Captive State

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!

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...

Better than i expected, though not exceptional. Political/rebellion thriller that isnt overloaded with action. I enjoyed the way the film didnt treat you like a child and spoon feed you everything.

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.