extraterrestrial force known as 'The Legislators'. The film portrays numerous aspects of this alien occupation, and chronicles the both sides of a brewing conflict between the human race and the aliens.

This is an extremely unique and likely very polarizing movie. Rather than a blockbuster-actioner laden with huge visual effects, CAPTIVE STATE is a somber look at 9 years after the major war has already occurred. What would usually be our primary focus is the framework of the story, which instead is much more of a political-espionage thriller with sci-fi elements. This automatically may be a turn off for some, but I found myself consistently intrigued and excited by the events that play out in the story. Aliens appear throughout the film but only in glimpses and from a far, usually. However, when we do see them up close, the effects work is actually quite impressive for a film made on $25 million. Not all the CG work is great but for the most part, much of it is very seamless and realistic in appearance. The creature design is also very well-done. The Legislators are extremely intimidating antagonists that, despite rarely seeing them in full, maintain a presence over the entire film. Some characters refer to the beings as 'Roaches', due to their insectoid behaviors and language, which consists of strange clicks, gurgles and buzzing. The sound design for these aliens is particularly effective, with many sequences upping the suspense due simply to the offscreen sounds of The Roaches, especially during a key scene toward the third act. The film succeeds in making us very intimidated of The Roaches, despite their infrequent appearances.

It's unfortunate that Captive State has a very unfocused structure. Scenes jump from character to character, with the closest thing resembling a lead being John Goodman's character Bill Mulligan. We never really manage to feel invested in every one of these characters, and instead can only attach to a few. Goodman easily has the best part, with his ambiguous morals and stern demeanor keeping him a very believable, restrained character that steals most of his scenes. Ashton Sanders is very good as another sorta-lead, Gabriel, and several character actors (Alan Ruck, James Ransone, Kevin Dunn) turn in very layered, realistic performances. It's the performances, really, that come through in the end and make us care. Director Wyatt seems much more interested in focusing on the event and entire system of society under alien oppression, rather than the lives and details of each and every one of his characters. In some ways, this is a detriment, as it makes some payoffs feel very numb and sorta empty. But in other ways (which I will not spoil), the restraint on developing the characters pays off completely, as we manage to attach ourselves to them based solely on subtle performances and small character ticks that recur throughout the film. Some dialogue is admittedly clunky, and again, some emotional weight is removed with some of these character's fates when we hardly know some of their names. However, Rupert Wyatt clearly respects his audience, using visuals and limited information a create a very gloomy, suspenseful atmosphere that consistently kept me on edge. The lack of detail on the alien species and their capabilities puts us in the same position as the human characters -- in the dark, scrambling to make it in this ruthless setting.

This, as well as the numerous other pros and a hefty load of solid social commentary, are enough to redeem CAPTIVE STATE of it's scripting faults and jumbled structure. An enthusiastic 7/10.

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

A powerful alien invasion. A surrender to avoid an ineluctable annihilation. The whole humanity under alien domination.

After this quick introduction, we elliptically switch nine years later, without really understanding how the human/alien cohabitation works. But this is definitely unimportant. Captive State (2019) is indeed a suspenseful thriller full of undercover agents, spies, policemen and a few aliens, with a profoundly dark and hardly optimistic atmosphere. The story takes place in Chicago in the near future and that, in some respects, looks like Paris, between June 14, 1940 and August 24, 1944, with resistance fighters and collaborators, and with aliens instead of German soldiers.

Thus, Captive State (2019) is obviously not an action/war movie, in a science-fiction context. And absolutely not a pop corn movie! The actors (especially John Goodman), the photography, the special effects, the atmosphere, ... that's heavy! Nevertheless, the script is a bit messy. We must wait for the very last scene in order to stick the pieces back together and have a global picture. The making is sometimes clumsy which may confuse the audience. Besides, some people left the movie theater during the screening I attended. Personally, it took me a while to understand and appreciate this story. Slightly frustrating.

As a synthesis: 6/7 of 10.

Not sure why this movie got so much hate. I'm very picky when it comes to movies, but I thought captive state was great. Maybe people didn't like it because it wasn't your typical "Alien movie" like war of the worlds for example, it had more substance to it. So i would definitely recommend it to any sci fi fans out there.

Just skip the negative reviews and bear in mind one thing: do not expect an action sci-fi movie. This is telling the story of people fighting against oppression. The context is just a marketing excuse to make you more attracted. But this story applies to what we have already seen in the past century. It's basically a modernized sci-fi-ed version of a great rebellion some of our grandfathers' took part to. Just don't watch it waiting for the monsters and the aliens with super hi-tech in independence-day style fights. Good movie indeed! If you find it boring at the beginning hold-on, the middle gets more animated and the ending is solid. People who disliked such an interesting approach to fights versus authoritarism deserve Transformers...